Ancestor Details
Name of Ancestor: Thomas Emerton Whitford
Ancestor's date of birth: 14/09/1883
Ancestor's date of death: 08/07/1939
Cause of Death: Heart Attack
Service and Life Before the Boer War: At the time of enlistment he was a plumber's assistant. He served as a Bugler in 5VMR.
Service Number: 1283
Colony or State of enlistment: VIC, Place of Enlistment: Melbourne
Unit: F Coy 5VMR (Left Wing)
Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 01/04/1901
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): Petty Officer, Date Effective: Not Known
Murray Page: 293
Contingent: Fifth Victorian Contingent
Ship: Orient, Argus or City of Linclon, Date of Sailing: 15/02/1901
Memorial details: Victorian Mounted Rifles Memorial, Melbourne
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902.
Personal Characteristics: Detail not provided
Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided
Details of service in war: Service: March 1901 - March 1902 in east Transvaal and Natal frontier under Beatson then Pulteney, including defeat at Wilmansrust (Whitford was at Wilmansrust) where 18 killed and 42 wounded (12 June 1901), and successful intervention at Onverwacht (4 January 1902); heaviest casualties of any Australian contingent, at Wilmansrust suffered the costliest defeat.
Service and life after the Boer War: After the war he joined the RAN and rose to the rank of Petty Officer. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1939 in Fington Victoria
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Rod Cooke, LANE COVE NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Grand SonName of Descendant: Judith Cooke, Montmorency VIC
Relationship to Ancestor: Grand Daughter
