The Australian Boer War Memorial
Anzac Parade Canberra

 
 
Trooper Harry Stephenson

Ancestor Details

Name of Ancestor: Harry Francis Stephenson

Ancestor's date of birth: 20/01/1876

Ancestor's date of death: 26/11/1943

Cause of Death: Natural causes

Service and Life Before the Boer War: Unknown

Service Number: B/115 and RD354

Colony or State of enlistment: Not Australia Place of Enlistment: Johannesburg, South Africa (from the British Army?)

Unit: South African Constabulory (SAC)

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 1899

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): LCPL, Date Effective: 1915

Murray Page: Not applicable, did not serve in an Australian Unit

Contingent: Not applicable, did not serve in an Australian Unit

Ship: Travelled Privately to South Africa

Memorial details: Buried in the Sydney region.

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Transvaal and Orange Free State clasps, King's South Africa Medal with South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902 clasps. 1914/14 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Personal Characteristics: 170 cm tall, 72 kg (1914), with grey eyes, dark hair and dark complexion.

Reasons to go and fight: Serving British soldier?

Details of service in war: The SAC were established in September 1900 as the police force in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony but instead became involved in combat duties for the duration of the war suffering the second highest casualty rate after the Royal Artillery. Police duties were performed after the war and the unit was disbanded in 1908.

Service and life after the Boer War: Harry was a gardener and at the age of 38, joined the AIF (Service Number 1548) on 11 December 1914. He embarked as a reinforcement from Sydney on HMAT "Seang Choon"(A49) on 11 February 1915 for Middle East. He was wounded while serving with 3 Infantry Battalion at Lone Pine on 6 August 1915 and returned to Australia on 20 October 1915.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Donald Humphrey, Revesby NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Son in Law


 

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RUSI of NSW Boer War Battlefields