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Australians
in the Boer War
Oz-Boer Database Project |
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Full Record
Hint: This site is intended as a search aid - not a definitive source. It is essentially an index to documents that seem to relate to this person plus a very brief precis of relevant elements. Sources often conflict and I also flag things with a ? when I am unsure. So if the information below is important to you, then please check the original sources to see what else they contain (and in case I have inadvertantly introduced transcription and/or precising errors). There can be additional information that was not included in the database for both space and copyright reasons.
| Surname | | RANKIN |
| Given Name(s) or Initial(s) | | James |
| Regimental Number | | 498 |
| Rank | | Trooper |
| Unit Name | | New South Wales Lancers |
| State | | NSW |
Extracts and Comments
(from Sources as shown) | |
Murray: 3ACH(NSW) Lieutenant.
Source:# 166 Illawarra NSW.
Paterson: ?Bloemfontein & Glen Siding.
B5207: Lt. 3ACH(NSW) a farmer aged 26 from Berry NSW.
URL1: Berry Half Sqn., decided to go to the front on arrival in Capetown despite strenuous efforts otherwise by parents.
URL2: NSW Lancers group photo with names taken in Africa.
URL3: Lieutenant James RANKIN was a member of the detachment of Lancers in training at Aldershot when the Boer war broke out. He went with the detachment to South Africa, serving from Belmont to Modder River, and under General FRENCH right through to Kimberley, Bloemfontein, and Pretoria.
Lieutenant RANKIN, who is 26, is the son of Mr. Francis RANKIN, Berry. He was absent from the State for two years on military service.
URL4: The Federal Contingent. Applications still continue to be received for enrollment in the Federal Contingent, the total to date being 1650. Of some 50 returned soldiers who presented themselves as candidates in connection with the new contingent on Wednesday [8.1.1902], 25 were rejected. Up to the present 105 men have passed the medical test, all but three qualifying by previous service in South Africa as marksmen and riders. Amongst the first selection of men for the Contingent appears the names of C MILLER, Wollongong; JA MANSON, Albion Park; HL TULLIGE and J RANKIN, Berry. Up to the present time the three men from Kiama Company, at present in camp at Moore Park have not been passed.
URL5: The members of Berry Half-squadron of Lancers have [c1.1902] concluded their annual musketry course under Staff Sergeant Major STANLEY, with highly satisfactory results. The shooting showed marked improvement on that of the previous year's, as the men are getting more used to the handling of the Lee-Metford carbine. Twenty-three passed as marksmen, and the majority of the remainder, including recruits, passed as first-class. Trooper J RANKIN, one of the Lancers who served in South Africa, secured the Crown badge with a score of 181.
URL6: Amongst those selected to join the next contingent for South Africa are - Constable MILLER, of Wollongong (who has already served at the front); JA MANSON, Albion Park; J RANKIN, Berry; H TULLIDGE, Bulli and J WARBY, Robertson.
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| Source References | |
Murray: Official Records of the Australian Contingents etc. page(s) 12 177
Buckley: Sword and Lance, The Story of the Richmond River Horsemen page(s) 158
Source:# Oz-Boer contributed source number 166
Paterson: From the Front page(s) 235 259
B5207: National Archives of Australia series B5207
Town&Country: Aust. Town and Country journal date(s) 25.11.1899
Hawksbury Adv.: Hawksbury Advocate newspaper date(s) 2.2.1900
Syd. Herald : Sydney Morning Herald newspaper date(s) 25.2.1902
KI and SA Kiama Independent & Shoalhaven Advertiser newspaper date(s) 10.1.1902
SCTWA: South Coast Times & Wollongong Argus newspaper date(s) 11.1.1902
| | External Link URL1 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71336951 | | External Link URL2 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66368452 | | External Link URL3 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14441136 | | External Link URL4 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101699635 | | External Link URL5 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143026573 | | External Link URL6 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143026554 |
Please email me if you can
contribute any other relevant information about this person (eg any
other military service, where in Australia they came from or when/where
they died). Also, if you find an external link broken.
Apology: For some time now it has been difficult to keep up with the newly available sources (especially the Trove newspaper site) plus the flow of contributions and queries. So I have been forced to prioritise maintenance and data entry over replying to correspondence. Nevertheless, your contributions are being added to the database and acknowledged on the contributions page and, although my replies are many months behind, I will attempt to get to them more often.
The
Oz-Boer Database
is copyright and may not be used for any commercial purpose.
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