Description
Queen’s South Africa Medal, 2 bars, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, 5219 Pte John Gates, 2nd Bn Wiltshire Regiment, on attachment from the 3rd “Royal Wiltshire Militia” Bn Wiltshire Regiment, who died during the war of disease at Bloemfontein on 26th May 1900.
Officially impressed: “5219 Pte J. Gates. 2nd Wilts: Regt”
Confirmed on the medal roll, which notes: “Deceased 26.5.00 Attached from 3 Wilts”.
With copy Militia service records.
Pte Gates is now commemorated on the Swindon Boer War Memorial, including the Salisbury Cathedral Wiltshire Regiment plaque which you can see here:
https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/24030
Gates is one of 139 names on the plaque who lost their lives during the war, notably being part of only 15 men from the 3rd Bn Militia listed.
Only the 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, part of the Regular Army were mobilised for active service in the Boer War.
An early casualty especially as Gates one of the original contingent of the 3rd Militia Bn who were upon embodiment quickly sent over to Fermoy and posted over to South Africa at Queenstown on the commandeered ship SS American of the West India Pacific Steamship Company.
They set off for the war with 2 Officers and 260 NCOs and men of the 2nd Wiltshire Regiment. There were about 600 Militia Men initially embodied but it took a long time to get them all out to South Africa, this being the very first contingent.
Private Gates was one of those local men who heeded the call, he was born in Swindon, Wiltshire during 1870.
During his time in the Militia, he lived in Swindon, where he was born and raised working as a baker for “Mr Lancaster”.
John had originally joined the 3rd Bn Militia on 24th May 1887, with service number 2049, at which time he was a young 17 year old Baker.
He was discharged after 10 years of service on 23rd March 1897. But then quickly chose to re-enlist for another term with the new number 5219.
Having waited 13 years since joining the Militia, on 16th January 1900 he was part of those from the 3rd Militia Battalion who were “Embodied” for active service in South Africa, setting off on 23rd January.
Only 4 months after being embodied, he was dead, his papers recalling he died of Enteric Fever, aka Typhoid at Bloemfontein on 26th May 1900.
