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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Roxburghshire => Topic started by: BillyF on Friday 14 September 12 14:47 BST (UK)

Title: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: BillyF on Friday 14 September 12 14:47 BST (UK)

If a soldier from Hawick was killed in the Boer War ( 2nd )is it likely that it would have been reported in the paper.

I don` t know how many casualties there would have been from Hawick but I have found some records of James Black or J Black, the soldier I am looking for. The J could be anything, but because there is such a small number I think there would have been only one from Hawick , if any.

Thanks

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: hdw on Friday 14 September 12 19:48 BST (UK)

Quote from: BillyF on Friday 14 September 12 14:47 BST (UK)

If a soldier from Hawick was killed in the Boer War ( 2nd )is it likely that it would have been reported in the paper.

Absolutely. I wrote a history of my native village in Fife some years ago and when I got up to the twentieth century and the two world wars, back numbers of the local newspaper were a mine of information about local  men who had been killed or wounded. And I found accounts of the Boer War too, taken from letters written home to his mother by a soldier from the village. She must have dreaded his letters, for he didn't spare her the details of bullets whizzing around and men being killed.

There was a tradition in Scotland and no doubt elsewhere, from Victorian times onwards, of people taking letters from loved ones abroad into the local newspaper office to be printed in the paper. A lot of these letters extol the virtues of emigration and the benefits of life in Australia or wherever, with comments like "Tell Mrs. Wilson I saw her son Andrew and he is doing very well".

To recap, I can't imagine a local paper missing the opportunity to highlight local men being killed in a foreign war.

Harry

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: BillyF on Saturday 15 September 12 14:58 BST (UK)

I am assuming that he was a soldier of the Boer War, so I am going to go to my local archives just to check that he didn`t die in England. Free BMD doesn`t bring him up. I f that proves unsuccessful I`ll have to think again

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: Sunlaws on Sunday 16 September 12 21:51 BST (UK)

Hi

23 Hawick men died in the 2nd Boer War, and their names are listed on the Boer War Memorial in Wilton Park in Hawick, but there is no-one named Black among them.

Regards,

Lesley

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: BillyF on Monday 17 September 12 15:31 BST (UK)

Thank you so much for that.

Back to the drawing board !!

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: xenia1 on Sunday 12 July 15 23:33 BST (UK)

Are you still looking, if so try Find my past.
Elaine

Title: Re: Hawick Newspapers
Post by: BillyF on Monday 13 July 15 09:21 BST (UK)

Thank you Elaine.

I have found him although not in connection with the Boer War; he`d changed his name !!