Uniform Identification/Date Cameron Highlanders?

[Daniels-mum]

Update!

I have now found the original Army Form D 43, Parchment Certificate of Character amongst my mother-in-laws papers. The name her grandfather used was indeed William Campbell (instead of his real name of Alfred Wheeler), his number was 912 and his regiment was the Cameron Highlanders. The Certificate is dated 26 June 1891 (Edinburgh). Across the certificate has been written in red "William Campbell re-engaged into Sec D Army Reserve on the 8.9.96".

All very interesting!

[Daniels-mum]

Wonderful news!

We have found William Campbell's (ie Alfred Wheeler's) medals and his cap badge! I can't tell you how happy my husband is - they were in a box in his mother's garage - I attach a photo.

We also found details of his service record:

912 Pte William Campbell, Cameron Highlanders
Enlisted at Fort George 27.06.1884
Egypt 30.08.1884 to 19.10.1885
Discharged to the Army Reserve 27.06.1891
Re-engaged for the Army Reserve 26.06.1896

Held the appointment of Drummer for 2 years - (although his photo shows him with pipes).

We just have to solve the mystery of his Afghanistan medal now - we think he must have served there under a different alias - there is no name on the rim.

[Garen]

Hello Helen

That's terrific news about finding his medals - what an exciting find.

I see on his service papers that he answers 'no' to any previous service to his enlistment in 1884. In Aug 1886 he was tried and convicted of having made a false answer on his attestation ... was that his name, or a previous service? Or both, or something else entirely?

I also see that he joined the army in London in late June 1884, and then was attested into the regiment at Fort George in July. He gives his mother's name as Ann Campbell of Inverness - presumably not true? (What were his parents' names?)

The possibility that he did not serve in Afghanistan and that he added the medal to his set is one that should be allowed for - this would not be a unique situation! Is the rim of the medal new and blank, or has it been erased? If erased, then it could be his previous name, or the name of an original owner.

For someone to join under an assumed name, yet to have served before, you'd expect the original service to be under their real name, or perhaps under the same assumed name. Another assumed name is a possibility, but I would say a more unlikely one.

He is not wearing the Afghan medal in the regimental photograph in the presence of fellow soldiers, but he is wearing it on the solo photo, with no other soldiers present.

Have you found Alfred on the 1881 census?

Best -
Garen

Edit: Not sure I've got the right family - but a quick look at the census and I'm looking at an Alfred Wheeler, bricklayer, son of John Wheeler, bricklayer, in Hammersmith (wife Sarah). I see them on the 1861 census, but at this time John is married to a Frances Wheeler (a sister seems to indicate her maiden name is Soaper). I see the family in 1871 as well, with Sarah but with John not present.

[Daniels-mum]

Hello Garen,

Many thanks for your reply. We didn't know that he was tried in 1886 - where did you find this out if you don't mind me asking?! (The information we have about his service record was supplied to us some years ago by a friend of my husband, who looked it up for us). It could have been either his name - or the fact that he had served before  or something else - unfortunately we have no idea! But his Egypt medals do have William Campbell on the rim.

We believe that he it's probably true that he was born in Enfield as his wife was from London and indeed the families of both my husband's parents were all from London. He died in London in 1899 and is buried in Abney Park Cemetery (apparently he died from blood poisoning after an operation on his ankle so my husband's mother says - we don't have the death certificate). He married Elizabeth Harris in Jan 1887 (St John's, Hackney) and his occupation is described as "soldier". On the certificate he says his father is Charles - occupation "dead". Whether this really was his father's name, I don't know. I also found the London family with father John Wheeler who was a bricklayer, and wonder if this is really his family. We have no inkling at all what his parents were actually called. My mother-in-law (his grandaughter) knew from her mother (Ellen Daisy Wheeler, his daughter) that he ran away and joined up under an assumed name after a fight with his father. Perhaps his mother ran away with him too, and became "Ann Campbell"??

I see what you're saying with regard to the Afghanistan medal - but why would he bother to pretend he'd been there if he hadn't? The rim of the medal looks like it's been erased. Now we're having second thoughts as to whether the piper on the left of the photo is actually William/Alfred after all - he certainly looks similar to the person in the solo photo, but I wonder if it is in fact the same person? We know the solo photo is definitely William/Alfred.

Well thanks for all your input Garen, it's certainly given us a lot to think about! My husband says that if you're into conspiracy theories, perhaps he didn't got to Afghanistan but said he did in order to cover up something else - time spent in prison perhaps or something else he wanted to keep a secret? However - my husband (who was in the forces himself - it runs in the blood!) says his gut feeling is that Alfred was entitled to the Afghanistan medal which is why he wore it, but that he gained it under another name when he first ran away from home as a teenager. There must be another reason why he changed his name again - perhaps his father found out about his first alias. I suppose unfortunately we'll never know.

Thanks again.

Helen

ps Have just ordered his death certificate.

[Garen]

Hello Helen

Many thanks for your detailed reply, much appreciated.

On William Campbell's service record  statement of services it says:

"In conft [confinement] awtg [awaiting] trial - 19 Aug 86 to 20 Aug 86
Tried + convicted of having made a false answer on attestation - 31 Aug 86
Sentence Remitted - Drummer - 1 Sept 86 to 27 April 87."

I actually doubt it was his name - if a true name is discovered then it is usually added to the record.

Interestingly, his 1887 marriage to Elizabeth Harris is not included on his Military History Sheet, which you'd expect it to be as he served until 1896. From his medical record I see he was being treated at Leith Fort just one week after the 1891 census - and he is at Edinburgh Castle on the census - age 31, Private Cameron Highlander, unmarried (presuming that's him). It would be interesting to find Elizabeth on the 1891 census.

Do you know when and where his children were born at all? It would be interesting to know if any were born while still in service.

I see what you're saying with regard to the Afghanistan medal - but why would he bother to pretend he'd been there if he hadn't?

I can't tell you off the top of my head how many soldiers I've come across who did add a medal or two to their rack, but I'd probably need more fingers than I have to count them (and many more if you include underserved clasps added to honestly-earned medals). Why did they do it? We can never know ... a bit of added glory, perhaps, but there could be other reasons. That's not to dismiss the possibility that perhaps he did serve under another name, but I mention it as something that is known to have happened on multiple occasions.

One other thought - why keep the name of William Campbell on the Egypt medals, when his family knew him as Alfred Wheeler, but scrub the name off the Afghan medal - which may have been named to Alfred Wheeler or some other alias? (No, I'm not into conspiracy theories, but I have researched thousands of soldiers who served - and who didn't - in the Second Afghan War).

By the way - I have come across an Alfred Wheeler on the Afghan War medal roll. Private no. 1665 in the 67th Foot, but he should have clasps for Charasia and Kabul on the medal, and is listed on the roll as "since deceased" (probably before May 1882). I haven't found any others (though it's a big roll!).

Do let me know if anything interesting is revealed on Alfred's death certificate. What a mystery!

Best wishes -
Garen

[Daniels-mum]

Hello Garen,

Many thanks for your very interesting reply. I have found Elizabeth Wheeler on the 1891 census - she is living in a household in Hackney as a domestic servant and is listed as "married". She is aged 27 and her birth place is Balls Pond (transcribed as Bells Pond). I know she was born in Islington, and Balls Pond is an areas of Islington, so I'm pretty sure this is the right Elizabeth Wheeler as her age is correct too (and in 1911 she is back living on Balls Pond Road). The children were born in 1892 (Henrietta born in Tottenham), in 1893 (Lily born in Tottenham) and in 1894(Ellen DAISY born in Tottenham). I imagine he must have kept his "other life" as a married man a secret from the army as he had got married under his real name, hence he is "single" in 1891!

Perhaps he scrubbed the name (whatever it was) of the Afghan medal as to his fellow soldiers in the Cameron Highlanders he was William Campbell and he didn't want to reveal he'd had another identity. Or, as you say, perhaps he was never there at all!

I have looked at the service papers on FindMyPast. On the Attestation papers, "Heavy Punishment" has been written between numbers 10 and 11, these are the question asking if he has ever served before or has ever been discharged, to which he answered no. I wonder if this is what he was tried for if it did come to light that he'd been to Afghanistan. I note that one of his tattoos is a thistle in a wreath - is this associated with any particular regiment do you know?

Thanks again for all the very useful information. I will let you know what his death certificate reveals if anything. One last thing, apparently his wife's father did not approve of him as he was a soldier and for this reason they did not marry for several years. He was however apparently a lovely man and although his wife went on to remarry, she never really got over his death.

Best wishes,

Helen

[Garen]

Well spotted on that 'heavy punishment' note - I missed that completely. That is interesting, especially the placement.

I don't think your idea about him erasing his medal so that his fellow soldiers would not see the different name is likely. They would be very interested in an Afghan campaign medal and would immediately know he didn't earn it with the Camerons, and an erased medal would be just as suspicious as one with a different name.

However, whereas before I was leaning towards a self-awarded Afghan medal (as I say, I have examples of this), I must say that the placement of that 'heavy punishment' note along with the 'false answer on attestation' does strengthen the possibility of previous service. And if he was Afghanistan I'd love to know!

If that's the case, and he did serve under a name different from William Campbell, then I'm surprised it wasn't added to his service record upon discovery. Does that mean he actually served previously under the same pseudonym? Or it just wasn't recorded.

(I'm assuming his real name was Alfred Wheeler, not William Campbell - as you don't know his parents, is it possible he was actually Campbell?)

The thistle with a wreath is connected with the 1st Royal Scots - though they weren't in Afghanistan. But it could be that it's just a balancing tattoo to the rose in a wreath on the other arm. An interesting Scottish-English pair!

Here's some William Campbells from the Afghan War medal Roll:

92nd (Gordon) Highlanders:
B/73 - clasps: Charasia, Kabul, Kandahar + Star - died from wounds Mar 1881
B/502 - clasps: Charasia, Kabul, Kandahar + Star - discharged to pension

72nd (Seaforth) Highlanders:
58B/2668 - clasps: Kandahar + Star
1218 - clasps: Charasia, Kabul, Kandahar + Star

78th (Seaforth) Highlanders:
8 - no clasps

4th Bttn Rifle Brigade:
1793 Corporal - clasps: Ali Masjid

17th (Leicestershire) Foot:
1027 - clasps: Ali Masjid

As you can see, all the Scots regiment candidates had clasps for their medal - except the 78th Foot man, and I had a look for his service record without success.

Are there witnesses on the marriage certificate?

Best wishes - Garen

[Daniels-mum]

Hello Garen,

Well - it hadn't crossed my mind that Alfred Wheeler may not be his real name! However, I do think that the family story that he ran away and changed his identity is more likely to be correct. His daughter would have been told that by her mother (Elizabeth) and then she relayed that to my mother-in-law - so the story hasn't come too far to be changed.  And I would think he would be more likely to get married under his real name than a false one - I'm assuming he would have had to provide a birth cert or evidence of identity.

The witnesses at the wedding were Samuel Harris (bride's brother - or possibly her father, but he tended to sign his full name Samuel James Harris, as when he was a witness at her second marriage) and Henrietta Farge (or possible Targe). Interestingly their first child was named Henrietta - so maybe she could be a sister of Alfred.

Thanks for the medal roll information. I wonder if the 78th Foot man is Alfred. How wonderful if it was him! I just have a feeling he used another name, but I hope I'm wrong!

Thanks again Garen for your input.

Best wishes,

Helen

[Daniels-mum]

Hello Garen,

I've now received Alfred's death cert. He died on 4 April 1899 at the London Hospital, aged 39. This tallies with his service record - 24 yrs 6 months in June 1884. So, at least we know he was born in Dec 1859/Jan 1860 (I think!). His occupation is Bricklayer's Labourer (again, ties in with his service record), late of 40 Arcola St, Shacklewell Lane. (This is the address his wife's father Samuel James Harris and family are living at in the 1891 census). Cause of death was sudden valvular disease of the heart. The family story was that his death was caused by blood poisoning after an operation, and having googled the condition, a bacterial infection after invasive surgery can cause such death. The most interesting thing is that his inquest (on 6 April 1899) was conducted by Wynne Edwin Baxter - the noted London Coroner who conducted the inquests into Jack the Ripper's victims and Joseph Merrick (the 'Elephant Man') - it's worth googling him, a very interesting man!

Regards,

Helen