my grt grandad john laidlaw

[marcie dean]

when he was approx, 2 yrs old he was in the 18th hussarhs and was seconded to the imperial calvary of india to defend the lives of the rajhand hiswife  dont know how to name her or even pretend to know how to spell it, funnily enough levisongower was there as well dont know hy but asumr it was a on diplomatic government business. and our family tied up with the controversey over that family never resolved and not likely to be.the gentleman that i used to talk to about genealogy was the genealogist for all the islands and is probably dead some years back
at some time he came home aged now 32 met my great gran marjory got her pregnant married her and their first son was borne called john walker Laidlaw not john brown laidlaw which is a little strange.
anyway, on the first anniversary of their marriage they found their firstborn dead in his cot.
after that john was called away to go into battle again this time it was in the boer war in swaziland?

during his absence his daughter, my grt aunt marjory died of consumption and as depicted in the film the zulus or whatever it was actually called there were hardly any officers left alive most were either dead or dying he left the field of battle and headed home to be with his wife and family in the film Michael Caine was seen talking to the Sargeant major who was slowly dying and made him promise to get more troops to come out and help get the wounded home or at least try to save their lives,(for both campaigns he was awarded the rose and bar for gallantry or bravery; my question is
 which route would you take to get from swaziland back to scotland and his horse could not have survived such a journey would it?. I would love to have a map of the  route if one such thing exists of HIS actual route when he returned by then he was 45 or thereabouts he tried signing up again for the first world war, but they told him that he was too ill to fight they suggested,try home duties but even they said that he was too ill he was sent to victoria hospital in Glasgow where he died on the 3rd april 1923 he had been suffering with sleeping sickness he was entombed and placed in rosemount cemetary ,i only hope that he was actually dead not just suffering a bout of sleeping sickness

[jim1]

I think you're getting your wars mixed up a bit Marcia.
The Boer War was in 1899-1902 against the Dutch settlers (The Boers).
The Zulu War was 1879.
Rorke's Drift was manned by the Royal Engineers & the 24th. Foot.
I don't believe the 18th. Hussars were in S. Africa in 1879 but were there
during the Boer War.
So assuming it's the Boer War the 18th. returned to the UK in Oct. 1902
via Cape Town on the SS Englishman & posted to Aldershot Barracks.
The problem is that there is no Laidlaw listed as receiving any medals of any description
for Boer War service.

[ShaunJ]

This is John Laidlaw who served in 18th Hussars in WW1 (13432) but his previous service was with 11th Hussars (3347).

Enlisted 1891 aged 22.
Served overseas in India 1893-1899 and South Africa 1899-1902
Clasps for Relief of Mafeking, Diamond Hill, Orange Free State, Defence of Ladysmith
Married Marjory C W Brown in Edinburgh in 1904

https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FWO97%2F5301%2F075%2F001&parentid=GBM%2FWO97%2F5301%2F925019

[marcie dean]

This is John Laidlaw who served in 18th Hussars in WW1 (13432) but his previous service was with 11th Hussars (3347).

Enlisted 1891 aged 22.
Served overseas in India 1893-1899 and South Africa 1899-1902
Clasps for Relief of Mafeking, Diamond Hill, Orange Free State, Defence of Ladysmith
Married Marjory C W Brown in Edinburgh in 1904,
I thought he was 32 (at least he was 32 and she was 19 when they met he got her pregnant and they married

   

when they married, their firstborn son john walker brown laidlaw they found him dead in his cot on the first anniversary of their marriage that seems to be the time he went back to the 
 calvalry to fight, in the boerwar by the time he came home again to holyrood palace where he would have reported on his return he was about40 or 49 possibly and was sick with sleeping sickness he tried to sign up again, this time i think it was because his daughter had not long died of consumption, but he was told that he was not well enough to fight again they suggested home duties, but he asked and again they told him he wasnt well enough for that either, he went into glasgows victoria hospital and died there I think it was on the 3rd of april 1923 he's entombed in rosemount cemetary
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FWO97%2F5301%2F075%2F001&parentid=GBM%2FWO97%2F5301%2F925019

[marcie dean]

whilst he was in india leison gower wwas also there he was supposed to be my grt grandfathers grandfather but it was never proven they met and levison gower said to john apparently i'm prepared to accept you  as my grandson and heirand heir if you will accept me as your grandfather but john rebuked him stating the time to accept me was when my mother was pregnant with me, so no i wont be your heir its only because of death duties you are pepared to accept me now; so no i wont be your heir.