Ancestor Details

>Name of Ancestor: Samuel Major Berry

Ancestor's date of birth: 25/09/1876

Ancestor's date of death: 01/06/1945

Cause of Death: Bowel cancer

Service Number: 1155

Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: no informtion

Unit: 3^rd NSW Mounted Rifles

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: On enlistment

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No record of post Boer War Service

Murray Page: 130

Contingent: Fifth New South Wales

Ship: Custodian or Maplemore, Date of Sailing: 21/05/1901

Memorial details: not known

Awards/Decorations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Transvaal, SA 1901 and SA 1902 clasps.

Personal Characteristics: not known

Reasons to go and fight: no information

Details of service in war: April 1901-April 1902 in west then east Transvaal. "In his younger days he fought in the Boer War with the Australian Bushman where he was a despatch rider. He was shot in the hip and his dead horse lay on him all night before being discovered the next morning. He was apparently in danger of losing his leg and refused amputation calling instead for a doctor who had a very good reputation. This Doctor saved his leg by putting a stainless steel pinning to his hip joint." [Source: unreferenced newspaper clipping]

Service and life after the Boer War: Returned to Australia 3 June 1902. He spent most of his working life as a coal miner and was treasurer of the Lithgow branch of the Miners Union which was very active in the campaign for improved working conditions in the 1920s. The local member of NSW Parliament was Hamilton Knight who became minister for labour and industry and introduced many workplace reforms. Samuel died in 1945 as a result of Bowel cancer. There are no photos or any documentation, he was my late husband's grandfather.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Joan Helen Morrell, Moss Vale NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: granddaughter-in-law

Name of Descendant: John Morrell, Crookwell NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Grandson

Name of Descendant: Judith Sheehan, Jamberoo NSW 2533
Relationship to Ancestor: Great grand Daughter

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