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Date	Original Topic
9th November 2001	Isandlwana casualty By David Glynne Fox I recently purchased as South Africa Campaign Medal to Pte. 883 John Kempster. 1/24th. Killed in action at Isandlwana 22nd Jan. 1879. I have checked with most published sources but am still unable to find out which company he belonged to. I have checked Norman Holmes' "The Noble 24th" who lists him but not the company. I would be grateful if anyone can fill this gap.
Date	Replies
9th November 2001	Martin Everett Dear David, There is a double problem. Firstly the soldiers' docs of 1/24th were lost on the battlefield. The copy held by Army Records was destroyed once Pte Kempster became a casualty - no pension to be paid. You just have to enjoy owning the medal. Sorry
12th November 2001	David Glynne Fox Dear Martin. Many thanks for your reply.I didn't realise that the soldiers documents were actually present on the battlefield. I expected that the depot would have retained such items and hoped that Private Kempsters company could have been traced through this route. This explains why Norman Holmes left out such details. It would have been nice to have at least identified his company and "roughly" pinpointed his position on the battlefield at the time of the Zulu attack. Where he ended up of course is anyone's guess. As you say, I'll have to be content owning the medal. It is a shame army records are destoyed once one becomes a casualty, it sure makes life more difficult for the historian. Many thanks again for your help and hope to see you again shortly when I next visit Brecon.