HENRY ALBERT BARKER ALIAS WILLIAM RICHARDS.
!S A ANCESTOR! FROM ENGLAND VIA INDIA.
HENRY ALBERT ALIAS WILLIAM RICHARDS ARRIVED IN S.A. IN 1887 - FROMINDIA. HE WAS THE ONLY SOLDIER PROCEEDING TO S.A. AT THIS STADGE - SEVERAL OTHERS RETURNED TO ENGLAND. WILLIAM RICHARDS WAS RECRUITED AT WESTMINISTER, LONDON ON 12 FEB 1875 DECLARING HIMSELF TO BE 19 AND A 1/2 YRS OF AGE AND GAVE HIS OCCUPATION AS WAITER. ANOTHER WILLIAM RICHARDS IS RECRUITED FROM THE SAME DISTRICT A FEW DAYS LATER ON 2ND MARCH HENCE OUR WILLIAM WAS NICKNAMED THE WAITER.
IT IS COMMONLY BELIEVED THAT HENRY RAN AWAY FROM HOME AT AN EARLY AGE AND CHANGED HIS NAME TO RICHARDS.HE JOINED THE 1ST BN KINGS OWN SCOTTISH BORDERS AS A TELEGRAHP OPERATOR. AROUND THE END OF 1875 THE BATTALION MOVED FROM IRELAND TO FYZABAD IN INDIA. THE SHIP JOURNEY TOOK TWO MTHS AND 19 DAYS. HE HELD THE RANK OF PRIVATE - HIS REGIMENT NO 430. ON 12 APRIL 1887 "TIME EXPIRED" RETIRED FROM THE ARMY - AFTER SERVING 12 YRS AND 2 MTHS. HE RECEIVED THE MEDAL FOR OPERATIONS IN BURMAH 1885-87. THIS MEDAL WAS POSTED TO HIM C/O TRAFFIC SUPERINTENDANT CAPE GOVT RAILWAYS, S.A. - ISSUED ON 7-6-1888. THE NEXT WE HEAR OF WILLIAM - HE HAD CHANGED HIS NAME BACK TO HENRY ALBERT BARKER - THUS BEING IN 1894.(WE CAN SAFELY ASSUME THAT HIS FIRST EMPLOYER WAS THE S.A. RAILWAYS - CAPE TOWN. HOWEVER I COULD NOT FIND ANY MENTION OF HIM IN THE LIST OF CIVIL SERVANTS.HE MUST HAVE LEFT VERY SOON).
ON 3 JAN 1894, AT THE ST PETERS CHURCH VRYHEID NATAL HE MARRIED CAMILLA MCNEE PAYNE. ON THIS CERTIFICATE HE IS DESCRIBED AS BEING A DECORATOR. HENRY JOINED THE NATAL ROYAL RIFLES ON 12 8 1898 AND PARTOOK IN THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH.HE HELD THE RANK OF SRGT. AND RECEIVED A MEDAL FOR THE DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH. HE RETIRED FROM THE NATAL ROYAL RIFLES ON 31-5-1902. HIS CORPS NO WAS 280. THE MUSTER ROLL FOR JUNE 1899, INDICATED THAT HE WAS STATIONED AT IXOPO AT THAT TIME. SOON AFTER 1910 HE AND HIS FAMILY MUST HAVE MOVED TO JHB. HE DIED 7 JUN 1923 AFTER SPENDING 2 MTHS AND 11 DAYS IN THE JHB HOSPITAL. HE WAS BURIED IN THE BRIXTON CEM. JHB GRAVE #E.C.7328
BOTH HIS TWO MEDALS WERE IN THE POSSESSION OF HIS GRANDDAUGHTER CATHERINE NETTMANN - SHE INFORMED ME THAT SHE HAD GIVEN THEM TO HER SON MICHAEL NETTMAN BOX 138, PAIHIA, BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND.THE SURNAME BARKER. FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, THE BARK OF TREES WAS USED TO TAN LEATHER. IT WAS THE BARKERS JOB TO COLLECT AND PREPARE THE BARK FOR THE PROCESS.
HIS SON LESLIE BELIEVED THAT HIS BIRTHDAY WAS 17/3/1860/61?
S A ANCESTOR! FROM SCOTLAND.
DURING THE 1881 CENSUS CAMILLA WAS LIVING WITH HER GRANDMOTHER ELIZABETH PAYNE AT 34 ABBOTSFORD PLACE, LANARK, SCOTLAND.
AFTER HER HUSBANDS DEATH SHE WAS VERY POOR AND HAD TO TAKE IN PEOPLES WASHING TO KEEP HER GOING. IT IS BELIEVED THAT SHE CAME TO SOUTH AFRICA AS A GOVERNESS FOR A RICH FAMILY.