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| Gen. Sir Robert Dundas Whigham |
Archival documents obtained from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in the UK have proven that Gen. Sir Robert Dundas Whigham (1865-1950 G.C.B, K.C.M.G., D.S.O) did not father my grandfather.
However, another British soldier by name Major Robert Dundas Whigham (King's Own Scottish Borderers, Lancashire Fusiliers), born on 31st January, 1873, actually fathered my grandfather.
This is because, Gen. Sir R. D. Whigham never had any West African Service; at the time my grandfather - Robert Dundas Whigham was born (14th October, 1911), he was in South Africa. Major Robert Dundas Whigham was then serving in the Gold Coast.
The documents below show the service records of the two Robert Dundas Whigham.
This is because, Gen. Sir R. D. Whigham never had any West African Service; at the time my grandfather - Robert Dundas Whigham was born (14th October, 1911), he was in South Africa. Major Robert Dundas Whigham was then serving in the Gold Coast.
The documents below show the service records of the two Robert Dundas Whigham.
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| Gen. Sir Robert Dundas Whigham (1865-1950) |
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| Major Robert Dundas Whigham (1873-1920s) |
"I read your email and article for ‘Modern Ghana’ with interest. I also found a similar article wherein you give scans of the Government Gazette of the time. I regret to inform you that you have made a mistake in the identity of Robert Dundas Whigham, leading you to the erroneous conclusion that his records were deliberately hidden due to his having fathered an illegitimate child".
"Your ancestor had exactly the same name as the General Sir Robert Dundas Whigham but was born on a different date", Mr. Sebastian Puncher, Deputy Curator, The Sandhurst Collection noted.
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| Service records of the two soldiers |
I was shocked and emotional when he revealed this interesting but "annoying" twist. For the past eight years when I started researching to know who my identity was, I have never come across another soldier with the same full name as Robert Dundas Whigham. Interesting, isn't it?
The documents Mr Puncher attached revealed that Gen. Sir R. D. Whigham never had any West African spell. He took part in the battle of Atbara in Sudan, was employed with the Egyptian Army, South Africa etc.
At the time, Major R. D. Whigham was on his third tour as a Lt. of the the Infantry, West African Frontier Force (W.A.F.F.), Gold Coast Regiment (GCR) from 1907-1911 stationed in Kumasi, now Ghana's second largest city. Before that, he had been to Nigeria from (1900-06)- second tour.
The West African Frontier Force was formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone and Gambia.
The West African Frontier Force was formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone and Gambia.
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| Short info on Major Robert Dundas Whigham |
Major R. D. Whigham left the Gold Coast on 22nd December, 1911 for his mandatory leave to Liverpool after he had fathered a son -my grandfather, born on 14th October, 1911. His name was Robert Dundas Whigham, a former foreman of the Ghana Railway Corporation.
He never returned to the Gold Coast. As to why he didn't come back from his mandatory leave, I am yet to know. New information suggest he died four years after leaving Ghana.
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| Short info on Gen. Sir Robert Dundas Whigham |
I have already poured out my sentiments and feelings in the Part 1 of this article (please check https://themanualgh.blogspot.com/2017/11/rawlings-and-i-are-one-comparative.html?m=1) and there is no need to continue it here.
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| My parents |
In Ghana, he was single. It would have been prudent for him to return to at least, do the honourable thing by letting the child know who his actual father was.
As the son of a British major, my grandfather didn't deserve the kind of hardship he went through and the circumstances leading to his death in 29th June, 1984 was really a sad one.
As the son of a British major, my grandfather didn't deserve the kind of hardship he went through and the circumstances leading to his death in 29th June, 1984 was really a sad one.
Apologies to the family of Gen. Sir Robert Dundas Whigham. However, in another document seen shows that Major Robert Dundas Whigham mentioned one Capt. Whigham as his brother. Though they share different fathers, but it is possible the two could be cousins.
https://library.mcmaster.ca/finding-aid/crombie
ReplyDeleteHello...I am a Book and Paper Conservator at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, Canada. You may be interested to know that this Institution holds letters written by your Robert Dundas Whigham to a young woman while he was here in Canada. Click on the above link and do a search on "Whigham". You can contact the Archives and request copies if you wish. Cheers
Hi Schell, thank you for sharing this great information to me. I must say that I'm very grateful to you. I'll surely link up for more information. Thank you and apologies for responding late. Had some issues on my blog.
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