John Moffat Adamson mining engineer

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/14332681/person/245853546 David Birt

Parents:

• Birth*: John Moffat Adamson mining engineer was born on 5 October 1889 at 1 Helen Street, Forfar, Forfarshire, Scotland, ; 1889 births in the district of Forfar in the county of Forfar; #315; 1889 October fifth 10h 45m pm 1 Helen Street Forfar; m; William Adamson grocer master, Margaret Adamson ms Cameron, 1888 December 19th Laurencekirk; William Adamson father present; 1889 October 23rd at Forfar W H Thomson registrar; GROS statutory births 288/00 0315 image held [July 2008].
• He was the son of William Adamson licenced grocer and Margaret Cameron.
• Marriage*: John Moffat Adamson mining engineer married Selina Alice Pepall circa 1911.²
• Death*: John Moffat Adamson mining engineer died on 13 October 1938 at Johannesburg, South Africa, , at age 49; Probate 1940: Adamson John Moffat of Springs Transvaal Province South Africa died 13 October 1938 at Johannesburg Administration (wil Will) (limited) Llandudno 28 November to Barclays Bank (Dominion Colonial and Overseas) attorney of Selina Alice Adamson widow and Lascalles Raymond Bobbins Birt. Effects £531 5s. in England.³

• Anecdote forWeb*: Qualified as a Mining Engineer in Edinborough. Managed a tin and diamond mine in West Africa in Sierra Leone, moved to Rhodesia where he Managed an Asbestos Mine at Shabani and was appointed Mine Manager of East Daggafontein Gold Mine on the East Rand Transvaal. He married my grand mother, Selina Peppal in Johannesburg and died at a young age from cancer of the stomach in retrospest thought to have been caused by the asbestos. He tried his luck at sugar farming on the North Coast of Natal but failed due to drought and fire. Zilla Hulett of the Hulett Sugar Empire said that he was a lovely person but never cut out to be a farmer.⁴

Census & Directory Entries

Member of Household	5 April 1891	They was listed as a member of the household of William Adamson licenced grocer in the 1891 census at 161 East High Street 1st Floor, Forfar, Forfarshire, Scotland, . John M Adamson, son, 1, Forfarshire, Forfar; William Adamson, head, mar, 24, grocer, employer, Forfarshire, forfar; Margaret Adamson, wife, mar, 25, grocer wife, Kincardinshire; 5 rooms with windows.5
Member of Household	31 March 1901	They was listed as a member of the household of William Adamson licenced grocer in the 1901 census at 44 West High Street, Forfar, Forfarshire, Scotland, . John Moffat Adamson, son, 11, scholar, Forfarshire, Forfar; William Adamson, head, mar, 38, licenced grocer, employer, working at home, Forfarshire, Forfar; Margaret Adamson, wife, mar, 34, Kincardinshire, Laurencekirk; 5 rooms with windows.6

Military Service

• Military Service*: John Moffat Adamson mining engineer served with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers on 3 October 1915 and served with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. His regimental number was 20920 and he was a private. The first theatre of war he served in was the Balkans and he was awarded all three WW1 medals - the 1915 star, the British War medal and the Victory Medal (affectionately referred to as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after comic strip characters of the 1920s).^7,8