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Will , Alexander William (A W)

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Identity
Person No.
48834
Service No.
792
Last Name
First Name
Alexander William
Initials
A W
Age at Death
23
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
DISCH 606
Died after discharge
Cause of Death
Died of enteric fever (typhoid) in Durban after discharge
Military Service
Branch
Army
Rank
Corporal
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
COLONIAL 405
Colonial forces (pre-Union)
Location
Locality
Unknown
Cemetery
WEST STREET CEMETERY, DURBAN, KZN
Grave Reference
Unknown
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Durban Light Infantry Headquarters, Durban, KZN
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Durban Light Infantry Headquarters, Durban
Address
Coordinates
Panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Memorial
Memorial
Location
Pietermaritzburg City Hall, KZN
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Unit History
Role at time of death
Infantry
Status
Colonial volunteer unit
Part of
Raised 1854 as D'Urban Volunteer Guard; several earlier name changes (Durban Rifle Guard 1859, Royal Durban Rifles 1873, Natal Royal Rifles 1889) before "Durban Light Infantry" from 1895.
Notes

Boys Model School, Durban. Son of Thomas & Anne Will of Wills Lane, Berea, Durban. Born Berea, Durban 9 Sep 1878; storeman before enlistment. Brother James Adam Will died in WWI. Not listed in Watt's book (Jordan).

Research notes

Source: Regimental History of the Durban Light Infantry, Vol. 1, Roll of Honour, "The South African War, 1899-1902".
Durban Light Infantry Chapel Anglo-Boer War Roll of Honour plaque (kznpr.co.za) names this ServiceNo-less record's rank+initials combination (Cpl. A.W.) as "Will", not "Witt" -- same person (exact rank+initials+date match, only 1 candidate), spelling variant not changed.
John Dovey, 1 Sep 2026 (findmypast.com, Anglo-Boer War Records 1899-1902, cross-checked against the Durban Light Infantry Chapel Boer War Roll of Honour plaque): Corporal A.W. Will, Durban Light Infantry (no service number given). findmypast independently confirms the chapel plaque's spelling "Will" -- LastName corrected from "Witt" (both this ROH record's own prior spelling and the earlier-noted plaque cross-check had it as "Witt"; findmypast is a second, independent source agreeing with the plaque, so corrected).
Durban Light Infantry: Anglo Boer War Roll of Honour, compiled by K.M. Jordan, April 2020 (via angloboerwar.com's Durban Light Infantry 'Roll of honour' PDF, https://www.angloboerwar.com/images/pdf/DLI_ABW_ROH.pdf citing Historical Record of the Durban Volunteer Infantry Corps 1854-1904, The Durban Light Infantry Volume I: 1854-1934 (Lt-Col A.C. Martin), In Memoriam ROH of Imperial Forces ABW 1899-1902 (Steve Watt, 2000), Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa (Nicki von der Heyde), Natal Field Force Casualty Roll, and kznpr.co.za.: Corporal A.W. Will, no cause of death given, no burial trace found ('Unknown, no trace').
Durban Light Infantry King's Medal Roll / Muster Roll, 29/9/1899 to 31/5/1902 (V5012/02, Record Office Discharge Depot, Cape, signed G. Molyneux, Capt., Adjt. D.L.I.) -- 10-page nominal roll scan on angloboerwar.com's Durban Light Infantry unit page, 'Nominal roll images' tab.: Corps No. 792, Will A. (Private), "20/1/02. Dead." -- adds Service No. 792 and confirms (to within a day) the existing 21 Jan 1902 death date; initial given as plain "A." rather than "A.W.", presumed the same man given matching surname, unit and near-exact date.
K.M. Jordan, Durban Light Infantry: Anglo Boer War Roll of Honour (updated Nov 2023; email to John/Bobby 3 Sep 2026). Local file data/jordan_dli_abw_roh_2023-11-21.pdf (Downloads: "0. DLI ABW ROH - 21 Nov 2023.pdf").: Cpl Alexander William Will; enteric after discharge; West Street Cemetery; age 23; DOB 9/9/1878. Dates 20/01/1902 or 21/01/1902 — ROH kept 1902-01-21.

Citations
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