BOER War 1899-1902 African Medal

[PK2]

I have found my Great Uncle's Service Records and he was awarded the South African Medal on completion of his service. He was in the RAMC and served in South Africa. They give his next of Kin as his father but other than that the papers are skimpy on details it gives his length of service in SA as 1 year 122 days.
If anyone can tell me about the Medal and where I could find a picture of it I would be very grateful and also some idea where he could have served, any advice/ information would be appreciated. He understated his age by one year at his enlistment for the BOER War and later also served in the RAMC in France throughout WW 1.
Thank you if you can help.
Pat

[petercat]

I'm sure you'll get lot's of proper help with this one. In the meantime ...

I recently had to look up Boer War medals, having found service records for one of my own ancestors.
Depending on exactly when he served he may have been awarded the Kings South Africa Medal (KSA) or the Queens South Africa Medal (QSA). I found the following links useful and there are pictures of the medals and clasps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen's_South_Africa_Medal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_South_Africa_Medal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War
http://www.angloboerwar.com/boer-war-period/1875-queens-south-africa-medal
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/boer_war.htm

I don't think the last two are commercial sites. The board moderators can adjust the links if they feel it is necessary.

[PK2]

Dear Petercat

Thank you so much I just had time to read the Wikepedia and then I had a bit of a meltdown, probably trying to do too much at the same time!
Anyway if the rest are as interesting I think I can get a lot of background information, so a very big thank you. Also there were such good pics of the Queens SA Medal. Unfortunately I will have to return to this tomorrow I think the dinner is burning!!
Kind regards,
Pat

[petercat]

Yes, that wiki page on the 2nd Boer War is rather intense.

Did your great uncle's service record list any clasps after his medal? One useful thing I learnt was that you can tell the battles a soldier was involved with (or was in the general vicinity of) by the name of the clasps he received . The last two links I posted are useful for information on the battles/clasps and the third wiki link describes some of these battles/engagements.

If not, you may be able to find information specific to the RAMC and the Boer war on the Internet.

A thought just occurred to me. Perhaps your gt. uncle (who was in the medical corp.) treated my ancestor, who was wounded in one of the battles.

Anyway, I'm digressing! Good luck with the research.

[PK2]

Dear Petercat

I had to go out today so I have only just returned and will look again on his service records all 4 pages, from memory they do not give the clasps perhaps they were only awarded for combatant soldiers? That sounds good I know but I know nothing really! I also had trouble downloading the pages as only half a page appeared so I am currently doing battle with the site that supplied them so I can get them either again or copied, but I am sure they did not specify a clasp. Otherwise I will bit that bullet and pay again and print them!!

I would like to think he treated your ancestor too, the whole family were tremendously supportive of one another and caring and kind from what I have been told and know. He was made a Cpl in the 1 WW, but no service papers survived except his medal card and AVR so it was really great to find his service papers for the BOER War. I knew that he had served from the 1901 Census but it was so good to have it confirmed.

Thank you so much again for you help I will now look at everything you have suggested and feel already much more knowledgeable than I did.

Good luck with your own military research,

Kind regards,
Pat

[ladysmith]

Pat - British soldiers received at least one clasp on their QSA medal if they served in South Africa during the Boer War except in the extremely unusual circumstance of serving in Natal only between 11 June 1900 and 31 December 1900 only when there was a gap in the qualification criteria for any clasps.

Some colonial units (mainly town guards and district mounted troops), Naval and Royal Marine personnel who didn't set foot ashore and nurses received the medal without clasp as did British soldiers who guarded Boer prisoners on St. Helena without setting foot in South Africa during the war.

The only way to verify his clasp entitlment is to check the QSA medal rolls at the National Archives. The RAMC rolls are in sub series WO100/219 to 225 although he's most likely to be in either 220 (individuals A-K) or 221 (individuals L-Z). Unfortunately these rolls aren't available online.

David

[km1971]

Hi Pat

He would have received the QSA with appropriate clasps. It is just that some regimental clerks did not record them on the service records. Only nurses, (most) members of town guards, RN/RM personnel who did not step ashore, plus anyone receiving the bronze medal did not receive clasps. To find out his entitlement you will have to look at the medal rolls on microfilm in Kew. If you post a question on the British Medal Forum, someone may have printed it off to save you a trip/employing a researcher.

Also if you post the actual dates he served in SA you may discover part of his entitlement. As he served in SA for less than 18 months we know for certain that he did not receive the Kings medal. Also, the time in South Africa includes time at sea (three weeks).

Ken

[PK2]

Dear David and Ken

Thank you so much for your very good advice which along with Peter's gives me a great deal to work from, except being able to visit the NA.

However I can now tell you that he was Home 16 March 1901- 15 April 1901. (During this time he appeared on the 1901 Census in the RAMC) He went to SA 16 April 1901 until 26 August 1902 ( 1year and 133 Days) He was Home 24 August 1902 until 28 Aug 1902. Also listed "Campaigns 1901-1902 SA, Entitled to South African Medal"  Perhaps he was never awarded this Medal. He would be short of the 1 year 6 months qualification and I guess I will never know that unless I can check with the Roll.

But more important to me was finding him at all Medal or No medal! To me he was a Hero and probably did more despicable routine nursing care jobs than many youngsters would have done then and certainly in the present time! If he was in training at his enlistment I doubt this would have covered little more than the rudiments of care or discipline; they would have been thrust into it! And the same in WW1.

I do thank you most sincerely for your help as I have found little on the Internet to help with the RAMC except the sites Petercat mentioned and I have not been able to read all these yet, but I will and I will follow up on all your advice too. That will keep me quiet for a while!

Thanking you both once again
Kindest regards,
Pat

[km1971]

Hi Pat

The 18 months qualification only applied to the Kings South Africa Africa medal. He would have received the Queens South Africa medal. Of the links listed by Peter you need to read this one - http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/boer_war.htm

His QSA would have had the two date clasps for 1901 and 1902, plus the state clasps for Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Colony depending which states he served in. You probably will not find where he was in any further detail.

Ken