TOPIC:

Among the files of medal rolls for the South African War of 1899/1902 to be found at the Public Record Office is one which contains such intriguing units as “Burger Camps Detachment”, “South Eastern Gas Company's Reservists”, “Chinese Regiment of Infantry”, and it occurred to me that these would repay a little study.

The first roll in the file is that of the is that of the Burger Camps Department and is a claim by members of the Medical Services including Nursing Sisters some of whom, it is interesting to note claimed the clasp, Transvaal. Although clasps were not given to nurses this claim is not marked “Dis-allowed” as seems to be the usual in these cases. While one can understand that nurses probably did not actually participate in any of the actions in the field, it is difficult to see why they should not have been granted the three “Defence” clasps and even the “Colony” clasps.

One would like to know why Mr. C.R. Henry, C.S.I. of the Criminal Investigation Department was wanted. Probably interrogation of prisoners I would suggest. The Fire Brigade Johannesburgh does not sound like a combatant unit but they served as a body as there is a roll devoted to them.

Winston Churchill is to be found among the War Correspondents but his name is ruled through with a note in the remarks column “Previously served in S.A.L.H.” That prolific writer Edgar Wallace was then a correspondent for the Daily Mail. His recommendation is marked “Case still under consideration” and the entry ruled through in green ink with the laconic comment “No Medal”. I have read somewhere that Wallace discovered that an old friend of his army days was an orderly on duty at the peace talks and arranged with him to be given a signal immediately the treaty was signed. By this means he cabled the information to the Daily Mail some twenty-four hours before Kitchener released the news. Knowing Kitchener's dislike of war-correspondents one is inclined to wonder if this incident had any connection with the dis-allowing of the medal. I would very much like to know if Wallace was subsequently granted the medal as I cannot help feeling that he would not let the matter rest. Another interesting entry under this heading is that of Lieut. Do Kleen of the Swedish Artillery. By the way War-Correspondents were recommended for their medals the forms being amended to this effect.

It seems rather hard that W. Clark, a civilian groom who apparently qualified for the clasps Paardeburgh, Johannesburgh, Driefontein and Cape Colony should, with W. Hiscock, have been granted the bronze medal only although the clasps were not actually dis-allowed. The same applies to A. Tree who was a civilian servant. His claim to Cape Colony and Natal is however marked Dis-allowed” and “Bronze Medal only granted”.

After the end of the war, in November 1902, the South Metropolitan Gas Company gave a dinner to their employees who as reservists had been called upon to serve. It was then discovered that a number had never received their medals and the secretary of the Reservists Fund wrote to Lord Roberts informing him of the circumstances and asked that their medals should be sent to them. It is hoped that the medals arrived in time for the recipients to wear them at the dinner.

Finally “The Chinese Regiment of Infantry” certainly got me guessing with names like Chang Hsien and Feng-yang Foo running through my mind. It was rather an anti-climax to find that the solitary claimant (granted medal with six clasps) was one Lt. And Q.M. T. JONES!!!!!!

Very interesting, Mike! I never stop learning something new about the ABW! Thank you for your post.
Regards
Brett