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Hi all can any one help me please?
My Great Grandfather was A Boer war soldier (3rd Battalion Essex Rgt his service number is 7155)
I have his QSA medal with Cape colony, Orange Free State,and Transvaal clasps but my trouble is I have his paperwork that says Cape colony space, space, space, South Africa 1902. I have been told that the medal can't have Sth Africa 1902 with out having Sth Africa 1901 is this true? And why does his medal have extra clasps OFS and Transvaal but missing Sth Africa 1901 and 1902

Hi Bretto, Yes I found him on the rolls. Pte W Hampton. There are two pages - one that is the main page that shows no entitlements to the clasp and then a supplementary page that gives his entitlement as Cape Colony and South Africa 1902. So you are correct in surmising that those ore the only two clasps he is entitled to from the records. The other superfluous clasps may have been issued in error which is likely or that he served with another unit to gain those extra clasps which is unlikely. Yes the South Africa 1902 clasp can be earned by itself by just being in South Africa between January and May of that year. There is no relationship between the two dated clasps. Are the rivets between the clasps fine? It is probable an administrative error
Welcome aboard and all the best David

thanks for the reply yes the rivets are fine and don't look like they have been tampered with I have an original 10x8 photo of my Great Grandfather in his uniform wearing this medal and it has the 3 mentioned clasps, I'm not sure if he would have worn it knowing he wasn't in those battles. If he was entitled to the Cape Colony and the 1902 clasps what would he have been doing between those two clasps? What date was Cape Colony? What I want this info for is I am getting some frames with photos and medals made and I dont want to order the wrong clasps as once they are in the frame, thats it, is there any info as to where his unit fought and dates?

Walter Hampton, an eighteen year old seaman from London joined the Militia, the 3rd Battalion Essex Regiment on New Years Eve 1901, in London, he was, very clearly not entitled to a South Africa 1901 clasp.
He was embodied for Foreign Service on the 10th of March 1902 and disembodied on the 6th of October that same year, his actual service, in South Africa would have been between the two dates, the Militia were deployed on garrison duty in the Colony at that particular point in time, both the Second Invasion and Rebellion in the Colony had been sorted out, little left to do, other than the odd bit of mopping up.
Notwithstanding, their presence in the Colony did release more members of the Army and the, by now, far more depleted SAMIF to clean up in the Northern Transvaal and apart from a little more killing up there, this very expensive war was about to be concluded.

However, for Walter Hampton, his career was only just beginning, he did what so many had done beforehand and simply used the Militia as a stepping stone into the Army, joining the 15th Kings Hussars, the wretched "Fighting Fifteenth" shortly after his active service with the Essex, he must have stood out as a recruit at Hounslow or Canterbury with his experience in South Africa and just perhaps a single ribbon to represent his Queens South Africa medal, as I note WO100/191 is dated July 1902 in regard to the medal and November of the same year in regard to the clasp entitlement, which is clearly shown
He gave his next of kin as his father, William Hampton, at number 6 John Street, Plaistow Road, West Ham.

sorry but you have then wrong man Walter Hampton my Great Grandfather name was William Charles Hampton serial number 7155 3rd Battalion, Essex Rgt he became an Australian citizen went to Gallipoli as an Aussie serial number 1229 and died 1924 and his son was Charles William Hampton

Good heavens, that would certainly be most interesting, Walter Hampton's service number was 7155 and he did serve with the 3rd Essex Regiment in South Africa during 1902, moreover, that particular service number, was given by the battalion, not by the War Office and is unique to just one man for his period of service, WO96 confirms his identity beyond all reasonable doubt, as does RG12 and that man was Walter Hampton

Can you actually post a photograph of the naming on the medal please, it's issue with the clasps you mention is rather unusual.