TOPIC:

While we know a great deal about the Boer War, the number of QSAs that were issued/earned is not one of those facts.

This post tries to estimate this number.

This estimation is based on the recent post on the number of roll pages. This says there are 58,118 pages of QSA and supplementary pages in the WO100 series.

We know a few facts about the number of QSAs earned by the cavalry, IY and RE so it is possible to estimate how many names there are per page on these QSA/supplementary rolls. This calculation gives a surprisingly similar figure of around 10 names per page across the 68,744 names and 6,896 pages in these three sections. The numbers per page are 9.2 for the REs, 10.5 for the IY and 9.5 for the cavalry. I have therefore used 10 names per page where there is no better estimate of the QSAs awarded.

Next, I assessed the QSA medal roll index to determine where the 10 names per roll could be applied. This led to a reduction of 0.8 names per roll for the individual claims (131-136), the exclusion of non-QSA data in the series (from 377 onwards) and the use of the 10 names per page estimate on the remaining sections. The WO100 series covers the Army so the last item to add were the 10,198 Navy QSAs (which interestingly average 27 per page but they are double pages and use a different layout to the Army pages).

Based on this rationale, the number of silver and bronze QSAs issued was approximately 575,000.

The calculations are shown in the image below.



The estimate of 575,000 is very sensitive to the value of 10 names per page. This is because 51,026 of the 58,118 pages, 88%, are affected by the estimate. If the estimate is reduced to 8 names per page, this reduces the overall estimate by 100,000 to 476,170, a major change.

If anyone has any data to improve the accuracy of this estimate, please let me know.

David
As one of my first posts (#4331 of five years and nine months ago), I tentatively raised this very subject. My purpose was to highlight the wholly unrealistic number of issued QSAs quoted in the current MYB. From memory, that figure was 177,000 or so.
Unfortunately, I am not sure how to post a link from that post and the discussion which followed. My estimate was based on the strength of the British army etc., shown for the whole of the SA campaign in Appendix 13 of Vol.IV of the Times History. That figure was 446.435. Which is far in excess of the 177,000 quoted elsewhere.
As I recall, there was some discussion and Mike indicated he would look for mint issue figures. I never heard if Mike found those figures. Perhaps they no longer exist?
The figure shown in Vol.IV of the TH seems to be a good place to start. Of course, there would have been duplicate and late issues - as well as applications refused.
Best regards
IL.

LinneyI wrote: David
As I recall, there was some discussion and Mike indicated he would look for mint issue figures. I never heard if Mike found those figures. Perhaps they no longer exist?
Best regards
IL.

Good Morning Linney.....
I looked for these figures with no luck..... I thought that I had mentioned this earlier...... I remember reading a very early article either in OMRS Journal or in the BMF..... It came up when a discussion as to the number of Ghost Date medals were issued vs type three.......

Mike

Mike
Thanks for that. Earlier, I slipped up in my reference quote; it actually is in Appendix 13 of The History of the War in South Africa - not the TH. The appendix is titled "Strength of the Garrison In South Africa on August 1st 1899 and Reinforcements, etc., from Home and Colonies during the war up to May 31st 1902". Total, officers and men, 448,436. The tabulation has one rider; that being the number of local (South African) enlistments is "uncertain".
Regards
IL.

The BMF topic with jpgs from Royal Mint reports is here .

David - have you accounted for the number of duplicated entries across different units, especially for SA colonials?

The Register has a shade over 300,000 names - I estimate over 95% are de-duplicated. Amongst this 32,458 men served in more than one unit - as I work on the SA colonial units this number will increase.

I would have thought the number of QSAs issued is far closer to the 448,436 Ian posted - but no one will know until the medal rolls are correctly indexed and de-dupped - I've given myself that job

Here was the earlier thread, IL: www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...-issued?limitstart=0