Hi All and thanks to Bret for alerting me to this post. Yes Rory, you are quite correct with the belt to Bella Craw. It has been around for a number of years but was only shown at our last medal meeting when Chris Hill was here. What is interesting about the group is that it also has a shield presented to her by the NMR, but more about this a bit later.
It all started when I responded to an advertisement on, I think, Gumtree for a Boer War medal and after chatting to the owner found out that it was to a nurse. So off I went to check it out and see if I could purchase it. It turned out to be to Nurse R. Davies and consisted of a QSA and KSA and to top it all, I knew where I could find the shield. It was with the Bella Craw group with a friend of mine. Negotiations started for the shield and in the process I was given the opportunity to share her group with the members of the Natal Medal Group and I was able to re-unite the shield to Davies with her medals - this being only the 2nd shield I am aware of having surfaced. Whilst chatting to the family I was told that the belt was donated/on loan to the Moth's and not sure which one. I managed to track it down to Warriors Gate Moth and was told by John Goodrich that it once hung in a prime spot but sadly had disappeared from the museum, presumably stolen. I also have the medal and presentation gold watch to nurse Mary Pentney who also received a shield and belt.
In my research I came across an article published in The Natal Daily News, dated 27 February 1950 with a picture of Nurse Mary with her medal, belt, watch and shield and a hand written note and the names of the 18 nurses who served in Ladysmith. Of these 12 served at Intombi and 6 served in Ladysmith. Although the Medal Roll for Nurses in the Boer War 1899 - 1902 lists 22 names for the Natal Volunteer Medical Corps the article states "18 Heroines" and I am therefore of the opinion that only 18 belts were issued.
In addition to the belts it seems that other "awards" of appreciation were also given to these nurses by the colonial units besieged in Ladysmith and these were 1. An enameled brooch set with a diamond presented by the I.L.H. , 2. A Silver belt presented by the NC, 3. A Gold Ladies packet Watch presented by the BMR and 4. A miniature silver shield presented by the N.M.R. This shield is inscribed as follows " Natal Mounted Rifles from Officers, non Comd Officers & Men of the N.M.R to Nurse R. Davies a token of remembrance of untiring care to her patients during the Siege of Ladysmith from Nov 3rd 1899 to Feb 28th 1900"
The names of the 18 nurses are as follows:
At Intombi - Nurse Kate Champion (not recorded on medal roll under NVMC but nurses engaged locally), Maud Mary Pentney, Kate Driver, Constance Addison, Susan Otto, Jessie Bradbury, Lucy Yeateman, Margaret Nicholson, Ethel Early, Chrissie Thompson, L. Payne, and Elaine Bromilon. The nurses serving in Ladysmith were - Sister E.E. Dean, Sister Bella Craw, Sister Annie Webber, H.L. Goodman, Rhoda Davies and Santjie Ruiter.
It seems that there were other nurses serving locally as well, as Bella Craw in her diary states that her sister and mother both nursed in Ladysmith during the Siege. I have not been able to find their names on any of the medal rolls so far. Henk states in a post below that nurse Stow also served in Ladysmith. and on checking the roll I have found that there were several more who served at Ladysmith and Intombi but it seems and could be possible that their service was after the Siege.
Of interest is that both nurse Mary and Davies became ill during the Siege and were patients of Bella. To have all three their medals and some of their "awards" in one place at once is just an absolute honor and I am privileged to have been able to "re-unite" them. I will take some photos and post in the next day or two.
