TOPIC:

So a six clasp QSA and a KSA!
Shame it was blocked by those penny pinching scrooges at the war office,
then again, had it been approved, the flood gates may have opened and given the number of horses the Army got through during the war!
How about QSA's to equine casualties? those to humans would then perhaps be far more expensive!

djb wrote: I was wondering too whether Major Barry heard of the other application and submitted his own on that basis?

Barry's clasps were Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefintein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill and Belfast, in addition to the KSA (2).

I am waiting for the entry in the Important Decisions book to the effect that horses are ineligible for the KSA!

Regards
David

Frank, the fate of horses in SA is a very sorry tale. I remember seeing the statistics of the numbers of losses.

David,
Yes, I agree with you, I think when Lord Roberts arrived in South Africa and took overall command from Buller he was aware of public opinion at home and he wanted a quick victory. So he takes a great risk and doubles the number of his mounted troops.
But he could not double the fodder to feed the horses, so they simply starve to death, in the course of the war the army got through about half a million horses, with two thirds dying from starvation.
Shameful really but that was the way things were back then.
Frank

djb wrote: Frank, the fate of horses in SA is a very sorry tale. I remember seeing the statistics of the numbers of losses.

Good gracious, times do seem to have moved on, this particular Lance Corporal does look superb with his impressive medal bar, sorry, was quite unable to resist.

djb wrote: I was wondering too whether Major Barry heard of the other application and submitted his own on that basis?

Barry's clasps were Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefintein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill and Belfast, in addition to the KSA (2).

I am waiting for the entry in the Important Decisions book to the effect that horses are ineligible for the KSA!

Regards
David

Why must animals wear their medals on their right breast whilst humans have their on the left? Is it because they are thought not to have been properly entitled?

I suspect it has something to do with enabling the medals to be seen on parade, is the animal's rein always held in the right hand?