TOPIC:

PRIVATE JOHN HENRY ADRIANCIE: KIMBERLEY VOLUNTEER REGIMENT







QUEENS SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL
CLASPS: CAPE COLONY (ENTITLED TO TRANSVAAL AND SOUTH AFRICA 1902)
CONDITION: VGF. SILVER TONE TO OBVERSE AND RIM. BLACK TONE TO REVERSE.

Following on from Meurig's online presentation regarding "state and date" QSAs, I have recently acquired the above mentioned example for a very reasonable cost.
The value of knowing the military service of the recipients of the QSA and the engagements of the units in which they served is typified with this humble medal which, today, bears a single clasp.
From my research John relocated to Rhodesia for a time and so his clasps were not received by him as no trace could be found of him. Hence the single clasp.

The units John served with as follows:

Bechuanaland Rifle Volunteers. Served as Trooper 32557 from his attestation at Kimberley on 17th April 1901. His discharge date is not entered into the Nominal Roll.

Kimberley Volunteer Regiment as 1134 Private as impressed to his QSA. His time with the previous unit appears to have been a very short engagement as his attestation date for KVR is given as 18th April 1802! He took his discharge on 5th February 1902.

Ashbburner's Light Horse. 40270 Trooper Adriancie enlisted at Kimberley on 6th February 1902 remaining with Ashbburner's until their disbandment on 24th March 1902. A short abbreviated entry in the Nominal Roll appears to comment "character VG". There are not many entries of that type on the roll, so I think it safe to assume that John was a fair solidier. Medal Roll WO100/236 confirms entitlement to clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal.

Kimberley Light Horse. His final stint of soldiering was as numbered 261 and 41970, attesting at Kimberley on 8th April 1902 until disbandment after the cessation of hostilities on 30th June 1902.

There is nothing unusual about having served with four different units during the Anglo Boer War. However, when the movements and actions of Ashbburner's is studied, John's time with the unit would include the fateful action where 126 men of the ALH were involved in the debacle at Tweebosch where they suffered 12 men killed in action and a further number, at least a dozen, wounded. The section were part of a column under the command of a Major Paris which was attacked by a commando under De La Rey. Other units involved included Cape Police, Dennison's Scouts, Cullinan's Horse and Imperial Yeomanry.
The police and infantry held their ground until killed, wounded or captured. Apparently, the mounted infantry skedaddled turning the skirmish into something of a rout
I can find no evidence of John Henry Adriancie being wounded or taken prisoner, so was he present at the action and escaped, or was he part of the exodus? I can only speculate these scenarios, but it is possible according to the dates and he did live to tell the tale..

WORK BECKONS!
MORE ON JOHN TO FOLLOW LATER TODAY, PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER LOOK.
CHEERS STEVE

Not a clasp you usually associate with the KVR, Steve. A good write-up and pictures - thank you.

The completed parts of his ALH attestation

MORE ABOUT JOHN HENRY ARRIANCIE

Many thanks to David for posting the attestation paper for John, the information thereon has helped me to confirm other biographical information that I have to hand.

John Henry Adriancie was born in the Cape Colony sometime in 1862, he was of mixed race as confirmed by his attestation and death certificate.
He married Sophia Isabella Magdalena Rinner at Christ Church, Beaufort West on 18th September 1883.
18th April 1886 saw the birth of their first child, a daughter, at Beaufort when John is described as a Porter by occupation.
He had upgraded his career to the position of Railway Guard when their second daughter, Phoebe Cecilia was born in Beaconsfield on 18th June 1897.
John now volunteered for war service during the Anglo Boer War as detailed in my previous post. He would have been a big strong lad by the average of the day at 5'9" tall and around thirteen stones in weight. Also being in the trade of Blacksmith would no doubt have added to his physical strength and also made him an expert with horses. So, in summary, a useful sort of a bloke to have serving in your unit!
Long after the cessation of hostilities, we find him still employed in the railway industry, now as a Ganger. A third daughter by the name of Cornelia Khami Rhodesia was born on the 10th of September 1904 at Sandown in Rhodesia. This would account for why ' no trace' could be found of him in South Africa for delivery of the two clasps missing from his QSA.

I have found a death certificate for a man of this name recording death by heart attack on 13th December 1953, but his age as 69. Maybe this is in error as his would not be a common name.