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A nice research project that had a few surprises.
Arthur Lawrence Field was born on 18 June 1886 in Bathurst; he was the son of Stephen Day Mandy and Alice Amelia Morley.
The Mandy family were 1820 settlers and for an excellent read on the family please read Rory's excellent post on George Stephen Thomas Mandy, who was ALF's cousin
www.angloboerwar.com/forum/bsac-medals/2...ia-g-s-t-mandy#60613

On the face of it a normal no clasp QSA, but to a unit I had never seen before. I initially thought the P.A was for Prince Alfred but a internet search led me to the Port Alfred Imperial Mounted Police, a small unit of 26, whose task seemed to be to guard Boer prisoners in Port Alfred.
They seem to have been in existance for only a few months.
His name appears in the nominal roll for this unit, attesting for service at the age of 15, he would serve for just 57 days before the unit was disbanded at the end of the war

Enlisted Grahamstown 4/4/1902
Discharged Port Alfred 30/6/1902

The medal roll WO100/263 consists of just two pages.

The 1st page, titled Port Alfred Imperial Mtd RIFLES, has 10 names of which only 4 medals were issued.


The 2nd page, titled Port Alfred Imperial Mounted POLICE, has just 2 names, and both medals issued off other rolls.
Clearly at some point a clerical error was made with naming the 1st page to the Mounted Rifles, which carried through to the naming of the medals.
Whilst the 2nd page contains two names, and is titled Mounted Police, both these medals were issued off other rolls. Meaning no actual medal exists named to the Port Alfred Imperial Mounted Police.
Another surprise was finding a reference to his service at Delville Wood during World War 1 where he was wounded. A quick check of Rollcall by Ian Uys revealed several anecdotes from Lance Corporal Alf Mandy, who is quote extensively, and was a signaller with 2nd S.A.I. HQ.
He was a Post and Telegraph Clerk, aged 32, when he married 25 year old Ivy Johnson in St Cyprian's Church in Durban, Natal, on 27 June 1918.
Laurie was 85 years old when he passed away in Natal on 6 April 1972; and is buried in the Margate Main Cemetery.

No account of the Port Alfred Imperial Mounted Police in Stirling's 'The Colonials in south Africa 1899-1902'.
In Tyldend's 'The Armed Forces of South Africa' it says:
412. Port Alfred Imperial Mounted Police. Employed locally for 6 month in 1901. Strength 40, Commanding Officer M G Bowker.
(ref: The Bowkers of Tharfield, by Ivan and Raymond Mitford-Barberton, Oxford University Press, 1952 p.189)

At the bottom of this list of Class D2 units specially raised in the Cape for local service.

Checking the nominal roll I have 27 men enlisted over the period of existance.

Date of enlistment is from 28th March 1902 through to 9th April, with one final enlistment being on the 24th April.

Certainly a short lived small unit, with Rory's picture showing its date of existance from 22nd March 1902 - 30 June 1902.

Jon