TOPIC:

Sorry - but a final consideration - relating to Sergeant William T. Truman (7571 - 4th Vol Bn. - so mainly Abergavenny area) - also of 1st Active Service Company.
Sergeant Truman came back from SA late (June 1901) as he was suffering from enteric fever. I attach his pic (showing both medals) and the newspaper report of his welcome home.
Even though he lived in Pontypool - he was not one of the 7 volunteers chosen from A Co to join the 1st AS Co. So was he (and others maybe) sent as reinforcements at later dates.
He is on the same medal rolls as Thomas J Robotham, I can find no evidence of him returning to SA at a later date - yet I think the pic shows he is wearing both medals?
Mystery - Bob

The second medal appears to be the Long Service for the Volunteers.
IL.

Bob - Definitely not the KSA medal. 7571 Truman's attestation papers & service record can also be found on Find My Past and show he went out to SA on St. Valentine's Day 1900 along with your GGF.

Thank you - I did wonder if the right hand medal was the King's?
Thank you for again for replying.
Bob

Page from one of the 3 medal rolls your GGF appears on and includes the other award of a "KM" to 7561 J Lyons.



The first link below takes you to the medals of 7561 J Lyons which were auctioned in July 2025. His attestation papers & service records can be found on Find My Past. Like Truman the paperwork indicates he was serving in the "wrong" VB for where he was born & lived. His papers show he was a member of the 3rd VB but was born and lived in Newport. The official re-impressing of his medals is interesting as is the remark "No further action re recovery of 01 clasp". One presumes he was first issued with just a QSA with the SA1901 clasp and then issued with the KSA with both date clasps and at some stage had asked for at least one of the medals to be re-engraved to reflect his service with the SWB rather than the SAC. His to & from dates for SA with the SWB & discharge date are all exactly the same as your GGF's showing he returned to Wales with the SWB and then at a later date joined the SAC and went back to SA - the SAC (or Baden Powell's Police) did recruit in the "mother country". So his medals (except for rim engraving) would be exactly the same as your GGF's if he did indeed receive the KSA - as he already had a sizeable family I wonder what your GGGm would have thought of a second venture to SA? The second link takes you to an example of the QSA your GGF probably received - it was awarded to an officer of the SWB who went out as a draft after your GGF and for some reason returned home before 1902.

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...rers?start=24#101062

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...ales-borderers#71351

WOW - what a minefield of information - I never cease to be amazed at how much detail you 'experts' can discover and provide! Thank you again - so much. This does throw more light on the mysterious 'AG2/C/18404 comment - but I still find it a bit complicated.
As for my GGF and what is wife thought - Ha !Ha! He was 'never at home'! Absent on two censuses - he had various manual jobs at various locations - Coal Miner (twice in the Rhondda living with his uncle), Railwayman (once in Neyland Pembrokeshire - where his brother worked) - 1914 Pontypool Rd (engine driver), Soldier - S Africa, various Territorial Camps, Gibraltar etc. etc. I think only after 1918 did he spend more time at home with his large family. His son was invalided from WW1 suffering from shell-shock and Thomas returned from Gibraltar on Compassionate Leave. In 1921 he worked in Hafodyrynys Colliery along with two sons. He later worked for the council in Pontypool Urban District as a 'Roadman'. Thomas died aged 68, in Pontypool District Hospital.