TOPIC:

Andy

There are many files in the South African National Archives that deal with the Vetter family. They are listed in the Archives' website under the names of the various Archive Repositories (e.g. Pietermaritzburg), as well as on one consolidated list. One such file that might be relevant is in the Pietermaritzburg Repository and it deals with the survey fees for the farm 'Silver Streams' that were paid by F W Vetter. East Griqualand and the uplands of Natal were evidently where this branch of the Vetter family were farmers.

If you have not already done so, I suggest you go through the consolidated list, which describes 118 files, and select the ones that might be of interest to you.

Unfortunately, you will then have to get a local researcher to copy the files for you. I have heard of instances where staff of the Repository concerned have done such copying on request, but this service is the exception rather than the rule.

Regards
Brett

Frank

You are correct. Self-awarded KSA's are known. The kindest interpretation is that the man concerned genuinely believed he was entitled to the medal. This misrepresentation is not confined to the KSA. An example is a VC group at a public school in the UK that includes what I believe to be a self-awarded Natal Rebellion Medal.

Regards
Brett

Hello Brett,
Yes, I think that any such group is well worth having for that very reason!
Unless, of course, a Victoria Cross had been "self" awarded!
Regards Frank

Adi Amin springs to mind or perhaps I should say;

His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Docter Idi Amin Dada VC, DSO, MC.
Lord of all the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in general and Uganda in particular.

Sorry for the enormous delay in responding,
I now have Franz Vetters QSA sitting on my desk Inscribed FW Vetter 2240 F W Vetter Natal Police,
the other medals are:
the Natal Native Rebellion Medal 1906 inscribed FW Vetter Border Mounted Rifles
the British war Medal & the Victory Medal Inscribed Pte F W Vetter 4th SAH which I guess is the South African Horse?

A quick look on ancestry shows no matching records for the WW1 medals anyone know where I might find SAH records?

Is there anything on file anywhere that shows where he was born? we thought he was German but my father in law thinks he went to SA via England

Hi Andy

The 4th South African Horse served under General Van Deventer in the German East Africa campaign in around March 1916.
Smuts' dispatch gives a brief description of these events. this can be looked up online.

I am not aware of any online source of personnel records for SA forces in WW1, however Vetter's records for WW1 can be obtained from the military archives in Pretoria. A researcher will need to get these for you at a reasonable fee. It will take about 2 weeks to get.

I can recommend Audrey Portman, her contacts are available from the CONTACTS section of this website.

From these records, you will get some next of kin info, address, age etc, as well as service history, illness etc.

At the same time, the researcher can get info from National Archives on Vetters in Natal, and maybe a death file.

I will look up Vetter in the Natal Almanac of 1894 which I have, and see if there are any, with addresses.

Regards

Adrian

Andy,
Service papers for members of the Union goverments East African Expeditionary Force are in Pretoria, the SA Horse, was, from memory, formed in 1916 and consisted of two brigades made up from members of the dismounted brigades that had fought in German South West Africa, the 4th and 8th SAH were Natal, the 5th and 6th were mainly Transvaal and the 7th were from the Cape and so on, they had a number of very famous commanders, including Koen Brits and Botha himself.
Regards Frank