TOPIC:

Good morning,
I’m doing a genealogy research about Henry Theirs (Sapper N° 3226), who participated on the Second Boer War, as a railway volunteer (engineer). He was the father of my Great Grandmother.
A few months ago, I started to have contact with different members of my family, branches that I’ve never known before, including Henry’s grandson. And we tried to collect as much information about our common ancestors as we could together.
His grandson, told me he knows for sure Henry received a golden pound, a South African coin from 1895 that depicts Paul Kruger’s face on one side. This coin has something to do with his participation in the Second Boer War, but we are not sure if it was a kind of award from Queen Victoria. Could this coin, be a kind of commemorative coin from the war, pinned on by Queen Victoria herself?
Through the records I also know Henry did receive Queen Victoria’s medal, for his participation, however we don’t know if the Queen awarded him with this medal herself, as part of the ceremony. Unfortunately, my family has lost the trace of the medal, but Henry’s grandson still keeps the coin from his grandfather.
Thanks in advance, from your kind help and information provided.
As always, your website and your work on it, inspire me to learn more and more about my family history!
Kind regards,
Martina.






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Hi Martina,
The coin is a standard Zuid Afrikaans Republiek (ZAR) issued by the Boers from 1892 - 1901. It is exactly equivalent to a British gold sovereign. They issued other coins from a 1d to £1 in the same fineness and weight as British coins.

It is not an award coin, just a souvenir. A jeweller has put an ornate surround on the coin and was probably originally attached to a watch fob chain.

Current gold value is around 800 pounds (gold price is fluctuating)

Cheers

Stewart

Hello Stewart, thanks for your reply. I thought it could be a kind of souvenir that he took with him from South Africa, when he came back. Thanks for clarifying this point.

I discovered thanks to this website that Henry Theirs did receive the QSA, with different clasps; Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, and South Africa 1901. He was a railway engineer and an engine driver during the war. Did he had this clasps on his medal because those were the different places he used to travel to, during his train trips? I mean; could we use his clasps to trace approximately the train route he used to take in South Africa? That would be really interesting.

Do you know if this medal was pinned on by the Queen herself? Did he receive the medal in England or in South Africa?

Thanks again Stewart! And sorry to bother you again.

Martina.




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Hi Martina,

Sorry for delay in replying.

I am not an expert but it is highly unlikely he would have been awarded his medal by the Queen.

As to information on the different clasps I suggest you tyoe " how were Boer war medal clasps awarded " into AI and it will give you background information.

You could even type all known details about Henry Theirs (Sapper N° 3226) into AI and you might be surprised what info it can provide you.

Cheers

Stewart

Martina,

For British soldiers their QSA & KSA medals were issued and presented after they came back home. From the military paperwork I emailed you, you can see your GGGF returned home on 23 August 1901, Queen Victoria died on the 23 January 1901.

King Edward VII did present some medals but on a very limited scale. Most likely your GGGF was presented with his at a local ceremony by a local dignitary with military connections. I have searched the newspapers of the day on-line to see if I could find a report of the presentation of medals to the 31st Company of the Royal Engineers but had no success.

As to what your GF did in SA the letter home (below) gives a good insight. You cannot say with absolute certainty that your GGGF was involved in the described engagement with the Boers. Most British soldiers spent time in hospital in SA suffering from some ailment or other and not mentioned on their extant records.

The letter was published in the Cardiff Times of 15 September 1900 and written on 10 August 1900 at Pretoria in the Transvaal. In effect it starts about the time Mafeking in Cape Colony was relieved on 15 February 1900. After their work on the railway at Mafeking the 31st went to the Orange Free State – so in 6 months Sergeant G A Richards had earned the right to the Cape Colony, Orange Free State & Transvaal clasps for his QSA.

Regards, David.