TOPIC:

Thank you Brett for clearing that up.

Also thank you too mike for sharing some rare badges. It really is great to see actual examples of these items. A great way to learn but also to see what is out there to keep a look out for down the road.

Loving this forum

Cheerio,

Roy

Collecting/wanted ABW insignia if anyone has some spares?

My website: www.wilkinsonfscollection.com

Hello Brett,
The Transvaal Medical Staff Corps did not exist during the Anglo Boer War, it was part of the Transvaal Volunteer Force raised after the war by the British Administration for the defence of the Colony.
During the war itself, in the former republics, medical services were provided by the Royal Army Medical Corps, the South African Constabulary, as you mentioned (from memory they had, at their zenith, some nine hospitals.) the SAMIF's Imperial Hospital Corps and Imperial Bearer Corps, the Imperial Yeomanry and a number of, in effect, civil organisations, such as St Johns etc.
All the military corps mentioned by you and mentioned above did have badges.
Regards Frank

Brett Hendey wrote: Roy
In addition to Mike's contribution, there were the Cape Medical Staff Corps and the Natal Volunteer Medical Corps. There was also the short-lived Natal Volunteer Ambulance Corps, but it probably did not have a badge. On the other hand, the Medical Corps of the South African Constabulary did have a very handsome badge, which Mike has illustrated somewhere on this forum.
Regards
Brett.

Many thanks, Frank
My venture into the medical services came only recently, and I had passed up opportunities to collect relevant badges, which is another of my regrets.
Regards
Brett

Hello Brett,
Yes, a most interesting and very underrated area of collecting, these men are merely a source of expenditure in peacetime, but, of course, once you have "a situation" to resolve, the reverse is, always, actually the case!
Dark days!
Regards Frank

After a good deal of effort, my brain prompted me to go looking through the small number of badges in my collection that have still to be positively identified. Included are the pair of titles shown here:


Owen has identified a similar title as "Natal Medical Corps, brass shoulder title worn 1903 - 1913" (O493). The pair shown here seem to have been gilded. Since doctors were, and perhaps sometimes still are regarded as respected members of society, they may have qualified for gilt badges. Although not ABW vintage, I am showing them here anyway.

Brett

PS I have another couple of unidentified Natal badges that are post-ABW. At the risk of further annoying the "off-topic police", I may post them later.