TOPIC:

Thanks Mike, Added to the listing. Images of the medals would be nice to add to the website and the naming for Ramsgate Corps for the unit listing page. [info@sjab-sa-medals.info] I've made a note that the Order of St John Museum have the clasps for Mott - quite a few clasps never left SJAB HQ (or were returnrned). I have number 538 attributed to Sharples and 798 to Knowles of Colne Division

The Service number (SJAB Medal Roll) and Surname listing is now complete on the SJAB SOUTH AFRICA MEDALS WEBSITE It lists the surviving medals in service number order but is searchable using ctrl+f which makes it very easy to locate the person or medal. I'm in negotiation with The Order of St John Museum to get a link added to their website which in time may find some medals not in the collectors arena.Thank you to everyone who has contributed here. We have gathered much data.

I've reformatted the website (mentioned earlier) to be able to work out 'survivor' numbers. To find out the number of surviving SJAB medals search (ctrl +F) for # (SJAB Bronze) and @ for (QSAs to SJAB), The unvalidated results show 369 of the 1852 medals for South Africa Service are recorded as surviving (about 20%). There are also 349 surviving QSAs named to SJAB, IY Hp Staff, RAMC etc which accompany the Bronze SJAB medal.

16 of the 55 medals issued for home service are recorded as survors ( about 30%).

Bablefish,

Since your first post on this topic 14 years ago, the thread has been continually updated, especially over the last two years when a large collection of SJAB Medal came onto the market.

Your new website is looking very good.

Best wishes with your on-going research
David

Bablefish,

I have at least three Smethwickians who served in the SJAB in SA. One I know a lot about, especially regarding his post Boer War political activities in Smethwick, so I will start with him. His name was WALTER ERNEST LAWRENCE. I can find him on three Medal Rolls which all agree he received the QSA with the CC clasp:

SJAB Medal Roll – he is listed as number 219.

SJAB/6th General Hospital Johannesburg Medal Roll, drawn up 23 July 1901 at Johannesburg, he is listed as Regimental Number 219.

SJAB/No.7 Stationary Hospital, drawn up 18 September 1901 at East London, he is listed as Regimental Number 888.

This paragraph from the Smethwick Telephone Newspaper of 2 May 1901 confirms for a time he was based at a military hospital at East London:

“A welcome letter has been received by Mrs Lawrence of Queens Street from a superior officer connected with the St John’s Ambulance Brigade in South Africa, referring to her son, who is a member of the staff. He is evidently serving in a military hospital at East London, and the way in which he has always attended to his duties has gained him a high respect. The work has been arduous, and at times rather dangerous, but he has been favoured with good health.”

So already I am a bit confused by numbers and turning to your database I find 219 named as “Laurence” (no further info given) and 888 named as “Lawrence” (no further info given). I am now slightly more confused.

I presume he would have belonged to the Handsworth & Smethwick Corps which your website says there are 16 Extant sets of medals for – how do I find details for the holders from your website? – some may be Smethwickians I have not detected.

The other two I mentioned at the start get a mention in a longish article in the Smethwick Telephone of 29 November 1902 reporting a meeting held at the SJAB Ambulance Centre in Smethwick during which awards were handed out – below is the relevant extract:



With common names like Evans & Williams I have made no further progress with them. Presumably they belonged to the Handsworth & Smethwick Corps – does this information allow their SJAB or Regimental Numbers to be identified? The implication of the article is that there may be more Smethwickians who served in the SJAB in SA.

Finally the Smethwick SJAB Ambulance Centre was opened in June 1901 – I wonder if this marked a breakup of the Handsworth & Smethwick Corps? Handsworth & Smethwick abut each other with several roads starting in one and ending in the other often making it difficult to decide whether one is dealing with a Handsworthite or a Smethwickian. A substantial proportion of the Smethwick Rifle Volunteers came from Handsworth – I think this was because it was a shorter walk to the Smethwick Drill Hall/Rifle Range which lay more or less on the border between Handsworth & Smethwick.

I intend to put a post on the Smethwick Heritage Facebook Page regarding W E Lawrence which might just bring his medals to light (very low possibility I suspect).

Regards, David.

At the moment the website is not fully functional David. I have only added service number and surname for the no surviving medal entries on the medal roll. I will get around to it once the skeleton is complete and I can add some more flesh. I've just started writing the overview page and have just realised that there were 2 HRH recipients of the SJAB medal that are not listed in the medal roll. I'll check the numbers you cite and get back to you