TOPIC:

Has anyone else come across QSAMs or KSAMs issued directly to the United States (confirmed on the rolls)?

It seems a bit strange but it happened..... Far flung corners of the Empire, ok! But the USA was a little bit beyond the pale in the 1900's.

I am not sure what your question really means..... There were QSA/KSAs issued to Americans that served in Canadian and South African Units and possibly the medals were sent to them in the US..... I am not sure how many there were but the only American who were serving in the American Army that I am fairly sure was issued a QSA was the official Military Observer...... Also I am not sure but I think his medal was sold at the Spink's Boer War special auction......

To put the question in a little more context, I just picked up a KSAM to a British Veteran entitled to the SAM with four clasps (Transvaal, Tugela Heights, Relief Of Ladysmith, Laing's Nek) and KSAM with both clasps. The recipient of the duplicates is NOT the recipient nor is the recipient listed as deceased. It's not something I've come across before.

I've seen plenty of WWI Medals being returned but not to the USA nor to someone seemingly unrelated (the recipient was not a Murphy)

Duplicates Issued 28-08-1919 to Mr. T. J. Murphy, Box 709, Winston Deere Company, Hibbing, Minnesota, U.S.A.

CtahhR,

I have seen on the medal rolls the very occasional mention of medals being sent to the US and this has been where the recipient could not be contacted (usually in South Africa and related to local units) or a duplicate medal has been issued.

I was quite surprised when I found that the KSM I had bought in the USA had been there for almost 99 years. I have still to work out what relationship "Murphy" had to the recipient and if the recipient was dead or alive in 1919 - I'll have fun with that next week.

This is the second case I've had of new world purchases, where the item had been in the new world from early on (the only other new world purchase I've made was Ranaday's SAM). The other Medal was a Crimea Medal, brought to Canada on the recipient's next overseas stint in the 1860's, only to finally return to England in 2017 (that Medal also had an incorrect but contemporary ribbon on it).

I'm sure most Medals awarded to British forces on the market in the new world are more recent arrivals but it's rather strange that I've bumped into "naturalised" pieces 2/3 times.

Research can very much be a game of Russian Roulette and sometimes something very unexpected pops up.

An interesting topic.

Medals were certainly sent all round the world in pursuit of the recipient.

I think this "Mr Murphy" - was a boss or friend who provided a postal address for the real recipient.