TOPIC:

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

QSA (2) Cape Colony, Orange Free State (Cpl. D. McNab, Scottish Hos:) officially impressed naming

Picture courtesy of Coldstream Military Antiques

QSA (2) Cape Colony, Orange Free State (ORD C. FRASER SCOTTISH HOS.);
British War Medal and Victory Medal (MAJOR C. FRASER)

Dr. Charles Fraser volunteered for service in South Africa and is confirmed as being awarded the QSA with two clasps, During the Great War he was commissioned into the RAMC and landed in France during 1916. Post war years he was employed as Senior Assistant Medical Superintend St. Pancreas Infirmary and wrote papers on Small Pox.

This trio of medals was previously sold at Bonhams in the dispersal of Part2 of the Lloyd collection in 2013. I had serious doubts about the integrity of the group as claimed in that auction listing, and as attributed now.

The staffing of the Scottish National Red Cross Hospital comprised senior medical men and surgeons, trained staff nurses, 1st class orderlies, and orderlies. The 1st Cl Orderlies were medical students and were employed as Dressers. Orderlies were employed in more support oriented work. Many of them were serving members of the Volunteer Medical Service Corps.

The QSA is named as per his entry in the Orderly section of the medal roll. That suggests he was not a medical student.

The only Charles Fraser that I can find with service in the RAMC in WW1 has this entry in The UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH ROLL OF HONOUR 1914- -1919 Record of War Service
FRASER, CHARLES. M.A. 1895; M.B., Ch.B. 1900; M.D. 1904; D.P.H. (Camb.). R.A.M.C., Captain Nov. 1915. Reinforcement Camp, France.
(Note "Captain". and note graduated MB,ChB in 1900)

His MIC notes award of WW1 pair to be named Captain, NOT Major. The reverse of the card has a Brighton address matching that of his entry in the Medical Register.
His M.B., Ch.B. is dated 1900. The Edinburgh University graduation ceremony of 28th July 1900 was reported in the Glasgow Herald and confirms this Charles Fraser in Edinburgh on that date. I don't believe that this is the same Charles Fraser who left Glasgow in the Spring of 1900 and returned there in October.

Pete

Thank you for that Pete, I would have had a tilt at those medals but, now luckily, found them already sold when I accessed the dealer's site.

For those keeping records......

KIETH, R.

REG. NO.: NIL
RANK: ORDERLY
REGT: SCOTTISH NATIONAL RED CROSS HOSPITAL
BARS: CAPE COLONY, ORANGE FREE STATE

REMARKS / HISTORY:
1. COMPLETE WITH COPY OF MEDAL ROLL


Mike

This stunning little group has made it over the seas from Canada. Medals to the Scottish Hospital are always "nice" (a dreadful word I know) but, that aside, I am inordinately pleased with the group for a number of reasons:

1) Double-issue QSA - one to the Scottish Hospital and the other to the Imperial Yeomanry
2) Served as an officer with the 4th Kings African Rifles in WWI
3) Earned the Territorial Forces Medal for service with the Glasgow Medical Volunteers.

All in all, a lovely addition to the collection - with the bonus that Mr Swann features in one of the named photos Pete was able to provide.





Rory