TOPIC:

Good Evening Everyone.......

I have seen a number of two bar/clasp Transport Medals and a question popped into my mind.......
Of course the bars/clasps are South Africa 1899 - 1902 and China 1900.....
I have seen ones with China first and others South Africa first what are the regulations on their position......

Mike

Hi Mike,

I would have thought it would depend on qualification. If you took troops to China first or South Africa first which denotes the first clasp.
Only 10% of medals issued have both clasps.
I would think that it is more likely to have China below South Africa in the majority of cases just from a maritime deployment point of view.

Bicolboy59 wrote: Hi Mike,

I would have thought it would depend on qualification. If you took troops to China first or South Africa first which denotes the first clasp.

That is what I thought yet I would have thought there would have been more to SA first.....

Mike

Hi Mike,

Looking at it from a logistic point of view, South Africa was just a round trip almost Ferry like (which would account for the large number of single South Africa clasps, whereas the transports to China would have been mostly China/Hong Kong routed liners that had returned home to reposition for redeployment for the war effort stopping say at the Cape but not operational at that time. Same as when they went back to China with troops only stopping at the Cape or similar to resupply and without discharge of men and supplies for South Africa. That trip would not constitute qualification for the South Africa Clasp. However as the 3rd China was relatively short, the redeployment of troops/supplies to South Africa that were already in China was a much easier proposition.

Barry Carr is a bit of an expert on Transport medals, I will put it to him or you can if you prefer.

Regards

Simon

Good Morning Simon......

Thanks......
It would be nice to get a definitive answer......

Mike