Thanks David and Paul for your replies
Yes I have thought of the buying a complete reproduction one and am now not so sure, as I was under the impression that it would be a relatively cheap ordeal however I calculated that by the time I brought the medal, the 3 clasps (all silver), paid for postage, then got it engraved it won't be costing considerably less than an actual QSA.
I like your idea David of actually buying a QSA with the same clasps, as like you said it can temporarily represent my ancestors and if I then actually find his medal I can sell the QSA on for a good price (which I can then use to purchase my g.g.grandfathers medal), I probably wouldn't be able to generate back as much money for a randomly inscribed replica.
Out of interest - I was reading about de-faced medals, now if I was to buy a very similar QSA this is something that I would NEVER dream of doing as it would almost be like eradicating someone from history - however, if I saw an already de-faced medal on the market, i suppose I wouldn't feel any guilt in then inscribing my G.G.grandfathers details into it. Would any of you think this was then in any way acceptable? Or would it be no different from erasing the original name yourself? Also do many often appear on the market and when they do am I right in thinking that they are a lot cheaper? (I know this is a sensitive subject And please don't misunderstand me that I think it is an acceptable practice - I don't)
And yes I will never stop looking for it until I have it in my hands (p.s would be great if you guys could all keep your eyes peeled too haha) (it is: 6367 PTE W.WRIGHT . RIFLE BRIGADE)
Thanks for your input
Josh White