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Bloomsbury had a stash of these medals, Dalow was not amongst them

RP4 Sweeper Bassan Bloomsbury 2005 £333 *
Spinks 2005 £ 455.00
RP 2 Sweeper Dalow Bid or Buy 2016 £ 220
RP 5 Sweeper Pahary Bloomsbury 2005 £405*
RP 1 Sweeper Sohno Bloomsbury 2005 £405*
RP 3 Sweeper Wakeel Bloomsbury 2005 £381*


From the Angloboerwar web site
The 2nd Battalion was one of the infantry battalions which, between 16th and 30th September 1899, were sent from India to Natal. The battalion was first engaged on 24th October at Rietfontein, outside Lady-smith (see 1st Liverpool Regiment). The 2nd King’s Royal Rifles were at first with the baggage, and afterwards half the battalion was in the reserve line. They had no losses.At the battle of Ladysmith on 30th October the battalion was with Grimwood on the right (see 1st Liverpools) and was hardly pressed all morning Their losses were approximately 1 officer wounded, 8 men killed, 29 wounded, and some missing In the great attack of 6th January (see 1st Devons) four companies of the 2nd King’s Royal Rifles were sent in the early morning as reinforcements to Waggon Hill, where they took part in the furious fighting. One company under Lieutenant Tod attempted to rush the eastern crest, then held by the Boers, but the attempt failed, Lieutenant Tod being killed. The battalion’s losses that day were 4 officers and 7 men killed and about 35 wounded. Three officers and 6 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in Sir George White’s despatch for excellent work during the siege. Six officers and 4 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in General Buller’s final despatch of 9th November 1900, three of these officers having gained their commendations with the Composite Rifle Battalion in the relief operations. After the relief of Ladysmith the battalion marched north to the Transvaal-Natal border, and in July was ordered to sail for Colombo with prisoners. The Mounted Infantry company remained in South Africa and saw endless fighting Lieutenant L. A. E. Price-Davies was awarded the V C. for great gallantry in dashmg among the enemy and trying to save the guns at Blood River Poort (Gough’s disaster), 17th September 1901.

The 1st & 3rd Madras Lances send large ( more than 50 men) contingents of Syces to the war in South Africa.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his book "The Great Boer War" has this intriguing comment about the fighting around Arundel. My own feeling is that Doyle meant to say Sowar rather than Syce but I will leave it be as is.

“The Boer idea of a strong attack upon this point was strategically admirable, but tactically there was not sufficient energy in pushing home the advance. The British wings succeeded in withdrawing, and the concentrated force at Arundel was too strong for attack Yet there was a time of suspense, a time when every man had become of such importance that even fifty Indian syces were for the first and last time in the war, to their own supreme gratification, permitted for twenty-four hours to play their natural part as soldiers. [Footnote: There was something piteous in the chagrin of these fine Sikhs at being held back from their natural work as soldiers. A deputation of them waited upon Lord Roberts at Bloemfontein to ask, with many salaams, whether 'his children were not to see one little fight before they returned.'] But then with the rapid strokes in front the hour of danger passed, and the Boer advance became first a halt and then a retreat.”

So I would like to claim my 1st combatant.








And finally the combatants.









"

I wonder if any pictures of the parade exist?

From The Times, 14 June 1902

This is an outstanding thread. It is nice to see such passion and fine presentation.

I infrequently buy a distressed medal as a restoration and research project as I don't feel the recipients are being honoured by leaving their awards in a desperate situation, unappreciated. It is very much a game of Russian roulette when it comes to research, sometimes there is little more than a name or date of birth but other times amazing stories unfold (I have a partial group of 8 awards to a WW2 allied leader and also found my great-great uncle's WW1 pair as just two of the hundreds of stories I've stumbled in to).

My latest project is this abused piece. A Silver QSA. It was cheap $54 (£43.75) and needed a further £43.49 to research and purchase a suspension (an original from a British War Medal), obtain an original clasp that the research exposed and get 12 inches of ribbon to court mount.

I wasn't looking for a medal for any particular campaign or unit, just one that needed some love and I was nicely surprised by what the research brought up.

These are not fantastic images but they were good enough to make my decision to purchase. I will do some before/after pictures when the project is started (when it comes in the post) and finished (but that will be a few months from now).

The medal is named (not seen the style - not in hand yet) "G.S. Ranaday". No rank, unit or number - but it was enough for research.

The Medal Roll shows Civil Surgeon Ranaday G. S. G. of Civil Surgeons, Bombay Command entitled to the Cape Colony Clasp.

The story doesn't end there. Dr. Ranaday and his wife were both rather influential figures (There is a Ranaday Road and Ranaday House in Mumbai I believe to be named after him). Ranaday was an associate of one Indian of the contingent we will all have heard of - Gandhi and the two corresponded in South Africa and India for at least 15 years. Ranaday wrote to Gandhi on 2nd January 1900 and lines from the four page letter include "In one breath you find fault with the white people for treating you differently. At the same time you would not work with the other coloured people."

Carrie Chapman Catt also said of Mrs Ranaday "She is just as much a feminist as I" - not a small praise.

Doctor S. G. Ranaday also gets named in this political article from 1914 "The Indian Immigration Crisis In South Africa".

Good morning CtahhR
Now that is a fantastic find and obviously in good hands too. Certainly I look forward to your subsequent posts.
ATB
David

PS. This for interest - I could not find an obituary

Nastin In Leprosy
S. G. Ranaday and S. Bombay
The British Medical Journal
Vol. 1, No. 2626 (Apr. 29, 1911), p. 993

and this from the Gandhi Museum

000006226 25.08.1915 12495 RANADAY S. G. 00001 GANDHI, M. K. 3
" If Indians take up your ideal, it will be a day too dangerous for India's prosperity None will honestly practise your vows. "