TOPIC:

From a letter to The Times, 6 Oct 1902:

This letter appeared immediately after the former on the issue of the KSA and concerns the delay to award medals to (some) colonial soldiers. This letter from George Baker.

20 Shillings, accounting for inflation, would be worth just over £100 today so 36 Shillings was not very much at all.

David

Thank you for showing these very interesting letters. I suppose the first one was ignored by officialdom, which in my experience is the fate of most critical 'Letters to the Editor'.

Regards
Brett

PS Perhaps I should qualify that by adding that my experience is largely confined to South Africa.

Baker's letter is interesting and shows what must have been a very frustrating experience for some in waiting for formal recognition in the shape of a medal.

His medal and four clasps was authorised for issue in September 1904 - it is not clear which roll as the reference number given is not for any Rhodesian Rgt or Driscoll's Scts roll. The SA 1901 clasp did not get issued until 1912.

The remark about the War Office not having received a medal roll is interesting. Baker served in the Mashonaland Sqdn, Rhodesian Rgt. Their roll was prepared in Salisbury on 23-08-1901 the date of receipt in AG2 (War Office) was 12-08-1904 and the medals weren't ready for issue until 28-02-1907.

The Driscoll's Scouts roll was prepared in June 1902, received in AG2 on 06-09-1904 and the medals issued in November 1904.

Were the medal rolls for the colonial units held back and not sent to the WO until after the war, and then dealt with on an alphbetical basis?

Regards
Meurig

Meurig,

It is interesting to speculate why there was such a delay for colonial medals. There are various snippets about the issue of medals to the imperial troops so I guess it would be possible to draw up a table of roll dates and issues dates to answer your query.

Best wishes
David