TOPIC:

Forum members
Some time ago the above topic was raised and in response to a query I supplied the name of an article on the very subject published in Medal News magazine; December 2008 issue to be exact. I duly obtained a copy of the article in question and would now present my summary of "The KSA and the bar-less Conductors" by Ryan DARBY.
Mr. DARBY's article covers about 2.5 pages of text plus a short medal roll. He covers the background to the conflict, the reason for the issue of the KSA and the wording of the Order, does some pondering on the current "collector" status of the KSA and looks at the question of the clasps and the different interpretations of the wording of the order by experts. Then he opines that - apart from Nurses - no bar KSA's seem only to have been issued to ASC Conductors. The author then looks at the role of the Conductor in the ABW and proposes that initially all would have been entitled to date bars on their KSA. However, something happened at a very senior level and a later decision denied SOME ASC Conductors their date bars on the KSA.
In all, an excellent article and one of considerable value to anyone researching a bar-less KSA. I strongly suspect that Mr. DARBY was looking for some reasoning behind the bar-less KSA awarded to the ASC - and found none!
Prior to reading Mr. DARBY's article, my thoughts on the subject were that unattested white civvies who acted as Conductors would have missed out on bars on the KSA. However, the two attachments to this post show respectively a no-bar QSA/KSA pair to "W.M.GEOGHEGAN A.S.C./ 296 W.M.GEOGHEHAN A.S.C." (DSC00138) and DSC 00141 shows a nice trio; QSA to "Leader R.H.G. GLENCROSS A.S.C." and KSA (with verified 1901 bar only)to "1210 Condr. R.H.G. GLENCROSS A.S.C.". Both chaps had an official number; thus attested, I would think.
Should anyone have an interest in the no-bar KSA to the ASC (limited appeal with only about 106 issued) then a letter/email to TOKEN PUBLISHING with sufficient funds would get things going.
Best wishes to all
IL.

Do you have Glencross? I really want that group

And cheers for the compliments

I was looking for the rationale as to why bars, and concluded that it's because they were civilians, but that isn't enough as other civilians sometimes got bars.

RDARBY
I had no idea it was a fellow Forum member! Anyway, it was a good article you wrote and it took me a bit of finding. A good memory helps. The CGHGS 2 bar is to Willoughby's Horse and, yes, it is a lovely group.
Kind regards
IL