TOPIC:

Mark

Thanks for the hint . I found the medal it is a St Johns Ambulance Brigade medal. Approximately 1,871 medals were issued medals were awarded posthumously.
Could you be in the RAMC and St Johns at the same time ?. His QSM shows RAMC and his death is shown as RAMC

Thanks

John

John,

I'm not sure quite how service in the St John Ambulance Brigade worked. I know that length of service was 6 months. Obviously the SJAB worked very closely with the RAMC. I'm not sure if they were seen as serving "in" the RAMC or not. I guess that if this wasn't the case that he may have joined the RAMC after his service with the SJAB.

There's a little on the SJAB here:
www.angloboerwar.com/other-units/2011-st-john-ambulance-brigade

The Medal Year Book doesn't say anything about it only being awarded posthumously as the forum seems to indicate. 1871 medals were awarded for service in the South African War (these can't all be casualties). It notes that 14 members went on from South Africa and saw service in China during the Boxer Rebellion.

Hopefully another member will be able to answer your question and give a bit more info on the medal.

Cheers,

Mark

Hi mark

a quick question. In your previous posts you mention the medal roll showing H prescott as receiving the Transvaal and 1902 clasp. I have just had an email (copy below )from the Curator at St Johns ambulance brigade and their records are showing him as receiving the Transvaal and Cape colony clasps. His medal that i have in my possesion only have teh Transvaal and 1902 clasps.


"The only H Prescott that we have a record of - I think he must have transferred to the RAMC from being a St John Ambulance Brigade medical orderly when his contract expired – or perhaps there were no St John men at the Rhodesian Frontier Force Hospital. The CC stands for Cape Colony and T for Transvaal – clasps for the Queen’s South Africa Medal"

Any ideas as to why the possible discrepancy.

Is it possible to get a copy of the medal roll for H Prescott

Thanks for your help

regards

John

John,

I've searched the St John Ambulance Brigade rolls, both page by page and digitally and the only Prescott I kind find is 1300 Pte. J. Prescott. He was with the Rhodesian Field Force Hospital and both rolls (first done by hand, second neatly typed up) show him as getting QSA with Cape Colony and Transvaal clasps. No notes appear under remarks linking this man with the RAMC roll or noting a death. If you could ask the Curator at St Johns Ambulance Brigade if he could give you the service number of the H Prescott they have on their records.

What are the details on the rim of the St John Ambulance Brigade Medal you have? We may be able to clear this up from those if his number is 1300.

A possible explanation here might be that because the Prescott on the SJAB rolls was not linked to the H Prescott in the RAMC. If this is what happened then there may well have been a double issue of the QSA to the same man but from different units. Usually when a medal is returned it is noted on the roll. No returns appear to be noted for either the SJAB man or the RAMC man.

I guess when the RAMC QSA arrived it was taken as the deceased H Prescott's medal and that was it. Then the SJAB medal arrived and with that it would have appeared that all medals were accounted for. Who knows what happened to the SJAB QSA if there ever was one.

If Prescott did earn a Cape Colony clasp while with the SJAB [it certainly looks very likely he did] then with the failure to match his service in the two different units resulted in the QSA from the RAMC not including a CC clasp. If Prescott did earn the CC clasp with the SAJB then you could always purchase an original CC clasp and keep it with the medal. If you PM me your e-mail address I'll send you copies of the documents I have.

Cheers,

Mark

Hi mark

PM sent.

The curator sent this detail in her email

1300 66 Ord Prescott H Preston CC T Rhodesian Frontier Force
This is the only H Prescott that we have a record of - I think he must have transferred to the RAMC from being a St John Ambulance Brigade medical orderly when his contract expired – or perhaps there were no St John men at the Rhodesian Frontier Force Hospital. The CC stands for Cape Colony and T for Transvaal – clasps for the Queen’s South Africa Medal

So their records show 1300 being a H Prescott very confusing

As stated in the pm his SJ brigaede medal shows 16597 as his number

Regards

John

John,

I've sent you copies of the roll. Very confusing because clearly their 1300 H Prescott is 1300 J Prescott on the rolls. His SJAB Medal gives his RAMC number, not his SJAB number. That 1300 Prescott was definitely entitled to a CC clasp. I wonder if the curator has any other details on 1300 Prescott like next of kin or an address, year or place of birth etc?

I'm away for a couple of days so I'll catch up on this one over the weekend.

Cheers,

Mark