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Thanks very much Dave,

Actually I don't have any of the medal rolls for him. I am borrowing an Ancestry account from a friend at the moment, so would you be kind enough to pass on the link?

Interesting that he was a Provost Sergeant. I am by no means an expert on Army advancement, but I would expect that as an Infantryman, he would have made Sgt through the normal course, then selected for the PS role, and then later as Colour Sgt. Once there there is an option to be selected to advance to Quartermaster Sgt (then RQMS which is were he finished as an NCO - then later as QM during WWI), or RSM. Have I got that about right?

His Wittebergen clasp is mounted on his medals and I have a photo of him with the 4th Manchesters in 1910 which has the same amount of clasps as per his later Attestation Papers. Any reason it would not appear?

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks for the great snippet Mike!

Dave
Medal rolls attached.

www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/16...sh&viewMode=category












Provost Sergeant (sometimes abbreviated to Provo Sgt) is the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Regimental Provost (or Regimental Police) and is responsible to the Regimental Sergeant Major for the maintenance of good order and military discipline in a regiment or battalion
Provost-Sergeants were similar to, but separate from the Military Police. There were Garrison Provost-Sergeants and Regimental-Provost Sergeants.
Para 661. The Regulations go on to state:
662. He will be assisted in his duties by the garrison police composed of such number of soldiers as may be deemed necessary by the O.C.
663. The garrison provost-sergeant and the garrison police will, for discipline, be placed under the command of a staff officer serving at the station.
664. The duties of the regimental provost-sergeant and the regimental police are similar to those of the garrison provost-sergeant and garrison police, but will be confined generally to maintaining order in their own barracks and unit. They have authority, however, to quell all disturbances in the garrison, and may, if occasion arises, apprehend an offender of any unit.
665. The regimental provost-sergeant will be assisted in maintaining order and regularity in barracks or camp by the regimental police, who will be placed under him. Their number will vary according to circumstances, but is never to exceed six.

best wishes
Dave F

Wonderful information, thanks Dave! In need to get better with the search functions and nuances of Ancestry...

Quote:- His Wittebergen clasp is mounted on his medals and I have a photo of him with the 4th Manchester's in 1910 which has the same amount of clasps as per his later Attestation Papers. Any reason it would not appear?

Medal rolls can sometimes have omissions, clerical errors, markings and ticks in wrong boxes. I enclose the criteria for the clasp for you. Although the rolls do not specify your G G Grandfathers entitlement, it is also possible he was in the area specified. He may have been there with the 2nd battalion before he was seconded to Knox's staff retinue. As we have mentioned the clasp is on his attestation papers, so no reason to doubt his entitlement. It may never have been recorded on a roll.

Wittebergen Clasp
Awarded to all troops who were inside a line drawn from Harrismith to Bethlehem, then to Senekal and Clocolan, along the Basuto border and back to Harrismith, between 1st and 29th July 1900, both dates inclusive. Soldiers of the 1st and 2nd battalions were eligible for this clasp under the above criteria.

1st Battalion Manchester Regiment, sailed from Gibraltar and was in Natal when Sir George White arrived on 7th October 1899.
The 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment, sailed on the Bavarian on 16th March 1900, and arrived at the Cape on 6th April. Along with the 1st Worcestershire, 1st South Staffordshire, and 2nd Royal West Kent, they formed the 17th Brigade under Major General Boyes, and part of the Vl11th Division under Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Rundle. The work of the division has been briefly sketched under the 2nd Grenadier Guards. The battalion was not in any big battle, but did consistently good work.