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Frank Kelley wrote: Sorry for late reply Meurig, no, not by me.
Happy St Patrick's Day!

SWB wrote: Thanks chaps for displaying such fine medals.

Frank - was Gibney a reunite? I recorded the QSA sold on its own in 2015.

Thanks Frank, good to see the Irish celebrate St Patrick's Day in style, do they give medals for winning rugby games?

With regard to your comment in response to Brett and about POWs being "simply release[d]" - there is an important distinction between ABW POWs: those that were released within a day (or a few hours) of capture and those that weren't - like the ones discussed in this thread who spent nine months in pretty dire conditions. For me these guys "float my boat". One POW example I would like to add to my collection would be a men killed or wounded at Honingspruit (June 22, 1900) having just been released.

Regards
Meurig

Hello Meurig,
My own thoughts are that if you were unfortunate enough to be captured in this war, it was still rather better than being captured in the future wars of the next century.
To be honest I think life actually on campaign in South Africa for your average Mr Atkins could be pretty damn rough without being captured.
However, life at that wretched "school" in Pretoria or at Waterval cannot have been much fun, fortunately it only lasted for a few months, but, the conditions, or indeed, lack of reasonable conditions, were indeed, dire, as you say, I would think the lack of ablutions, in particular, a real breeding ground for disease to run rife, combined with a total lack of proper medical facilities.
It does make you wonder just what the military objective of the enemy was, to invade the colonies and to have made no arrangements whatsoever, one wonders if they had actually considered taking prisoners in the first place.
All told, beyond the appalling conditions, generally speaking, the Imperial prisoners were not subject to the torture, slave labour and on occasion, murder, that men were in the last century, I do, however, believe some of the Colonials had a far harder time, in particular the Rand refugees, but, as a serving soldier, you make your bed and you lie down within it.

Moreover, if you don't, there were always men like Bernhard Moller who would do it for you and I certainly would not have liked to find myself in Gibney's boots.

I hope you find that POW on day.
Regards Frank

SWB wrote:
With regard to your comment in response to Brett and about POWs being "simply release[d]" - there is an important distinction between ABW POWs: those that were released within a day (or a few hours) of capture and those that weren't - like the ones discussed in this thread who spent nine months in pretty dire conditions. For me these guys "float my boat". One POW example I would like to add to my collection would be a men killed or wounded at Honingspruit (June 22, 1900) having just been released.

Regards
Meurig

Meurig - Here is one such group from my collection. As you say, Levett was one of those taken POW from Spion Kop only to be killed at Honing Spruit soon after release.



4057 Pte. T. Levett, Lancashire Fusiliers.
Queen’s Sudan Medal; Queen’s South Africa Medal clasps Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal; Khedives Sudan Medal clasp Khartoum.
Taken prisoner Spion Kop 24 January 1900 & killed in action Honing Spruit 22 June 1900.
Tom Levett enlisted at Haslingden 4 May 1892 aged 19. Born Haslingden. Occupation spinner. Transferred to Army Reserve 16 September 1899. Character bad. In June 1900 the released POWs were formed into composite battalions. The Lancashire Fusiliers POWs were placed in a battalion of 400 men commanded by Col. Bullock of the Devons. They were sent to the railway station at Honing Spruit, 20 miles north of Kroonstad. The Boers attacked the post after Lt. Smith of the Gloucesters and six men of the Lancashire Fusiliers were sent down the line to a culvert held by the Boers. Levett and another man were killed while Lt. Smith and two other men were wounded. Buried North Road Cemetery, Kroonstad. Grave number 775 marked by a metal cross. Served in 2nd Battalion. Ex Stott collection.

Good hunting!

Regards

David

Splendid David! Thanks for sharing.

David
I second Meurig's comments! A QSA with Sudan medals make a great group, and it is even better when there is a good story to go with the medals.
Regards
Brett