TOPIC:

Queen's and King's South Africa Pair.
QSA: CAPE COLONY/ORANGE FREE STATE/LAING'S NEK/BELFAST
KSA: SOUTH AFRICA 1901/SOUTH AFRICA 1902.

Both medals are engraved.
QSA - Capt(ain) H.L. KIRKE - R.G.A.
KSA - Maj(or) H.L. KIRKE - R.G.A.

Summary of Life for Henry Lushington Kirke
Born 7 March 1865 in Chapel in Freth, Derbyshire, England. Father was Henry, a barrister and landowner, and his mother was Agnes. He had three sisters and a brother. They lived at Kings Newton, Melbourne, Shardlow, Derbyshire.
He attended Harrow and was a scholar there in 1881.
Gentleman Cadet 2 September 1882 when 19 years and four months old.
Lieutenant 5 July 1884
Captain 28 June 1893
Commanded No. 2 Company, Sierra Leone with rank of Major
Adjutant, Volunteers from 6 April 1893 to 26 October 1897
Bt. Major 20 May 1898
Major 27 June 1903
He married Emily Norah Timins (B. 1880) on 22 May 1907 at St. Peter, Limpsfield. Her father, Henry Charles Anderson Timins whas a Civil Engineer. He was 42 and she was 27.
1911 Army Census Major RGA, Hong Kong & Singapore Btn. Major RFA Commanding at Gun Club Hill Barracks, Kowloon
Lt. Colonel 13 July 1912, Felmouth,
Military Draft to Sierra Leone 26 June 1913 onboard Olenda Embarked Liverpool
France 10 October 1915 – 7 ? 1918
Placed on half-pay after completing 5 years-service as Lt. Col. 1 March 1919
Retired 1 March 1919
Numerous voyages to Jamaica without his wife in the 1920s
Died 27 June 1951 in Coromandel Sands Estate, Dymchurch Kent and left L583 11S to his widow Emily Norah.

During the Boer War, he was slightly wounded and taken prisoner on the 29th December 1900 at Helvetia. Newspaper reports have him as missing after that action.

Previously served in Sierra Leone and awarded the East and West Africa medal with the clasp SIERRA LEONE 1898-99
Later served in WW1 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Garrison Artillery and awarded a BWM/Victory medal pair.

If anyone knows of Kirke's missing medals, please contact me as I would like very much to reunite the group. Thank you in advance.