County: West Yorkshire
Issued on: Return
Dates of presentations: 02/06/1901, aft. 28/06/1902
Number issued: 30 or 31
Gold medals, to:
02/06/1901 presentation
Note: this list of recipients includes men from Horbury, a town that was to issue its own medal in early 1903. As they had already received a medal from Ossett, these men were excluded from the Horbury distribution.
1st Volunteer Active Service Company, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry ["G" Company, 1st V.B.K.O.Y.L.I.] –
Lieutenant R.H. ELLIS
7496 Corporal E. WILCOCK (invalided)
7522 Private George Edward BLACKMORE (of
Horbury)
7519 Private Sam COOK (of
Horbury; died, Boshof, 12/05/1900 – did his family receive a medal?)
7490 Private H. EASTWOOD (absent – in hospital in S. Africa)
7452 Private J. FLETCHER
7520 Private Walter HANSON (of
Horbury)
7629 Private L.J. HIRST [Hurst]
7500 Private [Corporal] A. HOLLOWAY
7494 Private Samuel MUSGRAVE (of
Horbury)
7515 Private Robert Ernest PAYNE (of
Horbury)
7498 Private J. SMAILES
7455 Private H. WARD
St John Ambulance Brigade –
1146 Private Joseph BURDEKIN
1408 Private R. GRACE (died, 19/01/1901 - did his family receive a medal?)
1147 Private J. LONG
1151 Private M. SMITH
1409 Private J.W. STANSFIELD
Presentation made by the Mayor (Councillor W. Townend), in the Market Place, Ossett.
Aft. 28/06/1902 presentation
Note: this list includes Private Haigh of Horbury, a town that was to issue its own medal in early 1903. As Haigh had already received a medal from Ossett, he was excluded from the Horbury distribution.
2nd Volunteer Active Service Company, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry ["G" Company, 1st V.B.K.O.Y.L.I.] –
7614 Corporal George JESSOP
7700 Private William James AUTY
7671 Private G.W. GOMERSALL
7559 Private Oswald GOODARE [Goodall]
7645 Private Alfred HAIGH (of
Horbury)
7663 Private Herman Grange HINCHLIFFE
???? Private J.E. ISAACS (may not have served – reported as sick just before departure)
7572 Private William Arthur MITCHELL
7650 Private Hedley MORTON
7574 Private J. PHILLIPS
7623 Private S.H. THEWLIS
7621 Private G.T. SPENCER
7609 Private Edwin WESTWOOD
"The Welcome Home Committee have arranged that the men shall be presented with gold medals, like their comrades of the first active service company, and they are also to be entertained at a banquet" (Batley News, 28/06/1902).
KNOWN EXAMPLES HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN
TYPE 1 (1901)
Obverse with the civic arms of Ossett: "BOROUGH OF OSSETT / INCORPORATED 1890".
Reverse: "TRANSVAAL WAR / Presented by / READERS OF THE / OSSETT OBSERVER / TO Private Joseph Burdekin / (OSSETT) / OF THE ST JOHN / AMBULANCE BRIGADE /1901".
TYPE 2 (1902)
Obverse with the civic arms of Ossett: "BOROUGH OF OSSETT / INCORPORATED 1890".
Reverse: "TRANSVAAL WAR / PRESENTED BY / READERS OF THE / “OSSETT OBSERVER” / TO Corporal G. Jessop / OF THE SECOND SERVICE COMPANY / 1ST V.B. KING’S OWN / YORKSHIRE / LIGHT INFANTRY / 1902".
"The medals are of 9-carat gold, about the size of a half-crown, the Borough arms being on one side, and a suitable inscription on the other" (Batley Reporter, 24/05/1901).
Supplied by R. Cribbs, jeweller, Station Road, Ossett.
The Ossett Observer also insured every volunteer for £250.
Private Burdekin example illustrated in Hibbard.
Corporal Jessop example sold through St James's Auctions, 08/02/2008, for £700.
1st Volunteer Active Service Company
St John Ambulance Brigade Contingent
Yorkshire Evening Post, 11/02/1901
Hibbard #A20
St James's Auctions, 08/02/2008
________________________________________________
Batley Reporter, 18th January 1901
THE RETURNED VOLUNTEERS.
1st V.B. Yorkshire Light Infantry,
Volunteer Barracks, Dewsbury.
To the Editor of “The Reporter”.
Dear Sir,
May I take the liberty of placing, through the columns of your paper, before the employers of labour in Dewsbury and Ossett district, the names of those men in the detachment under my command, who volunteered for service and proceeded to South Africa in February and May of last year, to join our 2nd Battalion on active service.
The firms by whom the men were employed up to the time of their departure for South Africa were all requested (in some cases personally) to keep, if possible, the Volunteers’ situations open for them until their return.
Unfortunately, in some cases, the employers have been unable to do so; but I feel sure that the latter will have no hesitation in giving satisfactory characters to any firms who might have vacancies for any of the Volunteers still out of work. Thanking you in anticipation, – I am, yours truly,
LOUIS J. FOX, Captain,
Commanding Dewsbury Detachment, 1st V.B.K.O.Y.L.I.
____________________________________________
Corporal E. WILCOCK, George Street, Ossett, formerly office clerk for Messrs Archer, Shaw, and Co., Ltd., brass founders, Ossett.
Private G. BLACKMORE, Hall Cliffe Road, Horbury, formerly labourer for Horbury District Council.
Private E. OLDROYD, 33 Camroyd Street, Eastboro’, Dewsbury, formerly railway porter, G.N. Railway Company, Queensbury, who would probably give him his work back if he applied, but he is anxious to find work nearer home.
Private W. CALVERT, Fiddlers Hill, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, formerly office clerk for Messrs Roberts, Mart, and Co., Ltd., Bank Mill, Leeds.
Private J.T. NORGATE, 9 Oldroyd’s Buildings, Batley Carr, formerly warehouseman for Messrs S. Milnes and Sons, 45 Bradford Road, Dewsbury.
Batley Reporter, 8th March 1901
LOCAL VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FRONT.
Ossett Men Entertained.
Members of the “G” (Ossett) Company of Volunteers who are going to South Africa were entertained to dinner by the local Send-off Committee on Saturday evening at the Coopers Arms, where a well-prepared meal was served by the landlady, Mrs Hawes …….
The Secretary then handed to each of the men a parcel containing pipes, tobacco, writing materials, etc., the names being as follows: – Corporal JESSOP; Privates MITCHELL, GOODARE, SPENCER, AUTY, WESTWOOD, HINCHLIFFE, GOMERSAL, HAIGH, MORTON, PHILLIPS, THEWLIS, and ISAACS. The last two were absent, THEWLIS through a family bereavement, and ISAACS on account of sickness.
Batley Reporter, 24th May 1901
OSSETT.
VOLUNTEERS’ CHURCH PARADE.
The G (Ossett) Company of the 1st V.B. King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry are to attend Holy Trinity Church on Sunday, June 2nd, accompanied by the battalion band. After the service, the Mayor of Ossett (Councillor W. Townend) will present the gold medals subscribed by Ossettonians for the local volunteers and ambulance men who went out to South Africa on active service last year. Weather permitting, the presentation will be made in the Market Place. The medals are of 9-carat gold, about the size of a half-crown, the Borough arms being on one side, and a suitable inscription on the other.
Yorkshire Evening Post, 24th February 1902
A TOUCHING INCIDENT AT DEWSBURY.
At Dewsbury on Saturday war medals were presented to the local ambulance men who had served in South Africa. One of the men, Private R. GRACE (Ossett), died whilst on service, and the medal was given to his little son, who was carried on to the platform by his mother – an incident which touched many of those present.
Batley Reporter, 28th February 1902
The following is a list of members of the Dewsbury Corps [of the St John Ambulance Brigade] who have served in South Africa and to whom [war] medals have been awarded: – Ossett Division: Privates J. BURDEKIN, J. LONG, M. SMITH, R. GRACE, J.W. STANSFIELD.
Batley News, 28th June 1902
Reception of the Ossett Men.
Ossett people were in a high state of enthusiasm on Monday evening, in fact it might have been a second peace rejoicing. The exuberance of their spirits was of course accounted for by the return home of twelve of the Ossett Volunteers, who left for active service in South Africa about fifteen months ago. A huge crowd assembled at the station soon after seven o’clock in the evening, and the street was thickly lined with people all the way to the Market Place. The men arrived by the 7.45 train from Wakefield, and were met by the Mayor (Mr W. Townend), Alderman J. Fox (Deputy-Mayor), Councillors Taylor and Stead, Mr W. Brook (Town Clerk), and the members of the Welcome Home Committee; and accorded them a thoroughly hearty reception. The Ossett Borough Brass Band played patriotic music, and the khaki clad heroes were escorted from the railway station to the Market Place by their comrades of the Ossett Company, where short congratulatory addresses were delivered by the Mayor, Deputy-Mayor, and Mr Eli Townend. Captain Chadwick, who is in command of the Ossett Company, made a few remarks on behalf of the men, and intimated that they had all rejoined the G Company of the 1st Batt. K.O.Y.L.I. – an announcement that was received with cheers. On reaching the Armoury the men were dismissed, and afterwards escorted by the Band to their respective homes. The Welcome Home Committee have arranged that the men shall be presented with gold medals, like their comrades of the first active service company, and they are also to be entertained at a banquet. A meeting was to have been held at the Cooper’s Arms on Tuesday evening, to arrange a date and programme, but as there was not a very large attendance, it was postponed until next Wednesday.
Batley Reporter, 15th February 1901 (2nd V.A.S.C.)
Medal presented to Corporal Jessop (courtesy of St James Auctions)
