Description
The obverse of this medal bears the head of King Edward VII facing left with the legend 'EDWARD VII REX ET IMPERATOR'. The reverse depicts a map of the world with a transport vessel and the inscription 'OB PATRIAM MILITIBUS PER MARE TRANSVECTIS ADJUTAM' (For services rendered in transporting troops by sea). The medal is attached to the ribbon by a plain straight swivelling suspender as found on the Queens South Africa Medal.
Two clasps were awarded and a recipient could receive one or two clasps. The clasps were 'SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902' and 'CHINA 1900'.
The ribbon is 1.25" wide and is red with two broad dark blue stripes at either side. The naming is in impressed square capitals.
The recipient's rank is not given except for Masters who had the words 'IN COMMAND' appended after the name.
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Recipients
This medal was awarded to ship masters, first, second, third and chief Officers, first, second, third and chief Engineers as well as Pursers and Surgeons. The medal was also presented to those who served in 11 hospital ships employed during the two conflicts.
1,822 medals were issued.
The following table shows the number of Transport Medal clasps that were issued to each ship. Where a recipient served on more that on ship, a separate entry has been made in the table.
| Algeria | 11 |
| America | 8 |
| America / Manhattan | 1 |
| American | 7 |
| Antillian | 17 |
| Arawa | 6 |
| Arawa / Lake Manitoba | 1 |
| Ariosto | 7 |
| Armenian | 16 |
| Ashruf | 7 |
| Assaye | 12 |
| Assaye / Formosa | 1 |
| Assaye / Sicilia | 1 |
| Assaye / Sicilia / Simla | 1 |
| Assaye / Sunda | 1 |
| Atlantian | 10 |
| Aurania | 15 |
| Aurania / Catalonia | 1 |
| Aurania / Pavonia | 2 |
| Austral | 6 |
| Austral / Orient | 2 |
| Avoca | 13 |
| Avoca / Dunera / Jelunga | 1 |
| Avoca / Jelunga | 1 |
| Avoca / Matiana | 1 |
| Avoca / Nowshera / Zibenghla | 1 |
| Ballaarat | 6 |
| Ballaarat / Sardinia | 2 |
| Bavarian | 12 |
| Booldana | 5 |
| Booldana / Itaura | 1 |
| Booldana / Lindula | 1 |
| Britannic | 13 |
| British Prince | 7 |
| British Prince / Maplemore / Staffordshire | 1 |
| British Princess | 11 |
| Canada | 19 |
| Canning | 9 |
| Carthage | 8 |
| Carthage / Nankin | 1 |
| Carthage / Sardinia | 1 |
| Carthaginian | 6 |
| Carthaginian / Ionian | 1 |
| Catalonia | 7 |
| Cavour | 7 |
| Cephalonia | 6 |
| Cephelonia | 1 |
| Cestrian | 7 |
| Cheshire | 9 |
| Chesire/Staffordshire | 1 |
| Chicago | 8 |
| Chingtu | 8 |
| City of Cambridge | 13 |
| City of London | 7 |
| City of Rome | 8 |
| City of Vienna | 15 |
| Clavering | 7 |
| Colombian | 11 |
| Custodian | 14 |
| Custodian / Dictator | 1 |
| Cymric | 7 |
| Cymric / Britannic | 1 |
| Dictator | 6 |
| Dilwara | 13 |
| Dilwara / Jelunga | 1 |
| Dominio | 1 |
| Dominion | 6 |
| Duke of Portland | 7 |
| Dunera | 13 |
| Dunera / Dilwara | 1 |
| Dunera / Golconda / Fultala | 1 |
| Dunera / Jelunga | 1 |
| Ellora | 6 |
| Ellora / Urlana / Gwalior | 1 |
| Englishman | 13 |
| Fazilka | 7 |
| Fazilka / Lalpoora | 1 |
| Formosa | 17 |
| Fultala | 8 |
| Fultala / Umta | 1 |
| Glengyle | 13 |
| Golconda | 3 |
| Golconda / Lawada | 1 |
| Gwalior | 6 |
| Gwalior / Lalpoora | 1 |
| Gwalior / Secundra | 1 |
| Haiching | 8 |
| Harlech Castle | 21 |
| Harlech Castle / Spartan | 1 |
| Hawarden Castle | 21 |
| Hawarden Castle / Kildonan Castle | 1 |
| Henzada | 7 |
| Hilarius | 7 |
| Huisang | 7 |
| Idaho | 12 |
| India | 8 |
| India / Dunera | 1 |
| Ionian | 5 |
| Islanda | 7 |
| Itaura | 6 |
| Itinda | 13 |
| Itinda / Lawada | 1 |
| Itola | 5 |
| Itria | 9 |
| Jamaican | 7 |
| Jelunga | 9 |
| Jelunga / Palitana | 1 |
| Kaifong | 7 |
| Kent | 7 |
| Kildonan Castle | 15 |
| Kildonan Castle / Trojan | 1 |
| Lake Erie | 15 |
| Lake Erie / Lake Manitoba | 1 |
| Lake Erie / Montrose | 1 |
| Lake Manitoba | 3 |
| Lalpoora | 12 |
| Lalpoora / Putiala | 1 |
| Landaura | 5 |
| Landaura / Wardha | 1 |
| Laurentian | 7 |
| Lawada | 4 |
| Lawada / Lalpoora | 1 |
| Lawada / Palamcotta | 1 |
| Lawada / Pentakota | 1 |
| Lawada / Uganda | 1 |
| Lindula | 8 |
| Lindula / Virawa | 1 |
| Lismore Castle | 8 |
| Lismore Castle / Kildonan Castle | 1 |
| Loodiana | 6 |
| Mahratta | 7 |
| Maine | 10 |
| Majestic | 8 |
| Malta | 6 |
| Malta / Manila / Sunda | 1 |
| Manchester Corporation | 7 |
| Manchester Merchant | 15 |
| Manchester Port | 8 |
| Manhattan | 15 |
| Manila | 15 |
| Manila / Palawan | 1 |
| Manila / Syria | 1 |
| Manila, Nankin | 1 |
| Maplemore | 10 |
| Matiana | 5 |
| Matiana/Golconda | 1 |
| Milwaukee | 5 |
| Milwaukee / Lake Erie | 1 |
| Mohawk | 10 |
| Mombassa | 7 |
| Mombassa / Zibenghla | 1 |
| Mongolian | 12 |
| Monteagle | 9 |
| Monterey | 8 |
| Montfort | 14 |
| Montfort / Lake Manitoba / Arawa | 1 |
| Montrose | 18 |
| Muttra | 12 |
| Muttra / Golconda | 1 |
| Nairung | 11 |
| Nankin | 9 |
| Nankin / Simla | 1 |
| Narrung | 8 |
| Nawab | 7 |
| Nerbudda | 8 |
| Nevasa | 11 |
| Nevasa / Uganda | 1 |
| Nile | 4 |
| Nile / Tagus | 4 |
| Nizam | 7 |
| Norseman | 6 |
| Norseman / Dominion | 1 |
| Nowshera | 10 |
| Nowshera/Pentakota | 1 |
| Nubia | 15 |
| Nubia / Sumatra | 1 |
| Nubia / Syria | 1 |
| Nuddea | 8 |
| Nurani | 15 |
| Nurani / Rajah | 1 |
| Nurani / Ranee | 1 |
| Orcana | 12 |
| Orcana / Orotava | 2 |
| Orient | 25 |
| Orissa | 10 |
| Orotava | 21 |
| Ortona | 7 |
| Palamcotta | 9 |
| Palamcotta / Putiala | 1 |
| Palawan | 5 |
| Palawan / Pekin | 1 |
| Palitana | 5 |
| Pavonia | 6 |
| Pekin | 5 |
| Pekin / Sutlej | 1 |
| Pentakota | 10 |
| Persia | 8 |
| Persia / Algeria | 2 |
| Pindari | 9 |
| Pinemore | 11 |
| Plassy | 8 |
| Plassy / Assaye | 1 |
| Plassy / Nubia | 1 |
| Plassy / Simla | 1 |
| Pomeranian | 7 |
| Princess of Wales | 14 |
| Pundua | 9 |
| Pundua / Itola | 1 |
| Pundua / Palamcotta | 1 |
| Pundua / Upada | 1 |
| Purnea | 7 |
| Purnea / Nevasa | 1 |
| Purnea/Muttra | 1 |
| Putiala | 12 |
| Putiala / Gwalior | 1 |
| Rajah | 10 |
| Ranee | 10 |
| Rapidan | 7 |
| Rewa | 7 |
| Rewa / Jelunga | 1 |
| Roodiana? | 1 |
| Roslin Castle | 20 |
| Roslin Castle / Harlech Castle | 1 |
| Roslin Castle / Hawarden Castle | 1 |
| Roslin Castle / Kildonan Castle | 1 |
| Salamis | 7 |
| Sardinia | 4 |
| Secundra | 5 |
| Secundra / Lalpoora | 1 |
| Servia | 7 |
| Servia / Aurania | 2 |
| Shengking | 7 |
| Siberian | 8 |
| Sicilia | 5 |
| Sicilian | 9 |
| Simla | 11 |
| Simla / Sicilia | 1 |
| Simla / Sunda | 2 |
| Sirsa | 10 |
| Sirsa / Upada | 1 |
| Soudan | 6 |
| Spartan | 8 |
| Spartan / Roslin Castle | 1 |
| St Andrew | 19 |
| Staffordshire | 5 |
| Sumatra | 7 |
| Sunda | 15 |
| Sunda / Sicilia | 1 |
| Sutlej | 5 |
| Sutlej / Sumatra | 1 |
| Syria | 9 |
| Tagus | 15 |
| Taisang | 6 |
| Templemore | 12 |
| Templemore/Pinemore | 1 |
| Trojan | 9 |
| Uganda | 12 |
| Uganda / Palamcotta | 1 |
| Uganda / Urlana | 1 |
| Uganda/Zibenghla | 1 |
| Ujina | 9 |
| Ujina / Landaura | 1 |
| Ujina / Warora | 1 |
| Ula | 10 |
| Ula / Ugina | 1 |
| Ula / Umta | 1 |
| Ulstermore | 10 |
| Umbria | 9 |
| Umta | 9 |
| Umta / Palamcotta | 1 |
| Umta / Sirdhana | 1 |
| Umta / Wardha | 1 |
| Unita | 2 |
| Upada | 9 |
| Upada / Itria | 1 |
| Upada / Nevasa | 1 |
| Upada / Uganda | 1 |
| Urlana | 8 |
| Urlana / India | 1 |
| Urmston Grange | 7 |
| Vadala | 9 |
| Vadala / Dilwara | 1 |
| Vadala / Zibenghla | 1 |
| Victorian | 11 |
| Virawa | 10 |
| Virawa / Pentakota | 1 |
| Wakool | 17 |
| Wardha | 10 |
| Wardha / Lalpoora | 1 |
| Wardha / Zibenghla | 1 |
| Warora | 7 |
| Warora / Itinda | 1 |
| Winifredian | 9 |
| Winkfield | 10 |
| Yorkshire | 7 |
| Yorkshire / Staffordshire | 1 |
| Zamania | 8 |
| Zamania / Umta | 1 |
| Zayathla | 5 |
| Zayathla / Pentakota / Ula | 1 |
| Zayathla/Palamcotta | 1 |
| Zibenghla | 8 |
| Total | 1822 |
Transport vessels were engaged for unlimited service to convey troops, supplies and animals to and from South Africa.
Troops were carried in the fastest vessels available but it was found that large cargo boats were preferable to liners because they could be adapted more easily for military use. The size of vessel was also a factor. Experience showed that vessels of shorter length and lighter draught were more easily managed in South African waters and the accommodation on board roughly fitted a military unit.
The requirements for the transport of horses either meant that cattle ships were brought into service or other vessels were converted in a process that was both slow and costly.
The wide variety of supplies that were needed in South Africa necessitated that freight ships were often modified to suit the items to be carried.
Between 1899 and 1902 the transport vessels conveyed:
- Nearly 400,000 troops to South Africa from many ports around the world
- 340,000 horses of which 13,000 died on the journey
- 103,000 mules of which 2,000 died on the journey
- Over 1,000,000 tons of foodstuffs and forage
- Wounded and sick were brought back to England
Of all the ships involved, only three were lost:
- Carinthia. 400 mules lost
- Denton. A freight ship that was carrying stores
- Ismore. A transport ship which lost the guns of the 63rd Battery RFA and 315 horses
