4042, later D/20999 Squadron Sergeant Major Frederick Allsopp, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons

Medals sought, please, for the man pictured above. His name was Frederick Allsopp and in the undated photograph above he wears the following medals:

Distinguished Conduct Medal

QSA with clasps for Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, Cape Colony and Orange Free State

KSA with usual two clasps

1914-15 Star

British War Medal

Inter-Allied Victory Medal

Delhi Durbar Medal

Long Service & Good Conduct Medal

Frederick was born in 1878 and enlisted with the 6th Dragoons on the 12th October 1898 having previosuly served with the 3rd (militia) Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment. He extended his service in 1904 to complete eight years with the colours. extended aagain in 1906 to complete 12 years with the colours and then re-engaged in May 1910 to complete 21 years. By the time he was discharged in November 1919 he had soldiered in South Africa, Egypt, India and France and Flanders. He had three children, all born in India, two of whom died in infancy.

Frederick Allsopp's DCM was gazetted on the 26th June 1918. His son, a veteran of the Second World War, is now hoping to find his father's medals. Please contact me if you can help.

Charles Stanley George Ralph - where's the QSA?

3857 Pte Charles Stanley George Ralph, 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards; later 5101 Pte, 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was born in Wandsworth, London and was a butcher by trade when he enlisted in London on the 15th July 1891. His stated age was 18 years and two months which suggests that he was born around May 1873. His birth though, was registered in the third quarter of 1874 and the 1881 census also records him as a six year old. He was thus probably 17 years old when he enlisted, and not 18.

Charles enlisted for a period of seven years with the colours and five years on the reserve albeit, according to clause 18a, “if, at the termination of such period of Army Service, you are serving beyond the seas, then for the first eight years in the Army Service and for the remaining four years in the 1st Class of the Army Reserve.” He indicated at the time of his attestation that he wished to serve with the 4th Dragoon Guards.

He served with the regiment in India from September 1894 until February 1899, earning the India Medal 1895 with clasps for the Punjab Frontier 1897-98 and Tirah 1897-98 in the process. He was transferred to the Army Reserve in February 1899 but recalled to the colours that same November when he was transferred to the 6th (Inniskilling Dragoons). He subsequently served in South Africa and added two more campaign medals to his collection. He was discharged to the Army Reserve for a second time in August 1902 and finally discharged on the 14th July 1903, exactly twelve years after he had first enlisted.

Charles Ralph's QSA and KSA appeared in a collectors' sale auction at Truro Auction Centre on the 23rd May 2014 (lot 582). However, the KSA had already appeared, on its own as item 651 at the same Truro Auction Centre on 7th March 2014. QC Militaria subsequently had the QSA up for sale in July 2015.

I'm at a loss to understand how the KSA appeared as a single medal two months before both medals were offered, and also, of course, why the medals were split after being together for over a hundred years. There also remains the matter of the missing India Medal 1895-1902. If anyone knows of the whereabouts of the QSA and IM, or can offer an explanation for the sequence of events above, please leave a comment or contact me directly via the research tab. A client in Australia holds the KSA - or at least a KSA with Charles Ralph's details impressed.

The photograph on this page is an edited compilation of images which appear on Dix Noonan Webb's website.

Queen's South Africa Medal (QSA)

Authorised:
1900.

Qualification:
Second Boer War 1899-1902. Awarded to military personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines who served during the Second Boer War in South Africa between 11th October 1899 and 31st May 1902. The medal was also awarded to members of colonial forces who took part in the conflict, “non-enlisted men of whatever nationality who drew military pay”, and war correspondents. Additionally, the QSA without bar was awarded to troops guarding Boer prisoners of war on the island of St Helena.

Description:
The majority of the medals were silver, although bronze versions were issued to some Indian troops and the “non-enlisted men” above.

36mm in diameter. The obverse portrays the veiled head of Queen Victoria facing left, and the legend, VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX (which translates as VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EMPRESS). The reverse depicts Britannia, her trident and shield on the ground behind her, holding a standard in her left hand and offering a wreath with her right. A column of soldiers advances towards and past her whilst at her back, battleships can be seen offshore. The words SOUTH AFRICA are written above.

Variants:
So confident were the authorities that the campaign against the Boers would be a swift one, that the QSA was struck with the dates 1899-1900 which appeared at approximately the 3 o’clock position on the medal, above the heads of the advancing column. When it was realised that the war was going to last beyond 1900, the dates were machined off, but not before around 50 had been issued. Subsequent releases of the medal were issued without the dates and with Britannia’s wreath pointing to the letter F in AFRICA and not the letter R where it had pointed on the first, dated version of the medal. Dated versions of the QSA are rare. Undated versions and versions of the medal with “ghosting” or “ghosted dates” are common.

Ribbon:
Orange centre (12mm width) and then, on either side, dark blue (5mm width) and red (5mm width) width.

Naming:
Some medals were impressed in sand serif capitals around the edge, whilst others were engraved in sloping serif capitals and lower case.

Clasps:
Twenty six clasps were issued. Five of these clasps detailed South African states. Two detailed dates and 19 detailed actions or engagements. It is common to find multiple clasps issued to army personnel but the majority of QSAs issued to Royal Navy personnel were issued “bare=arsed”, only around 1500 issued with one clasp and 700 issued with two clasps.

The five South African state clasps are:
Cape Colony, Natal, Rhodesia, Transvaal, Orange Free State. (Note, a man could qualify for either the Cape Colony clasp or the Natal clasp, but not both).

The two date clasps are:
South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. These were awarded to troops who served between 1st January 1901 and 31st December 1901 inclusive and/or between 1st January 1902 and 31st May 1902 inclusive who were not entitled to receive the King’s South Africa Medal.

The 19 battle clasps (in alphabetical order) are:
Belfast, Belmont, Defence of Kimberley, Defence of Ladysmith, Defence of Mafeking, Diamond Hill, Driefontein, Elandslaagte, Johannesburg, Laing’s Nek, Modder River, Paardeberg, Relief of Kimberley, Relief of Ladysmith, Relief of Mafeking, Talana, Tugela Heights, Wepener, Wittebergen.

Other:
Alexander Burns and George A J Welch, commemorated on this site, both served during the Second Boer War and received the QSA and KSA.