‘A’ Squadron, ILH, was the first to leave for the front and thereby became separated from the other five squadrons during the early months of the war. ‘A’ Squadron served throughout the Ladysmith Relief operations and its men were amongst the first to enter Ladysmith. The QSA’s of some of these men have the distinction of having two ‘Relief’ clasps (Ladysmith and Mafeking). They most often carry the following clasps: Relief of Mafeking, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal.
The two medals shown below were awarded to Captain D F Gilfillan and Trooper L T James and are typical examples of ILH ‘double Relief’ QSA’s. Both men were with ‘A’ Squadron during the Relief of Ladysmith, while Gilfillan commanded ‘F’ Squadron during the Relief of Mafeking.