TOPIC:

rdarby wrote: Have a look at this. This is a different style and I wonder if it is okay. It looks impressed but heavily, and in the messy South African style seen on some WW1 and QSA medals.

An interesting one Ryan - I can't quite make it out from your photos, but is their a number before Pte. on the rim? If so then I would be very suspicious - no medals that I have seen have a number prefix on them for the Bambatha campaign.

I have over 30 of these with at least 7 of those to officers - I have never seen your man's naming style before. The rule of thumb was that NCO's and men were lightly impressed in large capital letters whilst those to officers were in running script as often seen on the IGS 96 medals.

Regards

Rory

I dont see a Pte W Bryan on the roll of Natal Rangers. I guess that it could have been a really late issue as it looks like WW1 naming as suggested, however the Forsyth Roll lists "Medal Officially Re Engraved and Re Issued. " and he doesn't appear there either.
The Natal medal was issued by the Natal Colony although it was approved by the King. I think that the medal was struck by Garrards on contract to the Natal Government. What happened to the unused medal stock after Union in 1910 is a matter for conjecture ( or as the dealers say, "''worthy of further research ! " ) . A number of years ago the late Ron Lock and myself bought the dies on an auction in London. Obviously Garrards had a clearance sale and not being British medals strictly speaking , they could be disposed of. We sold the dies on to a local museum. The dies were pretty worn.

I see that under "Authors Notes "in the Forsyth roll it states , " The Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Ltd of London ( now Garrard & Co. Ltd) designed, manufactured and apparently also named the medals...." It is a very distinctive naming style, so one imagines that any late issues were also effected by Garrards.

Thanks Mike. He’s there as W Brien. I suspect it’s a late issue or sent back to fix the spelling. Ryan