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Raised Date QSAs
The duration of the war was grossly underestimated because the first issues
of the Queen's South Africa (QSA) bore the date in relief on the reverse '1899
1900'. The main unit to receive a limited number of these medals was Strathcona's Horse. This unit returned home to Canada as a complete unit
before the war ended and a quantity of raised date QSAs were presented by King
Edward VII at Buckingham Palace. The story goes that the medals were named
in a great hurry.
At the time, the medals were issued without clasps The bars were sent
to Canada and attached to the medals privately.
There is uncertainty about how many medals were issues with the dates in
relief. The problem is complicated by the fact that units other than Strathcona's Horse were issued with raised date QSAs.
Recipients of raised date QSAs
The following table is in recipient order. The abbreviation in the Unit
column of SH stands for Strathcona's Horse. The rank is given as it
appears on the recipient's QSA.
| Nr |
Rank |
Name |
Unit |
Details |
| 396 |
Sgt |
Bell, P W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 139 |
Pte |
Bennett, J |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 376 |
Pte |
Brent, W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 356 |
Pte |
Broadbent, E R |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 471 |
Pte |
Burdette, A H |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Belf.
Entitled to 01. The 01 clasp was returned on 15 Aug 1905. |
| 25837 |
Dvr |
Budd, E J |
66 Bty RFA |
QSA (5) CC TH RofL Tr
OFS, KSA (2) 01 02, 1914-15 Trio. Sold by C Lusted. Date
unknown. £650. The QSA only was sold by DNW in Jun 99 for
£2,700. The location of his other medals is not known. The QSA
was again sold at Spink in Oct 99. |
| 387 |
Pte |
Cameron, M C J |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 15 |
Pte |
Clarke, E H |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 358 |
Pte |
Custance, T T M |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01, 1902 Coronation Medal. |
| 515 |
RSM |
Elliott, F |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat Belf CC,
KSA (2). Phillips 1926 £5. Usher collection (1946). Not on
roll. Appears to have died 17 Oct 00. |
| 326 |
Pte |
Fader, G D |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Ackley summer 04. |
| 475 |
Pte |
Fraser, W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01, 14-15 Star, BWM, VM (Pte 16th Can Infy). Denby Jan 79 |
| 476 |
Pte |
Gamsby, G |
SH |
QSA (5) Nat OFS Belf
01 02. |
| 54 |
Pte |
Grestock, H |
SH |
QSA (5) Nat OFS Belf
01 02, [14-15 Star], BWM, VM (Lt), Memorial Cross. KIA 5 Feb 17.
He re-enlisted in SH on 4 May 1915, as 2499 Private, and was promoted to
Corporal on 26 July 1916. Later that year he was commissioned into the 73rd
Infantry Battalion, Royal Highlanders of Canada, and was killed in France on
5 February 1917. He was then aged 39 and is buried in Cabaret-Rouge British
Cemetery, Souchez. It was from this cemetery, in May 2000, that the remains
of an unidentified Canadian soldier were exhumed and laid to rest within the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in a sarcophagus at the foot of the National
War Memorial, Confederation Square, Ottawa. Spinks Jun 87. eBay Feb 01 Cdn $ 7,288. DNW Sep 06 £5,500.
Ursual Jan 07 Cdn $16,500 £6,300. |
| 202 |
Pte |
Hardy, A |
SH |
QSA (2) Nat Tr.
Enlisted Maple Creek 6 Feb 00. At Green Point Camp on 23 May 00 listed
as sick and unfit to travel. |
| 497 |
Pte |
Hardwick, J de H |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 96 |
Pte |
Hazeldine, F C |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01, 14-15 Star, BWM, VM, 1902 Coronation Medal. |
| 602 |
Pte |
Heygate, W A N |
SH |
QSA (3) CC OFS Belf,
KSA (2) 01 02 (Cornet SAC). Spinks Oct 99. Joined Canadian
Contingent of SAC as a QMS, was MID by Lord Kitchener on Baden-Powell's
recommendation LG 23 Jun 02, and was commissioned as a Coronet on 1 Jul 01.
|
| 463 |
Far Cpl |
Jackson, H |
SH |
QSA (3) CC OFS Tr.
Enlisted at Ottawa, 2 Mar 00 and posted as Cpl Shoeing Smith, B Sqn.
Baldwin Jul 49. Sotheby's Nov 78. |
| 509 |
Pte |
Jenkins, A |
SH |
QSA (2) Nat Tr.
Enlisted at Pincher Creek 8 Feb 00. KIA 7 Jul 00 at Watervaal.
He was the Regiment's first casualty. Home was in Red Deer.
Palmer sale Jun 19 £10. Hamilton-Smith Jul 27 £8.
Waite-Sanderson Nov 42 £6. |
| 354 |
Cpl |
Johnson, A W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted as Cpl at Kamloops. Later shown on roll as Pte in C
Sqn. His home was in England. |
| 299 |
Pte |
Kennedy, J E |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 635 |
Pte |
Malet, C C |
SH |
QSA (0) but entitled
to CC OFS Belf 01. Spinks Jul 04 £1,850. Ursual Nov 04 £2,777. |
| 68 |
Pte |
Martin, R W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. DNW Sep 00 £2,300. DNW Dec 03 £2,100 |
| 457 |
Cpl |
McLellan, A K |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 387 |
Sgt |
Miller, T F |
SH |
QSA (2) CC Tr.
Not on roll. Medal engraved. |
| |
Capt |
Moores, C F |
ASC |
CMG, DSO, QSA (9)Bel MR RofK Paard OFS Drief Trans DH Witt (Capt ASC), BWM, Victory Medal with MID (Lt Col). See his
DSO entry. |
| 300 |
Pte |
Murray, E R |
SH |
QSA (4) CC OFS Belf 02
but entitled to QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted at Fort Steele. Ursual May 93. Hoare Dec 93.
|
| 385 |
Pte |
Murray, J W |
SH |
QSA (3) CC OFS Belf.
Entitled to 01. Enlisted Vernon, British Columbia 10 Feb 00. City Coins Aug 98.
City Coins Jul 01. |
| 365 |
Pte |
Nash, J F P |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted at Kamloops 8 Feb 00. Spinks Oct 99 £2,100.
Floyd, Johnstone & Paine
Inc Nov 04 (?) £2,670. |
| 283 |
Pte |
Nesbitt, J L |
SH |
QSA (1) bar unknown. |
| 485 |
Pte |
Nicholls, H L |
SH |
QSA (5) Nat OFS Belf
01 02. |
| 340 |
Pte |
O'Brien, A W |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Belf.
Entitled to 01. |
| 123 |
Pte |
Palmer, G S |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted in Moosomin 6 Feb 00. |
| 153 |
Pte |
Parker, H |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted in Winnipeg 9 Feb 00. |
| 45 |
Pte |
Paul, J |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 229 |
Pte |
Percy, H M |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Enlisted in Calgary 6 Feb 00. |
| 309 |
Pte |
Peterson, C |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Belf.
A Danish subject who enlisted at Fort Steele on 6 Feb 00. Sotheby's
Jun 70. Morton and Eden Oct 03 |
| 487 |
Pte |
Peyto, E D |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Served in the Great War and invalided. Burman Oct 02 £3,100. |
| 486 |
Pte |
Playfair, W S |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. William Shaw Playfair enlisted in Strathcona’s Horse on 8 Feb
1900, at Calgary aged 24. He gave up his occupation as rancher and cow
boy. His birthplace was Perth, Scotland. Private Playfair served
in South Africa with 3 Troop B Squadron. Hoare Auctions Sep 04.
eMedals Dec 06 £3,100 |
| 32 |
Pte |
Powell, F N
|
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Tr,
KSA (2) 01 02 (Lt IY), 1914-15 Star (Capt S Lan Regt), BWM, VM (Capt).
Glendining May 38 £11. DNW May 93 £1,800. Ursual Dec 05 £4,470. |
| 132 |
Pte |
Reid, J |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. POW 10 Nov 00 but escaped. Court marshalled for killing a
fellow soldier in an accident. |
| 241 |
Pte |
Rice-Davies, J E C |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 46 |
Sgt |
Richardson, A H |
SH |
See his VC entry. |
| |
Lt |
Roberts, J |
KRRC |
See his VC entry. |
| 243 |
Pte |
Robson, J S |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. |
| 349 |
Ptre |
Shaw, A J M |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Ursual Aug 93 Cdn $4,250. Hoare Sep 94. |
| 310 |
Pte |
Shaw, R |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat Belf
01. Ursual #74 Cdn $4,500. |
| 257 |
Pte |
Smiley, F S |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Born in Ireland, enlisted at Maple Creek on February 9, 1900 aged
24. By trade he was Cow Boy, single. Discharged 16/3/1901 in Ottawa.
eMedals Dec 06. |
| 19467 |
QMS |
Smith, H S |
RE |
MBE (1st Type,
Military), QSA (3) CC Paard Joh, 1914 Star (19467 Supdt Clk RE), BWM, VM
(Capt), LS&GC (19487 H T Smith QMS RE). M.B.E. London Gazette 12
December 1919: ‘In recognition of valuable services rendered in
connection with military operations in Egypt and Palestine.’
Henry Surridge Smith, who was born in April 1868, served for a
little over 23 years in the ranks of the Royal Engineers, in which
period he qualified for his 3-clasp Queen’s South Africa Medal prior
to being invalided back home in October 1900 - reason indeed to
issue him with an ‘1899-1900’ raised dates award. Having then added
the LS&GC Medal to his accolades in October 1901, and been appointed
Superintending Clerk (Warrant Officer Class II) in March 1907, he
was commissioned as a Temporary Captain in July 1915, while serving
in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. In addition to his subsequent
award of the M.B.E., he won a “mention” from General A J Murray,
Egyptian Expeditonary Force, ‘For gallant and distinguished services
in the Field’ (London Gazette 11 January 1918 refers). Glendening Mar 88 £1,350.
DNW Sep 07. |
| 83 |
Pte |
Stalker, J R |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Belf.
Enlisted Prince Albert 9 Feb 00 from NWMP. Glendining Nov 87 £1,100. Ursual Sep 99 £2,250. |
| 135 |
Pte |
Stewart, A W |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Belf
01. Wounded 14 Nov 00. |
| 390 |
Pte |
Stillingfleet, H C |
SH |
QSA (3) Nat OFS Belf.
Ursual #118 & #119 as QSA (2) Nat OFS. Liverpool Apr 97 £2,300 as QSA
(3). |
| 441 |
Cpl |
Townsend, W S |
SH |
QSA (4) Nat OFS Tr.
Clasps are copies. Regimental number corrected from 440. Ursual
Jul 94. DNW Dec 91 £1,700. |
| 39 |
Pte |
Treston, J |
SH |
QSA (5) Nat OFS Tr 01
02. Born 1869 in St Francis Xavier, Manitoba. Worked as a
cowboy. Enlisted 9 Feb 00. Wounded 10 Nov 00. DNW Apr 94 £2,040.
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My thanks to Cpl Lee J Ramsden CD, Jim Godefroy (medals@vimy.ca),
Mark Reid
and Mike for their help in the
compilation of this information.
Further information
After the Boer War and upon return to Canada the unit known
as 'Strathcona's Horse' was disbanded. In 1909 'A' Squadron Royal
Canadian Mounted Rifles based in Winnipeg were renamed 'Strathcona's Horse
(Royal Canadians)'. The abbreviation of LSH did not come into use until
May 1911. This was subsequently changed on 24 April 1942 to 'LdSH(RC)'
and this name is in use today. It is interesting to note that several
variants of the unit name are seen on medals to SH.
The web site for Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) can be found at
http://www.strathconas.ca/bmenu_history.php.
In addition to the named medals list above, two unnamed (not erased) medals
with raised dates are known to exist. One has no clasps and the other has
the standard clasps for SH (Nat OFS Belf 01).
Raised date QSAs identified on this page: 8 on 24 Nov 04. 16 by
Dec 04. 49 by Feb 05. 51 by Mar 06. 54 by 1 Jan 07.
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