TOPIC:

Good day all,
I need some help understanding some abbreviations in the medal roll for Field Intelligence (WO100-301).
What would H.O. stand for?
Also what would "A - No. of medals awaiting application" mean?

I'm finding these "A" and H.O. inscriptions to the left of many of the press censors, is there any significance to this?

Also, is there a way to establish where a particular press censor was stationed if the roll only states "Total service in FID".

jancodk,

HO stands for held over. It related to medals held back from issue for some reason.

Many medals, especially to the units raised for the war, could not be issued directly to the recipients. It seems the medals were named in London and sent to South Africa but, probably because the units no longer existed and the men had dispersed, they was no way to issue them. We see on some of the South African attestation papers that the men often left their forwarding address, if any address was recorded, as a hotel or post office somewhere in South Africa.

Advertisements were placed in newspapers asking recipients to apply for their medals. Here is an examples from The Times: www.angloboerwar.com/forum/15-important-...-advertisements#9044

After a number of years, the medals were returned to the authorities. This was c 1909-10 and explains the abbreviation 'Retd' that is often seen on rolls, again mostly to South African units.

As to where the press censors were stationed, I know many were in Cape Town but I would expect there to be censors in the other major towns too.

Thank you so much for your expert input David, as always it is much appreciated.

I found an interesting article online from the University of KwaZulu, in it they refer to a 10page 1901 publication "Rules for the guidance of press censors". I've been unable to track down a copy of the actual rules, but in the article it states that the 33 "new" rules boiled down to:
1 - Every column and important military station to have a press censor.
2 - All telegrams to be vetted. The censor had the sole power to allow, stop or delay any telegram.
3 - Letters were liable to censorship, per censors discretion, but as a rule letters to the UK were to pass unopened.

Playing around on a few philatelist sites, it also looks like different censors had their own cancels.

I'm attempting to establish the whereabouts of a press censor during the war, and maybe a sample of the cancel used by him/her.
The medal in my posession is to a J. Vrolik PCD, named on both the FID and PCD rolls (WO100 301).

Jancodk,

There is a copy of the publication in the National Archives (WO 106/6324).

I hope to visit TNA this month so have it on my list to request.

Best wishes
David