TOPIC:

Dear all,

I am a french collector who received three medals awarded to 5230 Sergeant L. Ryan Welsh Regt (all three this was written on the rim).
The first medal is a QSA with clasps : Belfast, Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Driefontein, Paardeberg, Relief of Kimberley ;
The second is a KSA with clasps : South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902
The third is a Distinguished Conduct Medal

I searched informations about this sergeant but I found nothing. Because I'm french, I don't know really where to search.

Thank you for your help.






..

That's an exciting first group you have there!

I'm sure more knowledgeable forum members will be able to confirm or correct me, but Sergeant L Ryan, 1st Battalion Welsh Regiment, was court martialled for drunkenness on duty at Pretoria on 24 March 1904. He was reduced to the ranks. While I can't confirm this is the same man, 5230 Ryan's medal rolls show that he did serve in the 1st Battalion.

Further on his medal rolls, while Ryan is listed as a sergeant on the QSA roll, he is listed as a sergeant master tailor on the KSA one. The Evening Herald for 13 August 1897 records the following regarding the court martial of a Welsh Regiment colour sergeant: "Sergeant L. Ryan, master tailor, 1st Welsh, recalled, said the writing on the back of the cheque was not his. He never wrote an "R" or a "L" like those letters constituting the endorsement. Further, he always endorsed a cheque with his name in full, never adding his rank." Thus, Colour Sergeant Staples was found guilty of forging Sergeant Ryan's name on a cheque for £25 18s 7d, and reduced to the ranks.