TOPIC:

Forum members,

Looking through the site today I ventured into the "Unit information" section to see if I could gain some knowledge of Town Guards.
A section sadly missing from my medal collection, so trying to gain a little knowledge.
I was quite surprised to see how many Town Guards they were, so a little confused.
After looking through my own library of books I am unable to find very much information.
Can any of our members offer general information of how they evolved, I assume they were in a part-time voluntary capacity?
What would be the entitlement of medals awarded, again I assume some guards would be rarer than others.
Are there any service records available or would information be listed on the medal rolls only.
Thanks for any information.

Paul

TG's and DMT's are nice, their medals often prove very interesting indeed, moreover, they are becoming quite expensive medals.
I would go for the scarcer DMT's if I were you, many are researchable here and a good number of original enrollment sheets have survived at Kew in WO126.
I actually quite like the Rand Rifles, which was, in effect, the Johannesburg Town Guard, some very important individuals served in its ranks during the war, which included a District Commissioner of the Northern Transvaal.

coldstream wrote: Forum members,

Looking through the site today I ventured into the "Unit information" section to see if I could gain some knowledge of Town Guards.
A section sadly missing from my medal collection, so trying to gain a little knowledge.
I was quite surprised to see how many Town Guards they were, so a little confused.
After looking through my own library of books I am unable to find very much information.
Can any of our members offer general information of how they evolved, I assume they were in a part-time voluntary capacity?
What would be the entitlement of medals awarded, again I assume some guards would be rarer than others.
Are there any service records available or would information be listed on the medal rolls only.
Thanks for any information.

Paul

Paul,
I forgot to say that if you don't have any TG's I think, I would, if I were you, just buy examples to the Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith TG's before worrying about any of the others, the first two should present no problem at all, but, examples to the latter are really quite scarce, all are researchable in South Africa, moreover, you also get the relative "defence" clasp too.
Frank

Paul

To Frank's list I would add the Dundee Town Guard (with Talana clasp).

Regards
Brett

Apropos Frank's comments.

I would have though that the Mafeking TG was scarcer than Ladysmith's.

I am, however, gratified to learn that the LTG one's are so sought after as I have quite a number of them, some in groups and others on their own.

I don't know if it still exists but David had, on the old ABW site, a list of all LTG recipients including a commnet or two iro those that were extant. I recall advising him that the medal to Adams is (or was) in the Siege Museum in Ladysmith.

Regards

Rory

Rory,

The list is still available. If you go to this page: www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/to...ladysmith-town-guard

and then click on Search, all the 166 names appear.

For the Mafeking TG, I have 511 names.

Best wishes
David