TOPIC:

I am hoping someone can help me with a mystery regarding clasp awards to a member of Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts.

The medal in question is a QSA medal named to a Trooper James Hennessy 355 , 2nd Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts. It has the medal bars:

• RELIEF OF MEFEKING,
• RELIEF OF KIMBERLY,
• SA1901,
• SA1902.

I think the double relief clasps are very unusual although not impossible to get. However, if they are correct to the recipient he must have earned them with another unit as:
• Kimberley was relieved in February 1900 and
• Mafeking in May 1900

While 1st KFS was formed only in December 1900 and 2nd KFS in 1901. As you would know the problem with this theory is that QSAs were meant to be issued in the name of the unit served in when first qualified for the medal.

Hennessy served in 2nd KFS and his QSA roll entry on Ancestry shows him as qualifying for the SA1901 and SA 1902 clasps with no qualification for a KSA. It would therefore appear that he didn't have any prior service with any other unit in South Africa which means he wasn't entitled to the relief clasps.

However, the award of date bars only to KFS is also unusual. The only way this would be his full entitlement is if he served only in Natal after June 1900 (the Natal clasp ceased to issue after then) but 2nd KFS served principally in the Orange Free State but also entered Transvaal and possibly crossed the border into northern Cape Colony.

In all it's a bit of a mystery. My own feeling is that he added the two relief clasps to his QSA to 'beef up' his medal and impress the people at home. The question is was he entitled to one or more state clasps earned while serving with another unit after leaving KFS or did he just serve with KFS in Natal? If the former these clasps would have been issued separately at a later date in which case they may never have been attached to the medal.

But as far as I can deduce he joined the 2KFS in Durban on the 17 August 1901 and was discharged 20 February 1902. Given these dates is it remotely possible that he could have earned the RELIEF OF MEFEKING, RELIEF OF KIMBERLY bars perhaps with a different unit?

Thanks, and I am hoping you can help me unravel this mystery?





Colin

Hello Colin,

And a warm welcome to the forum.
I have a KFS and find them a desirable unit.
Looked at the rolls on Ancestry and found the same as you then had a look on FMP and found the following info.
Trooper James Hennessy 355
2nd Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts.
First Name- Jas
Last Name- Hennessy
Soldier Number- 355
Rank- Trooper
Regiment- Kitchener's Fighting Scouts
Year- 1899-1902
Notes- Entitled to the Queen's South Africa (QSA) Medal Clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902
Rolls- Roll: 257, Page: 104
Roll- 257, Page: 176
If you try ancestry again and search for him as Jas Hennessy, the relevant roll will appear and shows his entitlement to the two date clasps, although not the Reliefs.
I like yourself could not find any attachment to other units in the remarks column.
I also added you image into your post, hope you didn't mind.

Hope this helps
Paul

Hi Colin

QSA Roll WO 100/257 p104 shows that a QSA with OFS, Tvl, SA01 and SA02 was issued on 1 Dec 1903 to Hennesy.
He clearly "enhanced" his own medal!!

Henk

Hello Colin,
Welcome here, the title of your post is very appropriate, however notwithstanding, both regiments of Kitchener's Fighting Scouts were raised together on the 23rd of November 1900 in Pretoria, Hennesy joined in Durban on the 17th of August 1901 and was discharged after six months service, on the 20th of February 1902, this was quite the norm, the standard engagement was six months in this particular SAMIF unit.
The regiment was disbanded on the 7th of July 1902, a good lot of men on the whole, with some very interesting fellows in their ranks, much of their time was spent chasing that bugger, Christian Beyers around the high veldt of the Spelonken in the Northern Transvaal.
The best thing to do, regarding Hennesy, would be a careful look through WO126/76-82 at Kew, I would hope his oringinal discharge will have survived.
Again, welcome here,
Regards Frank Kelley

Thankyou Gents for you prompt and informative feedback. I was hoping that he may have received the relife bars with another unit but this seems unlikely. I may try and do some further research at Kew as suggested Thanks again,

Colin

Hi Colin,

Welcome to the forum, I hope that you didn't part with too much of the 'hard earned' when purchasing the QSA in question.
Don't get caught with the belief that all QSA's were named to the first unit served with. While this is correct in the majority of cases many are named to other units for some obscure reason. I am the custodian of several to Australians that left with Australian units and the medals are named to other units such as Scott's Railway Guards and Imperial Light Horse.
I suggest that you purchase copies of the relevant medal rolls, Relief of Mafeking, Defence of Mafeking & Wepener etc. These have the potential save you much angst in the future.

Cheers,

Jim