TOPIC:

I have just been given alot of family medals and am going through and investigating what I can. I have a QSAM 1899-1902 (Silver) which was awarded to my G/G/G Uncle Sam Jeffers Trooper 33568 of 74th Coy 16th/8th Dublin Battalion of the Imperial Yeomanry. He has the following Bars: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. The thing is that there is the KSAM 1901-1902 ribbon beside it. There is no KSAM medal. My question is: Was he entitled to be awarded this medal? My concern is that it has been lost. I can'tforesee our family selling it? If however he was entitled to it but never received it I may be able to get one? Cheers in advance. Gordon Downey.

Hi Gordon

It's your lucky day!

The medal rolls (of which there are two) clearly are only iro the QSA and confirm all 5 clasps. Jeffers was not entitled to a KSA.

By the way he was invalided home.

If he was Samuel Jeffers born in 1877 in Crossmaglen, Armagh then his file is on Find My Past and can be downloaded.

Regards

Rory

Rory, Thanks alot for that info. Joined the find my past and downloaded the docs. Just one thing. I hope I'm not being as thick as a whale omlette here. If he is/was not entitled to the KSAM why has he got the medal ribbon mounted beside the QSAM?

Hi Gordon,

That's probably a question that you aren't likely to find a definite answer to. The awarding of the KSA was in some respects controversial and at times seemingly unfair. There were a great many men that felt they had earned or were entitled to it but the powers-that-be saw otherwise. Some of these men chose to wear the KSA ribbon or privately renamed KSAs. Some men genuinely believed that they would get the KSA in the end and used a filler during what they saw as a delay of several years of red tape. Some had no real claim and one would guess they just wanted an extra gong. Others, like the Natal Police for example, certainly seemed to be unfairly treated with their service not counting towards the KSA. There certainly were many men that had genuine cause to feel aggrieved at the end of their loyal service only to discover that even though they did the time it didn't count towards the KSA.

I had a look at the rolls and came to the same conclusions as Rory; no KSA.

Cheers,

Mark