TOPIC:

I have been in a medal drought this year and I have made only four purchases, with only the most recent one being relevant to the Boer War - the seven battle clasp medal to 7693 Pte J Nicholas, Grenadier Guards. Previously, I had limited my Boer War purchases to medals with links to Natal. However, Nicolas' medal was available, and his regiment and the seven battle clasps appealed to me, so I gave in to temptation. I hope that I do not live to regret my foray into the unknown.

The unit information given elsewhere on this site provided the records for the Grenadier Guards in South Africa, and I gathered from them that Nicholas must have served in the 3rd Battalion. It also suggested that the QSA was once accompanied by a KSA.

Brett

Hello Brett,
I never thought I would say this to you, but, sadly I do, get a refund asap!
I assume that the rivets are correct?
Please do feel free to name the comedian that offered it for sale!
Kind regards Frank

Frank

Oh dear! The medal looks so good with the clasps neatly riveted in the right order, and everything else seemingly in ship-shape as well. In fact, everything one would expect of a Guardsman's medal.

I will stick to the country east of the Drakensberg in future!

Regards
Brett

Hello Brett,
Well, normally at least, I don't think you can go far wrong with medals to the Guards Brigade, but, in this case, I stand by the content of my email to you, just get your money back!
Regards Frank

Hi Brett.....

Found him on the medal roll twice....

He was entitled to the bars CC/TVL/02 with the 2nd Bn.... and with his 2nd deployment he arrived in Capetown, on May 3rd, 1902.....

Mike

Frank & Mike

Many thanks for getting the facts about Nicholas' medal, which ranks amongst my five worst medal-buying ventures. I should have learnt from my past mistakes, but it seems one cannot teach and old dog ...........

In order to alleviate the situation, perhaps I will have the seven tempting clasps removed and replaced with the correct ones. Hopefully, the former are not tailor's copies and they can be separated and sold to collectors who really need them. My 'British' son is the family agent for selling British medals and, unlike me, he has no qualms about using the world's favourite selling medium, which is perhaps the best way of disposing of the clasps.

Fortunately, another two of my recent acquisitions seem to be the genuine articles and offer scope for research that will keep me occupied in the near future. Neither of these groups include Boer War medals, which is disappointing, since this forum is my hobby-sharing favourite.

Regards
Brett

PS I hope that Nicholas wasn't the person who sexed-up his QSA. It was a very ungentlemanly act. If it was him, I hope his ways were exposed and he was punished for behaviour unbecoming of a Guardsman.