Queen's South Africa Medal : Sergeant W H Clarke, Diamond Fields Horse Accession Number: RELAWM16898.003

Description

Queen's South Africa Medal with clasps 'ORANGE FREE STATE', 'TRANSVAAL', 'SOUTH AFRICA 1901' and 'SOUTH AFRICA 1902'. The recipients details are engraved on the edge. Obverse: The crowned and veiled head of Queen Victoria and the legend 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX' around the rim. Reverse: Britannia with a flag in her left hand holding out a laurel wreath towards an advancing party of soldiers. In the background are two warships. The wreath in Britannia's hand points to the letter 'F' in the word 'AFRICA'. Around the top are the words 'SOUTH AFRICA'. The medal is fitted with a straight suspender and four rectangular campaign bars. A piece of 32 mm red ribbon with two dark blue stripes and a broad orange central stripe is attached to the suspender. Four medals are attached to a silver slotted brooch bar engraved with a crude foliage design that has the reverse pin missing.

Contextual Description

Awarded to Sergeant William Henry Clarke, who served in the British Army as a trooper with the 15th Hussars, in the Second Afghan War (1878-1880). He later served in the Boer War with the Diamonds Fields Horse, a British irregular unit based at Kimberley, before migrating to Australia. This medal is not the one issued to Clarke and is a replacement with the original naming ground away so that Clarke's details could be engraved in its place. The clasps appear to be incorrect for the Diamond Fields Horse, especially if Clarke was entitled to the King's South Africa Medal (see RELAWM16898.004).