Boer War Medals

[Golheim]

My Great Grandfather was a Canadian volunteer in the Boar war. My father just gave me two service medals from the war that were my great grandad's. They are the Transvaal Medal and the Orange Free State medal. Does anybody know their value and a little history about these medals. I take it most guys got them for participating in those two actions.

Thanks in advance from Toronto Canada

[Darrell]

My Great Grandfather was a Canadian volunteer in the Boar war. My father just gave me two service medals from the war that were my great grandad's. They are the Transvaal Medal and the Orange Free State medal. Does anybody know their value and a little history about these medals. I take it most guys got them for participating in those two actions.

Thanks in advance from Toronto Canada

I assume that you are talking about two single medals w/ a single clasp each?

There is a medal called "QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL" that has the clasps you mention, namely the ORANGE FREE STATE and the TRANSVAAL.

According to the 2005 MEDAL YEARBOOK:

Canadian Issued (w/ clasps):

Orange Free State ............ 150-180 (British Pounds) ... 355-425 CAN$
Transvaal ........................ 200-220 (British Pounds) ... 475-525 CAN$

Hope that helps

P.S. I'm not too familiar with this timeframe .. but a quick search for Boer war relating to these two names should yield results for you.

[Golheim]

Thanks

Yes, they are two medals each with one clasp each that says ORANGE FREE STATE AND TRANSVAAL.

[Darrell]

Yes, they are two medals each with one clasp each that says ORANGE FREE STATE AND TRANSVAAL.

On the Obverse side, does it have a bust of Queen Victoria with the inscription:

VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX

around the Queen's head? On the Reverse, it should have:

SOUTH AFRICA (maybe a date)

with Britannia holding the flag and a laurel crown towards a large group of soldiers, with warships offshore.

If so .. then I am correct.

[junior]

The BoerWar? Is it the same as the Boerenkrijg here in Belgium or do you guys mean the one in the kolonys?

Junior.

[Tony Farrell]

It sounds like you have two QSAs (Queen's South Africa medals)? To the same bloke? Odd.

[Golheim]

Grandad's Medals

The one medal looks just like the one you post with Transvaal bar Orange FRee State bar and Cape Colony bar, in that order. The seond medal has a white, orange, and green ribbon and says South Africa 1902, South Africa 1901 in that order.

Thanks four your help.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The most important thing of all....

Look around the rim of the medals... what is stamped/Engraved there? There should be a number, name and unit.
All the best
Chris

[andya]

The one medal looks just like the one you post with Transvaal bar Orange FRee State bar and Cape Colony bar, in that order. The seond medal has a white, orange, and green ribbon and says South Africa 1902, South Africa 1901 in that order.

Thanks four your help.

Hi

Is this the other medal?
Regards
Andy

[Golheim]

That's the one

Yes the second medal is just like yours. The rim says 3467 Pt H Birchell RL: Berks: Reg. Birchell was my great grandad. Does anyone know about this regiment.

[Tony Farrell]

The Royal Berkshire Regiment. A web search will yield more, but here's a starter:

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/049Berks.htm

It's wonderful that you have your great-grandfather's medals. I wish I had mine's.

[Golheim]

Thank you all

Thanks so much for your help. Merry Christmas. It is nice to have my great grandad's medals. I don't know much about him. But I will never part with these two medals. I collect German WW2 medals mostly (what a surprise on this board eh). I am also a Canadian Army Reservist so my great granddad's military medals are extra special to me. Maybe one day I will earn my own medal. One can only hope.

Cheers from Canada.

[Darrell]

Thanks so much for your help. Merry Christmas. It is nice to have my great grandad's medals. I don't know much about him. But I will never part with these two medals. I collect German WW2 medals mostly (what a surprise on this board eh). I am also a Canadian Army Reservist so my great granddad's military medals are extra special to me. Maybe one day I will earn my own medal. One can only hope.

Cheers from Canada.

Golheim,

Merry Xmas to you too. I agree, never sell or part with your Grandfather's medals. Make sure members of your family are aware of the value and history of what these medals mean. It's a shame when the ones that know what these heirlooms mean (and are worth) are no longer around, and get sold or given away in later times.

[Geof]

And I know this is a long dead thread but...

A couple of years ago I found the KSA/QSA pair to W Birchell, who interestingly appears on the Birks roll just under Henry Birchell.

[peter monahan]

To be clear, Golheim, your forebear served in the british Army in South Africa, of which the Berkshire Regiment was part, not the canadian Army, which had only a few hundred volunteers got to South Africa. He may have come here afterwards, as many young Brits did, and may even have joined the Militia, as was also common, especially for English immigrants with military experience. Either way, a South Africa pair is a very nice thing to own and the family connection makes it, I'd say, priceless! Well doen.

Peter