CORPORAL E. JONES, KITCHENER’S FIGHTING SCOUTS (LATE KAFFRARIAN RIFLES). Queen’s South Africa Medal
£1,250.00
THE QUEEN’S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL TO CORPORAL (LATER SERGEANT) E. JONES, KAFFRARIAN RIFLES AND KITCHENER’S FIGHTING SCOUTS, WHO SAW SERVICE AT THE SIEGE OF WEPENER, 9TH – 25TH APRIL 1900 WITH THE KAFFRARIAN RIFLES, AND WAS POSTED MISSING IN ACTION (SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASED) AT SENEKAL, 26TH JUNE 1900 WHILST STILL SERVING WITH THE KAFFRARIAN RIFLES, PRIOR TO TRANSFERRING TO KITCHENER’S FIGHTING SCOUTS. Queen’s South Africa Medal, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Wepener, Transvaal, Wittebergen, South Africa 1901 (officially named, impressed in plain capital letters: 368 CPL : E. JONES. KITCHENER’S F.S.). Pawnbroker’s code lightly scratched in obverse field in front of bust, Cape Colony and Orange Free States clasps contact marked, otherwise Almost Extremely Fine, the Wepener clasp rare on a medal named to Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts.
Medal accompanied by brief copied service details, copy Attestation Form for Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts, copy QSA Medal rolls (3), confirming medal and clasps and extracts Boer War and Natal Field Force casualty rolls, both of which confirm Jones as “missing” at Senekal, 26/6/1900. Both rolls give Jones’s initial as “B”, but surname and regimental number correct in both rolls.
The Kaffrarian Rifles was originally raised in 1876 as the Buffalo Corps of Rifle Volunteers. Disbanded in 1879, it was re-formed in 1883 as the Kaffrarian Rifles.
Ernest Jones enlisted as 1072 Private, Kaffrarian Rifles, on 23/11/1899, the Kaffrarian Rifles QSA Medal roll confirming Wepener, Wittebergen, Cape Colony and Transvaal clasps. Jones subsequently enlisted into 1st Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts on 1/12/1900, seeing service as 368 Corporal. He transferred to 2 Kitchener’s Scouts on 29/4/1901, seeing service as 368 Sergeant, and was discharged from Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts on 27/9/1901. QSA Medal roll for Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts confirms South Africa 1901 clasp.
Interestingly, one of the QSA rolls for 2nd Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts lists Privates 367 Harry Jones, 369 John Jones and 370 Hugh Jones (but no 368 Ernest Jones on this particular roll, Ernest Jones being listed separately on a different roll). The four were presumably brothers who enlisted together into the 2nd Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts.
Ernest Jones appears to have been one of the first recruits to Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts, enlisting at Durban on 1st December 1900, an initially being allocated regimental number 4. For some reason he subsequently re-enlisted and was given the regimental number 368 (the two battalions of Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts were raised in Cape Colony and Natal in December 1900).
QSAs with Wepener clasp named to Kitchener’s Fighting Scouts are rare.
When I originally purchased this medal it also had the Orange Free State and Diamond Hill clasps attached, to which the recipient was not entitled. These have now been removed.