THE QUEEN’S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL WITH NATAL CLASP AWARDED TO PRIVATE J. GOODFELLOW, 1ST BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS, INVALIDED FROM SOUTH AFRICA. Queen’s South Africa Medal, type 2, wreath points to letter “R” in Africa, trace of ghost

THE QUEEN’S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL WITH NATAL CLASP AWARDED TO PRIVATE J. GOODFELLOW, 1ST BATTALION ROYAL INNISKILLING FUSILIERS, INVALIDED FROM SOUTH AFRICA. Queen’s South Africa Medal, type 2, wreath points to letter “R” in Africa, trace of ghost dates visible on reverse, 1 clasp, Natal (officially impressed: 1353 Pte. J. GOODFELLOW, 1st. RL. INNIS: FUS:). Extremely Fine and scarce to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers with single clasp Natal.

Medal accompanied by 13 pages of copied documents from Goodfellow’s Soldiers Papers file and copied extract from medal roll confirming award of QSA with single clasp Natal to Goodfellow, the medal roll giving Goodfellow’s then rank as Lance-Corporal.

Goodfellow’s service papers are from the “burnt series” of documents, and as a result of charring to the edges and water damage, are incomplete and difficult to read in places. What can be read confirms the following.

James Goodfellow was born in the parish of Dromore, Trillick, Co. Tyrone. He enlisted into the Inniskilling Fusiliers on 23/12/1884. At the time of enlistment Goodfellow was 21 years and 6 months old, and gave his trade as that of groom. Assigned the regimental number 1353 on enlistment, Goodfellow was promoted Lance Corporal in 1889 and discharged medically unfit on 26/12/1900, receiving a pension of 18 pence a day for twelve months and 16 pence a day for life thereafter. In addition to service at home, Goodfellow also saw service in Malta, 1885-86, in South Africa 1887-94, and again in South Africa, 1899-1900.

Goodfellow re-enlisted during WW1 and saw service with the 3rd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was appointed Private and given a new regimental number, 21413. There is no record of his serving overseas, and there does not appear to be a Medal Index Card for him, so it is highly unlikely that he received any medals for WW1. Goodfellow was discharged medically unfit (myalgia) for a second time 18/9/1916. In 1920 Goodfellow appeared before a Medical Board, and was granted a pension of 8 shillings a week backdated to 27/10/1919, to continue to 21/11/1919, and then being reduced to 4 shillings and 8 pence a week from 22/11/1919.

On the medal roll, Goodfellow’s original regimental number is inscribed as “1353” (as impressed on his QSA and as recorded in his 1884-1900 service papers). This has, however, been crossed out for some reason, and the incorrect regimental number “1358” inserted in its place. Medal roll confirms Goodfellow was invalided to England, hence the award of just 1 clasp, Natal. The Natal clasp scarce to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and rare as a single clasp medal (the majority of officers and men of the Inniskilling Fusiliers awarded the Natal clasp were also awarded other clasps).