TOPIC:

Neil,

If you have a look at the photo gallery you will see lots of pictures of QSAs and many of these have clasps, the metal strips that appear on the medal ribbon. There were issued to record where and/or when someone served in South Africa. It would appear that you ggf earned the clasps for South Africa 1901 and South Africa 1902. There were 26 clasps in total.

When someone joined a South African unit, they completed and signed a formal form which is known as an attestation paper. While these are completed to varying degrees, they can include the occupation, address, next of kin and previous military service. Many have survived and are in the National Archives and, as they are usually signed, they are nice documents to have as part of your genealogical research.

Regards
David

Good Morning Niel.....

Just checked my collection and the QSA/KSA pair to the IHC that I have are not your ggf......

I did have this writeup though.....

IMPERIAL HOSPITAL CORPS.

The I.H.C. was raised early in 1900 to help fill the demand being made on the R.A.M.C. Who were unable to supply enough men to staff the variety of medical facilities operating during the Boer War, from Ambulance Trains and transports, to Field Hospitals and the much larger General Hospitals, their services were needed everywhere.

Like most of this type of unit that had been formed from volunteers, the I.H.C. was manned by all types from all countries, and is aptly referred to as a "Cosmopolitan Corps" in an excellent article written about the Imperial Hospital Corps, by Stephen Durant.

The unit had no military rank structure as such, but volunteers were divided into Section Leaders and Orderlies. Each Section Leader would be responsible for seven Leaders, who would then each be responsible for twenty five Orderlies. Even with this attempt at order and discipline many were dismissed from the unit for drunkenness and misconduct.

The duties of an I.H.C. volunteer were much the same as those of the N.V.A.C. They were required to assist the qualified Medical Staff, and carry out all other menial tasks. These volunteers also served aboard the Hospital Ships as Ward Orderlies and Attendants, but unfortunately the Hospital Ship Rolls do not indicate those men who were attached to the I.H.C.

Gentlemen,
Going off on a tangent here, I found out last week, thanks to the information on this site, that a Transport Medal I've had in my collection for a number of years now, was awarded to a master, of a hospital ship and not a troop transport.
I had always just assumed that the ship in question was another troop ship, but no, the SS Trojan along with her sistership Spartan were said to be the first true hospital ships!
Life is indeed a wonderful thing, full of surprise's!
Frank

QSAMIKE wrote: These volunteers also served aboard the Hospital Ships as Ward Orderlies and Attendants, but unfortunately the Hospital Ship Rolls do not indicate those men who were attached to the I.H.C.

Hi Frank......

Known Hospital Ships......

HMHS Avoca
HMHS Bavarian
HMHS Dunera
HMHS Egypt
HMHS Formosa
HMHS Lismore Castle
HMHS Maine
HMHS Montford
HMHS Nubia
HMHS Orcana
HMHS Princess of Wales
HMHS Simla
HMHS Spartan
HMHS St Andrew
HMHS Trojan

Unless they volunteered to do a round trip I think that the IHC stayed in the ships while they were in port only.....

Mike

Hello Mike,
So these ships are in a minority then, they do seem very few, given the number of casualties incurred during the war.
Frank.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. Being a novice in this field, I am not familiar with the acronyms that are being used. What does QSA/KSA stand for?

Many thanks

Neil