Arthur R

Very interesting, Mervyn. Thanks for posting these photos. As a matter of interest, I looked up the coronation medal roll as published in the SA Numismatic Journal in May 1978 and found 49 policemen listed: Natal Police : 20 Transvaal Police : 12 Cape Mounted Police : 11 Orange Free State Police : 6

Hello Anthony, and welcome to the forum. I'd think that 'P.D. Serfontein' was the recipient's name and 30281 a service number of some kind. Question is: which service? It being such a high number, I'd guess a permanent force such as the Cape Mounted Riflemen, the Cape Police, or the Natal Police. There's are web pages about this medallion at: http://www.medallion...nmedallion.html and http://darwincountry...deb42e1c5b5cd64

Hi These are the arms of Thomas Rother(h)am, Archbishop of York 1480-83. The crown and keys (gold on red) are the arms of the archdiocese, the three stags (silver on green) his personal arms. Evidence to support this: -

The SATC was formed in 1940. An interesting thing about the it is that, despite its name, it operated armoured cars (mostly Marmon-Herringtons), not tanks. SATC companies and battalions fought in Italian East Africa and in North Africa. The corps was disbanded in 1943, to be replaced by the SA Armoured Corps, which was formed by converting several infantry regiments to armour and equipping them with tanks (mainly Shermans IIRC). There were several versions of the SATC badge. There was one which had a springbok head in a circle at the top of the wreath, and I think there was also a version which had the motto 'Ons Is' on the scroll.

Welcome to the forum, Mnr Bloemie. As Brian Wolfe says, 'burger' was indeed the commando term for a private. The Victory Medal ought not to be alone, though -- there should be a 1914-15 Star and a British War Medal to go with it. As Chris Boonzaaier says, the badge is the SA Armoured Corps badge -- it would date from after World War II through, so might not have been worn by Burger Cilliers. The badge was originally designed for the Special Service Battalion (with the initials SSB and SDB on the scroll) in 1933. The SSB was converted to armour during WW II, and after the war its badge was adopted, with the appropriate change of initials, as the armoured corps badge.

I'd guess that EKMS stands for 'Eskadron Kwartiermeester Sersant', i.e. Squadron Quartermaster-Sergeant.

From the following government website: http://www.communiti...rporate/1499842 This is evidently not a wearable medal, nor instituted by The Queen. Gordon Brown is quoted as saying that he "was pleased to create a new award". "1. The award - British Hero of the Holocaust - is a special award akin to a state honour. The solid silver medallion is 50mm wide and in a black leather presentation box. The obverse is inscribed - 'in the service of humanity' and the reverse - 'in recognition of xxxx whose selfless actions preserved life in the face of persecution'. 2. The award was announced following a campaign by the Holocaust Education Trust and supported by Russell Brown MP EDM 1175. It called for Holocaust heroes to be awarded MBEs and OBEs posthumously."

Thanks, Mervyn - very interesting. I see they bear the initials/monogram of Sir John Tenniel, who was a cartoonist for Punch and also the original illustrator of Alice in Wonderland. By the time of the Anglo-Boer war he was 79 years old, but evidently hadn't lost his touch.

Hi Neville It's certainly KwaZulu, because that is the KwaZulu coat of arms. The KZP cap badge had the coat of arms inside a circle on an 8-pointed star (rather like the old SAP badge), so my guess would be that this was a warrant officer's rank badge, as worn on the cuff.

A very nice group indeed. Not only did this chap have his Southern Africa Medal back to front, but it's in the wrong place too - it should come immediately after the Pro Patria Medal, with the General Service Medal in third place. By rights, there should also be an arm-of-service emblem on each of the two John Chard ribbons (crossed swords if he was in the army, an eagle if he was in the SAAF, or an anchor if he was in the navy), but I recall that in the 1980s they didn't always issue those emblems with the medals, and recipients had to battle to get hold of them.

To expand slightly on the history: The unit was formed in 1967, at the request of outgoing state president Swart. It was called the State President's Guard, and it wore the ruritanian uniform and the plumed shako with the presidential emblem (the national coat of arms with the letters SP above). President Botha changed the name to "State President's Unit" in 1985, and later the ceremonial uniform was changed to ordinary service dress, with a "polo helmet" as headdress. This was in preference to a new full dress uniform which had been designed: it consisted of a blue tunic with orange facings, white trousers, and a white helmet with plumes. President De Klerk disbanded the unit in 1990. It was revived by president Mandela in the late 1990s, in its present form as the "National Ceremonial Guard". What is the current shako badge? The badge in the photos looks as though it might be the ordinary infantry springbok head, but on BidorBuy there are badges for this unit which depict the tri-service emblem in a wreath.

Very interesting. As you say, Gen Botha was highly respected (except by the hardline right-wing nationalists, of course). At the time, he was actually the prime minister, but he was also acting as defence minister while the actual minister, Gen Smuts, was away on active service in German East Africa.

Sorry to have to disagree on the chaplain's badge. The loose badge was also for nutria shoulder slip-ons - in the days before the slip-ons were manufactured complete with rank badges. Chaplains wear violet gorget patches on their lapels - have done since at least 1956. The triangular badge with the XP monogram dates from 1968.

An interesting array, covering a period of 60 years. I believe that medallions like these were largely intended for handing out to schoolchildren on these patriotic occasions.

You got the awards absolutely correct. The clasps on the first ribbon indicate that the policeman concerned completed two additional periods of qualifying operational service after earning the medal. The 75th Anniversary Medal was issued in 1988, so he was evidently still serving then.

This group's a bit odd. If the chap earned the campaign stars and the ASM he ought to have had the War Medal 1939-45 too. And that's where the MiD emblem should be - not on the Efficiency Medal ribbon.

Nice ribbon bars. Thanks for sharing them with us. That's one possibility. Or the chap may have had so many medals that he needed two bars for his ribbons, and this is only the upper bar.

What an interesting document. A rough translation of the content: The State President of the South African Republic hereby gives authorisation for the prisoner James Griffin, currently in the prison at Steynsdorp, to be transferred from Steynsdorp to the South Cape goldfields, to serve ten years imprisonment with hard labour in the Barberton prison, to which he was sentenced by the Circuit Court at Vryheid on the 20th of April 1889, for the crime of shopbreaking and robbery. Given under my hand and the Seal of the South African Republic on this nineteenth February 1890 at the Government Offices in Pretoria. (Sgd) W.J. Leyds - State Secretary (Sgd) S.J.P. Kruger - State President Received 4 March 1890 S.M. Meesters(?) Chief Constable and Gaoler Released by telegram from the State Secretary dd 11.4.95 (Sgd) A. de Waal - Acting Special Magistrate 12.4.95

(?) -- engine room mechanic of petty officer rank -- chief petty officer shipwright.

SA Navy radar operator of able seaman rank. (pic upside down)

Top: 'D' Squadron within a signals(?) unit (looks like SA Corps of signals colours) Left: Natal Command sports badge Right: 5 SA Infantry Battalion (late 1960s/early 1970s) Bottom: Able seaman SA Navy (upside down) -- lieutenant SA Air Force (pre-2002) -- captain SAAF -- lieutenant SAAF -- staff sergeant SA Army (velcro-backed plastic badge worn above breast pocket on raincoat, 1980s)

Let's have a bash: Top row: 6 SA Infantry Battalion -- 8 SA Armoured Division -- 'D' Battery/Squadron within an artillery or engineer unit(?) Middle: Royal Durban Light Infantry (some time between 1935 and 1961) -- marksman -- 2 SA Infantry Battalion Bottom: US Army Service Forces -- SA sergeant (between 1949 and mid-1970s) -- ?

Norman PM sent.

To me, the badge on the right cuff looks like a crown, and I'd say the ribbons are the QSA and the KSA. The cap and collar badges certainly don't look like any British Army badges in the books which I have. Perhaps they're from one of the dominions or colonies.

The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor has the full story on its website: http://iskb.co.uk/Insignia.htm Since 1998, the neck badge and breast badge can be worn together. A lapel rosette was introduced in 2001, so nowadays there's quite a variety of ways in which the knights bachelor can display their insignia.