NATAL Medal - 1906

[Guest Darrell]

Another non-Victorian added recently.

The King Edward VII era medal.

Natal Native Rebellion Medal 1906

The Natal Native Rebellion Medal was a South African campaign medal. It was authorized on 9 May 1907, for service in the Bambatha Rebellion in Natal in 1906.

To qualify for the medal, a soldier or policemen must have served in the field for at least twenty days between 11 February 1906 and 03 August 1906. Those who served for fifty days or longer qualified for a clasp with the medal.

The medal is silver. The obverse depicts the uncrowned head of King Edward VII, surrounded by his name, style, and titles. The reverse displays the figures of Britannia and Natalia, against a background of a landscape with Zulu huts. The word "Natal" appears in the exergue. The ribbon is crimson, with black edges. The clasp displays the date "1906".

A total of 9,622 medals were awarded. Most of the recipients were members of the Natal colonial military and police forces, but 546 were issued to volunteers from the Transvaal and 70 to troops from the Cape Colony.

Bambatha Rebellion

The Bambatha Uprising was a Zulu revolt against British rule and taxation in Natal, South Africa, in 1906. The revolt was led by Bambatha kaMancinza, leader of the amaZondi clan of the Zulu people, who lived in the Mpanza Valley, a district near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal.

Overview

In the years following the Anglo-Boer War white employers in Natal had difficulty recruiting black farm workers because of increased competition from the gold mines of the Witwatersrand. The colonial authorities introduced a £1 poll tax in addition to the existing hut tax to encourage black men to enter the labor market. Bambatha, who ruled about 5,500 people living in about 1,100 households, was one of the chiefs who resisted the introduction and collection of the new tax.

The government of Natal sent police officers to collect the tax from recalcitrant districts, and in February 1906 two white officers were killed near Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. In the resulting introduction of martial law, Bambatha fled north to consult King Dinizulu, who gave tacit support to Bambatha and invited him and his family to stay at the royal homestead.

Bambatha returned to the Mpanza Valley to discover that the Natal government had deposed him as chief. He gathered together a small force of supporters and began launching a series of guerrilla attacks, using the Nkandla forest as a base. Following a series of initial successes, colonial troops under the command of Colonel Duncan McKenzie set out on an expedition in late April 1906.

Once they succeeded in getting face to face with and surrounding the rebels at Mome Gorge, the British victory in the unequal battle was inevitable, given the vast disparity of forces. As the sun rose, colonial soldiers opened fire with machine guns and cannon, on rebels mostly armed only with traditional assegais (spears), knobkerries (fighting sticks) and cowhide shields.

Bambatha was killed and beheaded during the battle; however, many of his supporters believed that he was still alive, and his wife refused to go into mourning. Bambatha's main ally, the 95-year-old Zulu aristocrat Inkosi Sigananda Shezi of the amaCube clan (cousin and near-contemporary of the Zulu king Shaka) was captured by the colonial troops and died a few days later.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 Zulus were killed during the revolt (some of whom died fighting on the side of the Natal government). More than 7,000 were imprisoned, and 4,000 flogged. King Dinizulu was arrested and sentenced to four years imprisonment for treason.

The war cost the Natal government £883,576 (equivalent to £370,000,000 in 2010).

The following medal is named to Trooper F.G. SCOTT of the Natal Police. He is listed in the NAVAL and MILITARY PRESS Medal Roll with 1906 Clasp.

[Guest Darrell]

Medal Obverse:

[Guest Darrell]

Closeup of 1906 Clasp:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Here is one to one of the 70 Cape Colony men.... from a machine gun group....

http://www.kaiserscross.com/60401/41694.html

if I am not mistaken, it is the only british campaign medal not awarded to any british units?

[Guest Darrell]

Closeup of Obverse:

[Guest Darrell]

Reverse:

[Guest Darrell]

Closeup of Reverse:

[Guest Darrell]

The naming on the rim had heavy patina. It was extremely hard to get the lettering to stand out where you could see it clearly. Not quite the quality I like, however, it does the trick to illustrate the naming style on these medals.

a.

[Guest Darrell]

b.

[Guest Darrell]

c.

[Guest Darrell]

d.

[Guest Darrell]

A couple of scans of the Naval and Military Rolls Listing FG Scott as an entitled recipient of the medal and 1906 Clasp.

First the Heading for the NATAL POLICE:

[Guest Darrell]

Lastly, the page with Scott's name listed:

[Brett Hendey]

Chris is correct, this is the only British campaign medal not awarded to any British troops.

Since the Natal Police were in effect a paramilitary force, they were heavily involved in the 1906 Rebellion. In fact, both phases of the Rebellion were set off by clashes between the NP and Zulus. As Darrell has mentioned, the first was at Richmond in southern Natal, where there were NP casualties. This was followed with the execution by firing squad of the Zulus involved, which further stirred up resentment amongst the Zulus (and the British government). The second phase in Zululand followed the ambush at Mpanza by the Zulus of a NP escort of civilians being evacuated from the Natal/Zululand border, which resulted in further NP casualties.

Regards

Brett