KAR pair

[Tony]

Here's a pair of medals I bought recently. They belonged to an African member of the King’s African Rifles making them as a group, compared to those from Canada/SA/NZ/UK etc., quite rare in my opinion, singles crop up regularly as do groups to white soldiers.

The way the recipients name has been stamped makes them look amateurish however, I’ve been informed by a KAR collector that they were stamped by locals at the barracks in Zomba, Malawi or Nyasaland which Malawi was formally known as. The 1/KAR and 2/KAR were both Nyasaland battalions.

The BWM has been stamped upside down and the spelling of the Soldier’s name is slightly different on each medal. Apparently this is typical of Zomba stamped medals. His number on the medal rims isn’t the same as that shown on his MIC, service numbers did change if a soldier was transferred between battalions although, the number change may have come through at a later date.

I hope to meet up with the collector who was kind enough to explain why the medals were named this way and hopefully he can tell me more about the KAR but if anyone would like to share some information on the 1/KAR and their campaign in East Africa please do so.

Tony

[Mervyn Mitton]

Tony - I'm bringing this back to the top to see if anyone can answer your questions.

[dante]

Tony whats the names/numbers on the medals

[Tony]

The names can be seen in the photo above if you click on it, both have the regimental number 7000.

Tony

[dante]

The meaning of Wangari is "leopard". Sasi (my mum's dad), it is a Kikuyu tribal name.

When war was declared 1st (Nyasaland) King's African Rifles (1KAR) from Nyasaland had four companies serving in detached locations on the British East African (BEA) northern borders. These companies did not return to Nyasaland but fought on in BEA and German East Africa for the duration.

The regiment fought in the East African Campaign against the German commander Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck and his forces in German East Africa.

[Harry Fecitt]

Tony

Habari za Asubuhi

What makes you sure that these are 1 KAR medals?

If they are then you might be interested in these articles:

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/344964.html

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/372664.html

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/352801.html

2 KAR was administered from Mbgathi, Nairobi. However if your man transferred into 1 KAR when 2 KAR was disbanded in 1919 or if he was discharged, providing that he was in Nyasaland then he would have received his medals through the 1 KAR depot at Zomba.

For a short 2 KAR history up into 1918 take a glance at:

http://gweaa.com/?p=112

http://gweaa.com/?p=113

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/447622.html

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/433401.html

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/452201.html

http://www.kaiserscross.com/188001/255601.html

Harry

[Tony]

Sorry for the delay in replying, there was a storm over the weekend so I’ve been offline for a while and am still having internet problems.

Dante, Now that’s interesting, thanks for letting me know. I’ve googled the name and apparently Wangari is a female name, do you have
any idea if this is true or is it unisex?

Harry, I'm good thanks (did google give me the correct translation?).

1/KAR is stamped on the rims and is also on the MIC however, the regimental number on the MIC differs from that on the medal rims.

Thanks for the links, I'll look at them as and when the internet connection allows.

Tony

Edited January 30, 2013 by Tony

[dante]

Yes it is in the female form but Sasi (my mum's dad) brings it back to the male

[peter monahan]

Tony

You may have this info. already, but there is a "Great War in East Africa Association" with some interesting looking members, who may be able and willing to share info. with you. http://gweaa.com

[Harry Fecitt]

Tony

If you send me a message with a email address in it then I'll send you a digital copy of the only 1 KAR war history that I have come across.

It doesn't mention many Askari names but it gives brief histories of all the 1 KAR battalions in the Great War.

Harry

[Tony]

Thanks for the replies and Peter, no I didn't know of the Great War in East Africa Association site.

I'm still amazed that a pair of medals awarded to a man from a country where the silver content of the BWM possibly has much more value than many other inanimate objects has survived so long together with the VM.

Harry, thanks for the offer, a pm is on the way.

Tony

[peter monahan]

Tony

Yes, a lucky break for collectors, but surprising. Decades ago, when I had more money and more hair, I was able to buy several groups, including 6 medals of an 7 medal group, from an Indian gent who visited a militaria show in Toronto. He had gone round the villages and bought silver medals for their bullion value and had literally a suitcase full, all without ribbons, and in the case of my group, minus the 1914-15 Star, which he'd chucked back to the family or in the dust bin. The haul included WWI silver medals and many IGS Medals, some multi-bar. While I was happy, I was also very surprised both that he'd been able to get so many and apparently very easily and that he'd had the business acumen to bring them to a collectors' show in North America. On the flip side, I had an American correspondent who'd bought silver medals for bullion prices in the Peshawar bazaar in the 1970s but when he went back in the '80s at least one of the merchants had copies of British auction houses 'prices realized' lists under his sales mat.

I suspect that even in the remotest villages, the nature of military medals and presumably the stories which the wearers brought home with them would have made them important family heirlooms for at least a generation or two and that only much later would economic necessity or lack of appreciation result in their going on the block so to speak.

Peter