South Africa QSA to the S.A.C.

[Rory]

I'm normally no slouch when it comes to researching medals to the South African Constabulary but I must confess, a new acquisition from the recent City Coins auction has me stumped

The medal is a 5 clasp to 564 1st Cl. Trooper F.J. Price.

A perusal of the medal rolls, of which there are 2 for Price, shows him to be Frank J (James) Price. There is also a shipping manifest outbound from SA to the UK in 1920 where Price is mentioned as a policeman.

Could the fact that he seems to have stayed on with the Police after the amalgamtion of the various forces in 1912 be the reason why I can't find his SAC in the Archives or any reference to him?

Input from members who might know where I can look next would be highly appreciated.

Regards

Rory

[Mervyn Mitton]

Rory - seems strange that you can't find him. Perhaps have Audrey draw his papers ? Mervyn

[Rory]

Thanks for the suggestion Mervin

I had contacted her and she has replied as follows: (I quote from her e-mail verbatim as it might provide an answer to others who collect to the SAC and who find themselves in the same or similar predicament.)

A lot of the SAC men went straight from the SAC in 1908 and joined the Transvaal Police. At that stage, their SAC files disappear!

It is possible to look in the Transvaal Police boxes at the main archives and sometimes I have been lucky and actually found their SAC files in with the TP record.

However, these records are by no means complete.

What is the learning here? Essentially that with a SAC man who, like the vast majority of them, took their discharge and free passage back home after 3 years; the files are to be found in either the Transvaal or Free State Archives - this would include their attestation forms. In the case of Price and others who stayed on and were later swept up into the amalgamated forces i.e. Transvaal Police, SAP, SAMR etc. their files seem to have gone missing leaving only their pension records which are incomplete save for dates of promotion etc.

Of course the possibility then exists that they have a record card in the SAP Archives which is seperate to those previously mentioned.

I normally try to check on the NAAS base as to whether or not a SAC chaps record of service exists before acquiring his medal but sometimes the heart rules the head!

Regards

Rory

[Mervyn Mitton]

I'm glad you were able to give us this info. the SAC were important at the time , but I suppose with all the new Forces being

set-up at this time following the Boer War it was just another defunct unit. I can tell you that there are still a lot of collectors

and their slouch hat badges have gone-up steeply. Best wishes Mervyn