Military
Service and Campaign Medals of Christopher Frowen Albrow
Christopher
served in the Welsh Regiment for twelve years, with postings
to Malta, India before South
Africa (during the Second Boer War) and then later, The
Army Service Corps, in France during the First
World War (The Great War). Chris and Ursula are
the custodians of his medals and have supplied me with this photograph
of them in their glass case. I have sourced some information on
the medals and also a brief summary of the Welsh Regiment's service
in South Africa. The first two medals are from his service in South
Africa and the other three are from the Great War.I have compiled
a transcription of Christopher's life in The Welsh Regiment - See
it here
'The Welsh
Regiment' was re-named 'The Welch Regiment' in 1920.
From
the left: Boer
War
Queen's South
Africa Medal (First medal on
the left)
Description: A circular, silver medal,
1.52 inches in diameter. The obverse shows a crowned and veiled
effigy of Queen Victoria, facing left, with the legend VICTORIA
REGINA ET IMPERATRIX. The reverse has Britannia depicted holding
the Union Flag in her left hand and a laurel wreath in her right
hand. In the right background are troops marching to the coast and
in the left background are two men-of-war. Around the top are the
words SOUTH AFRICA. The first medals, awarded to the Lord Strathcona's
Horse, bore the dates 1899 - 1900. The dates were removed from subsequent
medals because the war continued beyond 1900. Some medals still
show the 'ghost' of 1899 - 1900.
The ribbon is 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide, and consists of five stripes:
red (5 mm), dark blue (5 mm), orange centre, dark blue (5 mm), and
red (5 mm). The suspender is straight and attached to the medal
via a claw mount. The ribbon is 1.25" wide with a broad central
orange stripe and two stripes of dark blue and scarlet on both sides.
The clasps on this medal are always read from the suspender upwards.
The
Clasps
Kimberley – (Relief) - Cape Colony
A clasp inscribed "Relief of Kimberley” will be granted
to all troops in the relief column under Lieutenant-General French
who marched from Klip Drift on February 15th, 1900, and all the
6th Division under Lieutenant-General Kelly-Kenny who were within
7,000 yards of Klip Drift On February 15th,1900. A different clasp
is awarded for the 'Defence'
Paardeberg
- Orange Free State: 18 - 27 Feb 1900
A clasp inscribed "Paardeberg" will be granted to
all troops within 7,000 yards of General Cronje's final laager
between midnight of February 17th and midnight of February
26th, 1900, and to all troops within 7,000 yards of Koodoe'e
Rand Drift between those dates.
Below
is an excerpt from the dispatch of Lieutenant General Kelly-Kenny
of 20th February 1900, relating to the attack on Cronje at
Paardeberg:
Surrender
at Paardeberg > |
|
Johannesburg
- Transvaal
A clasp inscribed "Johannesburg" will be granted to all
troops who, on May 29th, 1900, were north of an east and west line
through Klip River Station (exclusive), and east of a north and
south line through Krugersdorp Station (inclusive).
Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek) - Transvaal: 11 - 12
Jun 1900
A clasp inscribed "Diamond Hill" will be granted to all
troops who, on June 11th or 12th, 1900, were east of a north and
south line drawn through Silverton Siding and north of an east and
west line through Vlakfontein.
Witterbergen - Orange Free State
A clasp inscribed "Wittebergen" will be granted to all
troops who were inside a line drawn from Harrismith to Bethlehem,
thence to Senekal and Clocolan, along the Basutoland border, and
back to Harrismith, between July 1st and 29th, 1900, both dates
inclusive.
King's
South Africa Medal (Second medal from
the left)
Description: A circular, silver medal, 1.52 inches
in diameter. The obverse shows King Edward VII, in Field Marshal's
uniform, facing left, with the legend EDWARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR.
On the reverse Britannia is depicted holding the Union Flag in her
left hand and a laurel wreath in her right. The right background
shows troops marching to the coast and the left shows two men-of-war.
Around the top are the words: SOUTH AFRICA. The ribbon is 1.25 inches
wide, and consists of three equal stripes (left to right): light
green, white, and orange.
Personnel who served in South Africa on or after 01 January 1902,
and completed 18 months service before 01 June 1902
Two clasps were awarded and the medal is usually seen with 'SOUTH
AFRICA 1901' and 'SOUTH AFRICA 1902' although either can appear
singularly and medals issued to nurses have no clasps. The KSA could
not be awarded without the QSA.
World
War One: (The
Great War) - See Christopher's WW1 Attestation here
• He re-signs for Army Service in March
1915
1914-15 Star (The Mons Star) (Third medal from the left)
Description: The medal is a four pointed star of bright
bronze, ensigned with a crown, with a height of 50mm, and a maximum
width of 45mm. The obverse has two crossed gladius (swords) with
blades upwards and a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cypher
of King George V at foot and an overlaying central scroll inscribed
"1914-15". The reverse is plain with the recipient's number,
rank and name
The ribbon has the red white and blue colours of the Empire, in
shaded and watered stripes. The same ribbon is used for the 1914
Star
The 1914-15 Star was instituted in 1918 and was awarded
to those who saw service between 5 August 1914 and 31 December 1915.
Those personnel eligible for the 1914 Star were not eligible for
this medal. The medal was issued named, with the recipient's details
impressed on the star's reverse. All recipient's of this medal also
received the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
British
War Medal 1914-20
(Fourth medal from the left)
Description: The
medal is a circular silver (or, in rare cases, bronze) design. The
obverse shows a King George V bareheaded effigy, facing left, with
the legend: GEORGIVS V BRITT : OMN : REX ET IND : IMP :
The reverse shows St. George, naked, on horseback armed with a short
sword (an allegory of the physical and mental strength which achieves
victory over Prussianism). The horse tramples on the Prussian shield
and the skull and cross-bones. Just off-centre, near the right upper
rim, is the sun of Victory. The dates 1914 and 1918 appear in the
left and right fields respectively.
The ribbon has a wide central watered stripe of orange, flanked
by two narrow white stripes, which are in turn flanked by two black
pin-stripes, further flanked by two outer stripes of blue. The colours
are not believed to have any particular significance.
The
medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British
and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914
and 11 November 1918. Officers and men of the Royal Navy, Royal
Marines, and Dominion and Colonial naval forces (including reserves)
were required to have completed 28 days mobilised service - the
medal was automatically awarded in the event of death on active
service before the completion of this period.
Victory
Medal 1914-18 (The Allied Victory Medal)
(Medal on the extreme right)
Designer:
William McMillan (1887–1977) Made by: Woolwich Arsenal and
Wright & Son
Description: The Victory Medal is a 36mm diameter
circular copper medal, lacquered in bronze. The obverse shows the
winged, full-length, full-front, figure of Victory, with her left
arm extended and holding a palm branch in her right hand.
The reverse has the words ‘THE GREAT / WAR FOR / CIVILISATION
/ 1914-1919' in four lines, all surrounded by a laurel wreath.
The 39mm wide ribbon has a ‘two rainbow' design, with the
violet from each rainbow on the outside edges moving through to
a central red stripe where both rainbows meet.
The Victory Medal (also called the Allied Victory Medal)
is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted
by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy,
Japan, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA.
The medal
was issued to all those who received the 1914 and the 1914-15 Stars,
and to most of those who were awarded the British War Medal - it
was never awarded singly.
The
Welsh Regiment in South Africa: Nov 1899 - May 1902
See
a transcription of Christopher's life in The Welsh Regiment - here
The 1st
Battalion sailed on the 'Kildonan Castle', and
arrived at the Cape about 22nd November 1899.
The Kildonan
Castle was built for the Castle Line in 1899 and transferred to
Union-Castle Mail SS Co in 1900. She was scrapped in 1931.
After arrival
in South Africa, the battalion was sent out among the corps troops,
and during December and January was employed in the central district
of Cape Colony.
The
Kildonan Castle |
British
Gun at Paardeberg |
Soldiers
of The Welsh Regiment.
1896 at Plymouth |
Emblem
of The Welsh Regiment |
Summary
of The Welsh Regiment's engagements in South Africa:
Along with the 1st Yorkshire and 1st Essex, the Welsh Regiment was
put into the 18th Brigade under Major General T E Stephenson, the
2nd Warwick joined later. The 18th Brigade took the place of the
12th in the 6th Division, and made a distinguished contribution
to the events which turned the tide of fortune. This is an excerpt
from the dispatch of Lieutenant General Kelly-Kenny of 20th February,
relating to the attack on Cronje at Paardeberg:
"I will take an opportunity of bringing to notice the special
acts of devotion to duty on the part of individuals; I confine myself
at present to representing the fine spirit and gallantry of all
the troops engaged; I feel bound, however, to bring to your lordship's
notice now the very gallant conduct of the 1st Battalion Welsh Regiment,
who were on our right flank: a portion of the battalion charged
right up to the Boer laager with the bayonet in the finest possible
manner, losing heavily in their gallant attempt to capture it".
At Paardeberg the Welsh had 1 officer killed and
5 wounded, 15 men killed and 57 wounded.
On 6th
March at Poplars Grove, or Suffocating, the Welsh were again engaged;
and on the 10th at Driefontein, or Abraham's Kraal, they had a post
of honour. In his telegraphic dispatch of 11th March Lord Roberts
says, "The brunt of the fight fell on Kelly-Kenny's division,
two battalions of which—the Welsh and the Essex—turned
the Boers out of two strong positions at the point of the bayonet".
Various correspondents also gave praise to the work of the Welsh.
The Press Association correspondent, in an account wired from the
field, after referring several times to the way in which the battalion
advanced in face of a heavy fire,—both gun and rifle,—
said, "Just before dusk the Welsh Regiment gallantly rushed
the position at the point of the bayonet, taking a kopje and clearing
a considerable portion of the ridge. The scene was witnessed by
Lord Roberts through a telescope". The battalion lost Captain
Lomax, Lieutenant Wimberley, and 29 men killed, 5 officers and over
100 men wounded. Six officers and 4 non-commissioned officers and
men were mentioned in Lord Roberts' dispatch of 31st March 1900.
The battalion was engaged at Leeuwkop, south-east of Bloemfontein,
on 22nd April, when they lost Captain Prothero and 1 man killed,
and 1 officer and 7 men wounded.
| In
the advance from Bloemfontein to Pretoria, and thence to the
Koomati Valley, the battalion was in the engagements outside
Johannesburg and Pretoria, and in the battles
at Diamond Hill and Belfast, but had no serious
losses. They were stationed at Godwaan from 4th September till
12th October, and were then sent to Barberton, where they remained
till 22nd November, when they were sent to occupy various stations
in the Koomati Valley—Krokodile Poort, Nelspruit, Alkmaar,
Elandshoek, and Godwaan. While stationed in this most unhealthy
district the battalion was decimated by fever. In May 1901 the
battalion was taken to Johannesburg, remaining there as part
of the garrison till March 1902, when they were sent to hold
a line of blockhouses from Horn's Nek to Hekpoort west of Pretoria,
and they were on this duty when peace was declared. |
|
| Read
more about "The Welsh Regiments service in South Africa |
The
Welsh Regiment at rest in South Africa - 1900 |
I
have compiled a transcription of Christopher's life in The Welsh
Regiment - See it here
The Battalion
furnished a Maxim gun *
detachment with the 1st Mounted Infantry under Colonel Alderson,
and a company of Mounted Infantry in Colonel De Lisle's battalion..(Christopher
was a member of The Mounted Infantry)
This
photograph shows a Maxim Gun in use during The Battle at Paardeberg,
Orange Free State - 1900
|
*
The Maxim Gun
In
1881 the American inventor, Hiram Maxim, visited the Paris
Electrical Exhibition. While he was at the exhibition he met
a man who told him: "If you wanted to make a lot of money,
invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each
other's throats with greater facility."
Maxim
moved to London and over the next few years worked on producing
an effective machine-gun. In 1885 he demonstrated the World's
first automatic portable machine-gun to the British Army.
Maxim used the energy of each bullet's recoil force to eject
the spent cartridge and insert the next bullet. The Maxim
Machine-Gun would therefore fire until the entire belt of
bullets was used up. Trials showed that the machine-gun could
fire 500 rounds per minute and therefore had the firepower
of about 100 rifles.
The
Maxim Machine-Gun was adopted by the British Army in 1889.
The gun was first used by Britain`s colonial forces in the
Matabele war in 1893-94. In one engagement, fifty soldiers
fought off 5,000 Matabele warriors with just four Maxim guns.
|
The
Army Service Corps in the First World War
Christopher
re-enlisted in the Army 22 March 1915 at age 38. This was
for 'Short Service - For the duration of the war'
He was, at that age and level of fitness (see his Welsh
Regt. history) past his prime and was assigned to the Army
Service Corps ( Army No. 7466) with the rank of Corporal.
He was posted to Aldershot from where he joined the Army
Expeditionary Force leaving Southampton 2 April 1915 aboard
the SS Mona's Queen. Disemarking two days later at Le Harvre,
he served in France from 8 April 1915 to 19 Feb 1916. he
appears to be based in or near Abaucourt. In the 1915-16
period, The ASC primarily operated in Cailais, Audruicq
(near St. Omer), Blargies and Grand Quévilly (near
Rouen) areas.
At
it's peak, the ASC numbered an incredible 10,547 officers
and 315,334 men. Aditionally there were tens of thousands
of Indian, Egyptian, Chinese and other native labourers,
carriers and stores men, under orders of the ASC. Yet this
vast, sprawling organisation merits just four mentions in
the 'Official History of the War'
|
Abaucourt
- First World War |
| Army
Service Corps song from the Great War: |
|
The
ASC to the war have gone,
At the base at Havre you will find them,
Their shining spurs they have girded on;
But they have left their bayonets behind them.
"What's the sense" cried the ASC,
"Of taking to France the damn things?
Their only use, it seems to me;
Is to open the Tommy's jam tins." |
But
thank the Lord for ASC,
The pride and joy of the nation,
Who bring our bully and jam and tea,
And our Maconochie ration.
Here's good luck to the ASC,
Though if they'd never come, boys,
I bet we'd get all the strawberry,
Instead of apple and plum, boys. |
|
|
Christopher
(seated) with an un-named army friend
- Thanks to Chris Albrow for this picture
of Christopher |
Return
to Albrow Family Tree or Go
to Christopher's Story of Life in the Welsh Regiment
|
