WAIT FOR MEDALS

Evening Star, Issue 20089, 1 February 1929, Page 7

WAIT FOR MEDALS

CASES OF HALF A CENTURY That there is no need for despair on the part of veterans of past campaigns who have not yet received their medals is proved by the case of Stephen Macdonald, a native of Wrexham and an inmate of the North Wales Mental Hospital, who lias recently been presented with the Egyptian Medal of 18S2. Air A. A. Evans chairman of the Visiting Committee, m making the presentation, said that it was only recently discovered that Macdonald was entitled to the medal. And it is only a few weeks since At. Arthur Franck, a 78-year-old veteran of the Fra neo-Prussia n War, living at Alarylebone, London, received the diploma entitling him to wear the medal awarded to Frenchmen wiio served in the war of JB7U-71. He had' had to wait nearly lilty-oight years, and the delay was apparently owing to the fact that alter the war he went to Switzerland to reside, and later to England. When ex-Sergeant-major E. ’Wilson, of Uorsforth, was awarded the Meritorious Service Alcdal in recognition of his services in the Egyptian campaign of 1882 there had been a delay of fortythree years. The presentation was made at Leeds, and with the official intimation of the award there was a letter granting Wilson an annuity of £lO. At the lime Sergeant-major Wilson was 7-1 years of age, and had four suns, all of whom had served in the war.

Though the .South African War ended on May 31, 1902, claims for medals were sent in so steadily for some years following that at last, to put an end to the rush, the War Office fixed a date in 1907 as the last dale for the submission of claims. On the other hand, that war was responsible lor the first real delay in the Victoria Crosses, which arc generally awarded hot on tiro heels of the deed that earned them. delay arose from the fact that Kin" Edward decided to make issues o) V.C.s to the representatives ol deceased officers, n.c.o.s, and men “ who fell during the recent operations in Soutyli Africa in the performance of acts of valour which would, in the opinion of the com-mander-in-chief of the forces in the field, have entitled them to be recommended for the distinction had they .survived.”

Such were the words of the new warrant, but it was not dated until August 8, 1902, and was not received in South Africa until September. One of I ho names on the list was Sergeant A. Atkinson, Yorkshire Regiment, who had been recommended for the Cross in consequence of bravery at Paardcberg on February ]B_ 1900, more than two and a-half years previously, although he later died of wounds. Another was Lieutenant Digby-Jones, of the Royal Engineers, who had earned his V.G. on Wagon Hill on January 6, 1900, although he, too, died of his wounds. A sergeant of rifles was in 1909 awarded a medal for an act on fcho occasion of lighting in Canada lifty-sevcn years previously.

A queer anomaly applied to some members ol colonial corps who lought in th© Rhodesian rebellion of 1896. Although all the lighting took plane in 189(3, the modal was issued without clasp, unless the n.c.o. or man was in the country in 3897. The ofii'eer was shot in the head ip Rhodesia and partly paralysed. Ho afterwards served on two .sticks for seventeen months in the Boer War. For lighting in connection with tlie Rhodesia rebellion, whore ho was wounded, he got a medal only. lun the Boer War, where he never liml a shot, lie got the Queen's Modal with three clasps. Another comic-opera situation created hy the Boor War, by Ihe way. was that the conditions for the King's Modal 1 were so worded that numbers of men who did not get into uniform until Queen Victoria was dead, and served right to the end of the war. received ihe Queen’s Modal, lint not the King’s Modal! Cases of this kind come to light even to-day, and it is not long since an order was issued dealing with the right to medals and clasps of certain naval men who served at SimonsLown in the early si ages: ol the Boer War. Tho Rhodesian anomaly was put right thirty years after the campaign in that country, so far as certain men wore concerned, or in December. 3926, to lie precise. And at the same time the War Office approved of a medal and clasp inscribed “ Maslionaland, 3890.” being awarded to the colonial Forces who were engaged in the expedition which marched into and raptured Mashonaland in September, 1890 a dolav ol over thirty-live years.

The medal, which is designated the “ Mashonaland. IS9O, iNtodiilis in silver and similar to Hint sanctioned bv Queen Victoria to be granted by the ■British South Africa Company for military operations in Alatabeleland. 1.893. with identical riband, but with the superscription “ Alalabcleland, 1.89-3 '* omitted from the reverse .If the grant of battle honours on the colours be the test, however, the above may he described as hustling. For it was not until 1909 that the gallant defence of Tangier, beginning in 11602, the taking and holding of Gibraltar in 1704 and the great exploits of the British cavalry at Warburg during the Seven Years’ War, and other actions of eighteenth century fame found a place among the distinctions inscribed in the official Army List.