SOLD - Queen's South Africa Medal - Identified

Description

1/13/25 - This is a great example of a British Queen's South Africa Medal. This medal was awarded to those British and Colonial military personnel as well as civilians who served during the Second Boer War. This medal is in great shape and still has its cloth hanger, the cloth hanger does have a hole in it from mounting. The front of the medal depicts Queen Victoria with the Latin script "Victoria Regina ET Imperiatrix". This translates to "Queen Victoria and Empress". The reverse of the medal shows Britannia holding the Union Flag and a laurel wreath. With British soldiers marching inland from the coast, and the inscription "South Africa" on the top. There are three known versions of this medal, version one had dates on the back, and only 50 of these medals are known to exist. Version 2 is the same except the dates were machined off the die. Version 2 and 3 look identical with the exception of where the laurel wreath is. In version 1 & 2 the wreath is under the "R" in Africa, in version 3 its under the "F". This medal is version 2, however the "Ghost Dates" from the machined die have worn away over time. This medal is the Silver variant meaning it was one awarded to British soldiers who saw combat. This particular medal has 2 clasps on it, the Relief of Ladysmith clasp, and the Tugela Heights clasp. This medal has been identified on the edge to a Driver F.J. Longman of the 73rd Battery, Royal Field Artillery. The rank of Driver was equivalent to a Private, but was specifically for those soldiers specialized in driving the horses that pulled the artillery cannons.