Author Topic: QSA Medal Roll  (Read 4632 times)

Offline Bob.NB

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QSA Medal Roll
« on: February 06, 2011, 11:33:29 AM »
Looking at the Manchester Regiment men on the  Queen�s South Africa Medal roll on �Ancestry�, one can get a lot of information from the notes at the end of each entry. However could anyone please give me some more information on the following:
1)   Many men have Mounted Infantry Regiments against their names (eg.14th, 8th etc). Would these men have served initially in the mounted infantry company of the Manchester Regiment and then been called away to serve with these individual Mounted Infantry Regiments as and when required by the top brass?
2)   Several men have Bearer Company next to their names � what were these? Stretcher Bearers?
3)   Several men in the 1st Battalion have �4th Prov. Bn.� against their names. What does this mean? Provincial? Provisional? And what was this battalion?
Any information very gratefully received.
Many thanks.
Bob B
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 07:52:32 PM by Charlie »

Offline Robert Bonner

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Re: QSA Medal Roll
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2011, 07:19:39 PM »
Bob.

What a complex subject!.  I'll deal with the mounted infantry element.  The 1st, 2nd & 6th (Militia) battalions of the Manchester Regiment each raised a MI Company in its own right. 

Additionally, following the outbreak of war in 1899 a Mounted Infantry Regiment was raised consisting of battalions each composed of four infantry companies from different regiments, although the King’s Royal Rifle Corps later provided a complete battalion.  Their role included guarding convoys and lines of communication, working as advance and rear guards, reconnaissance and protection of field artillery batteries. Eventually at least twenty-seven MI Battalions of this Regiment were formed in addition to the individual Light Horse and Mounted Rifle Battalions which were raised locally or overseas from the empire.

The complete 1st Manchester MI Company eventually served as a company in the 27th MI Regiment.
Individual soldiers of the Manchesters did serve with many of the other MI battalions - as and when required.

Unfortunately not very much has been recorded about this subject.  Perhaps something you could research in detail!!.
Robert

Offline Bob.NB

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Re: QSA Medal Roll
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2011, 09:46:29 AM »
Robert,
Very many thanks for this - your comments confirmed my thoughts but as always added some more information. As you say not very much has been recorded about the various mounted infantry battalions.
There is very little at Kew and one has to rely on occasional unrelated references in books on the war. I'm not sure that even if someone did the research they would actually find much. There was just an awful lot of riding around on the South African Veldt escorting convoys, carrying out patrols, rounding up farms and taking part in various drives etc.
Anyone thoughts on "Bearer Companies" or "4th Prov. Battn."?
Thanks again.
Bob