QSA to Smith 2nd Norfolk Regiment.

A 2nd Anglo Boer war Queens South Africa Medal correctly named and awarded to 3058 Corporal John Smith of the 2nd battalion the Norfolk Regiment. With three correctly attached clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal.
John Smith was born in Norwich Norfolk around 1887. With a name like John Smith, it has been hard to pinpoint his exact date of birth. As a young man he worked as a labourer probably on a farm. He enlisted into the Royal Dragoons in the December of 1891 and by 1893 he was promoted to lance Corporal, until an incident in 1894 when he struck Private Neville, he was demoted back to Private and transferred to the 2nd Norfolk Regiment.
John Married Laura in Norwich on 11th April 1898.
The 2nd Battalion sailed on the SS Assaye on 4th January 1900 and arrived at the Cape on the 23rd. Along with the 2nd Lincolnshire, 1st King's Own Scottish Borderers, and 2nd Hampshire, they formed the 14th Brigade under Brigadier General Chermside, and part of the 7th Division under Lieutenant General Tucker.
The 7th Division took part in the advance from Modder River to Bloemfontein and on the 18th, the day of the battle of Paardeberg, the 14th Brigade, under Chermside, was ordered to march from Jacobsdal to Paardeberg, where it arrived on the evening of the 19th. The 14th Brigade stayed at Paardeberg till Boer general Cronje surrendered and marking the first significant British victory of the war. It was noted that the battalion did very important work in assisting to repel and defeat the Boer reinforcements coming to his assistance.
On the 7th of March the battalion fought the battle of Poplars Grove. In his despatch of 15th March Lord Roberts says: "The 14th Brigade of the 7th Division, was ordered to march eastward along the south bank of the river for the purpose of threatening the enemy, distracting attention from the main attack on Table Mountain which was carried out by the 6th Division, and assisting the cavalry in preventing the Boers from crossing the river at the Poplar Grove Drift". On the 8th and 9th March the army halted at Poplars Grove, later Lieutenant General Tucker commanded the right or southmost column, consisting of the 7th Division, to march via Petrusburg, Driekop, Panfontein, to Venter's Vlei, eighteen miles from Bloemfontein, in four marches. On the 10th, after the battle of Driefontein had been fought by the left and centre columns, Lord Roberts asked Lieutenant General Tucker to halt his force at Driekop. The division did not reach Bloemfontein till the 14th, Lord Roberts having entered the town the day before.
On 29th March Lieutenant General Tucker, with the 7th Division, fought the action of Karee Siding to drive the Boers off a line of kopjes from which they had been sniping. The enemy held several strong positions in the line of hills. The Norfolks were the first in the infantry advance and seized the position allotted to them. The total battalion casualties were 1 man killed and 2 officers and 20 men wounded. After the action the 7th Division held the hills they had won, keeping open the rout for the subsequent advance on Brandfort.
When Lord Roberts moved north from Bloemfontein to Pretoria the 7th and 11th Divisions formed the centre of the army in the advance on Brandfort, this was occupied on 3rd May, then moving on to Pretoria by 5th June, via a number of skirmishes, including a tough fight at the crossing of the Zand River, where the enemy held a strong position and took their chance to make a stand.
After Pretoria was occupied on 5th June the 14th Brigade was detailed to garrison that city, later the 2nd Norfolk’s were present at the ceremony of proclaiming the annexation of the Transvaal on 25th October 1900. During the later stages of the war the battalion was employed mainly in the Central Transvaal, mostly at the garrison of Rustenburg. on the 10th of October 1901, John Smith was transferred to the 7th Mounted battalion and promoted to corporal and he probably took part in Kitchener’s scorched earth policy to eradicate the Boer guerillas.
He returned home with the 9th battalion on 12th February 1902 and was discharged December 1903.
It is very hard to find John after he was discharged as there are around 6 candidates that could be him in the 1911 census. But John was recalled for the service during the great war. Here he served with the Army Service Corps, enlisting on 30th March 1915. His early career in the Norfolk’s gave him a good grounding leaving the army in 1919 as Company Sergeant Major.
He is also entitled to The British war and Victory medal pair.
This medal comes in excellent original condition with a few tiny edge nicks. it comes with various copied paperwork including service papers and medal roll for the Norfolk regiment and WW1 service papers for the Army service corps. More research needed into his civilian life.

Code: 30901