Medals of the South Staffordshire Regiment ( 38th and 80th Foot.)

Medals of the Regiments:
The South Staffordshire Regiment



Above "King's crown" cap badge for the South Staffordshire Regiment, as worn 1901-1953.

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	The South Staffordshire Regiment
	1705 - 1959


Titles
pre 1881		post 1881
38th (1st Staffordshire ) Regiment of Foot		1st Battalion the South Staffordshire Regiment.
80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot		2nd Battalion the South Staffordshire Regiment.

Earliest recognised formation:	1705 for the 38th Regiment & 1793 for the 80th.

Motto:	??

Regimental Journal:	The Knot

WWI:	Battle Honours; 66	Victoria Crosses; 3	Died; 6357
WWII:	Battle Honours; 12	Victoria Crosses; 3	Died; 1110

Amalgamated:	1959, with the North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's) to become "The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's)". - although it is noted that the 5th battalion did continue to be titled the "South Staffordshire Regiment" for a few more years after this date.

Egypt Campaign 1801 and the Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 80th Regiment. 38th Regiment.
Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 clasps:
38th Regiment
Total Medals	Max clasps	Egypt	Roleia	Vimera	Corunna	Talavera	Busaco	Fuentes d' Onor	Badajos	Salamanca	Vittoria	St. Sebastian	Nivelle	Nive	Toulouse
243	9	-	39	65	85	12	62	8	67	165	119	134	23	38	12
80th Regiment
7	2	7	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The unique two clasp medal to the 80th was claimed by Captain John St. George, Aide-de-camp to General Bentinck.

First Anglo-Burmese War 1824-1826 38th Regiment.

Army of India Medal 1799 - 1826

clasp:

Ava

numbers:

119

The First Sikh War 1845 - 1846. 80th Regiment.

The Sutlej Medal 1845 -46

Battle
Date

Moodkee 1845
18/12/1845

Ferozeshuhur

21-22/12/1845

Aliwal

28/01/1846

Sobraon

10/02/1846

numbers:

(824)

817

24 (6)

694 (?)

A recipients first battle corresponds to the medal reverse type, followed by clasp(s) for subsequent battles. Figure for Aliwal are total medal reverses and clasps. Medal reverses are in brackets.

Second Anglo-Burmese War 1852-1853 80th Regiment.

India General Service Medal 1854 - 95

clasp:

Pegu

numbers:

The regimental history records the casualties as 9 men and a Colour Sergeant killed in action.. A further 347 allegedly died during or shortly after from disease contracted during the campaign.

Crimean War 1854 - 1856 38th Regiment

Crimea Medal 1854 -56

Clasp: →

..none...

Alma

Balaklava

Inkermann

Sebastopol

Total Medals

Number: →

41 *

1563

* The Regimental History (Vale) states "On the 25th October 1854, occurred the battle of Balaclava with its two famous cavalry charges and the celebrated 'Thin red line' defence by the 93rd Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, who had with them some convalescents from the port including an officer and forty other ranks of the 38th" This figure of 41 is confirmed exactly on the Crimea roll for the 38th.

Battle Casualties;

Action.

Killed

"Wounded"

Dangerously
Wounded

Severely
Wounded

Slightly
Wounded

Missing

First bombardment of Sebastopol, first battle of Inkermann and minor actions

The Assault on the Quarries

The First Attack on the Redan

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and final bombardments of Sebastopol and minor actions

Grand Total: 253

Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for:

Turkish Crimea Medal 1855

India Mutiny 1857 38th Regiment and 80th Regiment.

India Mutiny Medal. 1857 -59

38th Regiment.

clasp:

...none...

Lucknow

Central India

Total Medals

number:

992

1040

80th Regiment.

652

160

812

Bhootan Campaign 1864- 1866 80th Regiment

India General Service Medal 1854 - 95

clasp:

Bhootan

numbers :

*three companies were deployed but did not see any fighting.

Perak Campaign 1874-1876 80th Regiment

India General Service Medal 1854 - 95

clasp:

Perak

numbers :

558*

* This is extracted from the sterling work by Alan Harfield "British & Indian Armies in the East Indies 1685-1935", (Picton Publishing 1984) which has a large section devoted to the Perak campaign and reproduces the Army roll for the Perak clasp.

South Africa and the Zulu War 1876-79 80th Regiment.

South Africa Medal 1877-79

clasp:

...none....

1878

1878-9

1879

total

numbers :

121

294

626

198

1239

Intombi River
12/3/1879

Isandhlwana
22/1/1879

Ulundi
4/7/1879

Killed in action

7 ?

VCs

Two officers are also recorded for 'no clasp' medals from the 38th Regiment: Capt M.S. Crofton & Lieut. A. G. St George.

Titled "The South Staffordshire Regiment" (1st and 2nd Battalions) in 1881

Egypt Campaign 1882 and 1884-85 1st Battalion

Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89

1882 Campaign

clasp:

....none....

Tel-el-Kebir

total medals

numbers:

1058*

1076*

*does not include 5 medals marked as "forfeited" but does include 3 medals marked "forfeited - no trace of return"

1884 Campaign

clasp:

The Nile 1884-85

Abu Klea

Kirbekan

total medals

numbers:

?**

** The Regimental History (Vale) states total strength in Egypt, August 1884 as 590

1885 Campaign

clasp:

Suakin 1885

Tofrek

numbers:

1***

*** Original roll not sighted but J. V. Webb's transcription "The Abu Klea Medal Rolls" has a chapter titled "odd men and small detachments at Suakin 1885" included is one South Staffordshire Regiment man with Suakin 1885 & Tofrek : 1008 Sgt. T. Dawson. (battalion not shown)

Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star matching their first campaign, dated 1882 or 1884-6 as appropriate.

Anglo-Boer War 1899 - 1902 1st Battalion and 3rd & 4th Militia Battalions.

Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also:

1st Battalion & 4th Militia Battalion*. (3rd not eligible for Wittebergen clasp)

clasp;

Wittebergen

numbers;

* The Regimental History (Vale) records 512 medals to the 4th

1st Battalion Casualties:

Officers

NCOs and Men

KIA & DOW

Wounded

Missing / POW

KIA & DOW

Death from disease

Wounded

Missing / POW

The Great War 1914 - 1918 (18 battalions; 12 served overseas:- )

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star.

Battalion →

1/5

1/6

2/5

2/6

1
Garrison

date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x )

7/10
1914

13/8
1914

10/10
1917

3/3
1915

?/4
1916

7/8
1915

14/7
1915

24/8
1915

?/6
1916

?/1
1917

France & Flanders

Gallipoli

Egypt & Palestine

Italy

India

Ireland

Star
possible ?

1914 or 1914-15

or 1914-15 only

died (all)
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition 66 officers are recorded with "battalion not shown" and 55 more officers with the 3rd, 10th & 11th battalions who died while attached to various units )

1261

1212

**
286

680

651

144

368

664

634

169

* The first battalion was in South Africa when war broke out and returned first to the UK
** Figure is distorted by a disproportionate number of officers (29/40) of the 4th Btn. killed while attached to other units.

Regular

Territorial Force

New Armies

Garrison.

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
78 officers and men of the South Staffordshire Regiment also qualified for this medal.

Jewish / Arab Unrest, Palestine 1936 - 39 1st Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Palestine

numbers:

WW2 1939 - 1945 battalions that served overseas
Battalion →	1st	2nd	1/6th	2/6th	7th	15th
Theatre ↓
France and Belgium 1940. (Dunkirk )			x
Middle East	x
North Africa		x
Burma	x
Sicily / Italy		x
N.W. Europe		x	x	x	x

Notes.
	Long Range Penetration Force, Burma (Chindits). 1 VC for Burma ops.	Served 1st Air Landing Brigade Arnhem. 2 VCs for Arnhem.	Successfully evacuated from Dunkirk 6/1940			Garrison duty Faroe Islands

WW2 Stars common to the Battalion (excluding 39-45 star) Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B = Burma, I = Italy, F&G = France and Germany
	B.	A, I, F&G	F&G	F&G	F&G


Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

1948; 1st and 2nd Battalions amalgamated into the "1st Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment"

Canal Zone 1951 - 1954 1st Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Canal Zone

numbers:

The Cyprus Emergency 1955 - 1960 1st Battalion

General Service Medal 1918-62

clasp:

Cyprus

numbers:

errors & omissions? please email us.

Links
The Regimental Museum. next door to Whittington Barracks on the A51 between Lichfield and Tamworth
County location map, archives and genealogy


Selected Bibliography; The South Staffordshire Regiment / 38th & 80th Regiments of Foot

Author	Title	Publisher
Vale, W.L. Col.	History of the South Staffordshire Regiment	Gale & Polden, Aldershot 1969
Hope R.	A Staffordshire Regiment in the Crimea - 38th Regiment of Foot (330pp)	?
Jones, James P.	A History of the South Staffordshire Regiment 1705 - 1923	Whitehead Bros. Ltd, Wolverhampton. nd [1923]
Page, Malcolm	The South Staffordshire Regiment.	? 1953
Wylly, C.H. et al	Historical Records of the 1st King's Own Stafford Militia, now 3rd and 4th Battalions, South Staffordshire Regiment.	The Johnson's Head, Lichfield 1902
Anderson, A. L. K.	The Unbreakable Coil (2nd Btn Oct-Dec 1914)	Whitehead Bros. Ltd, Wolverhampton. nd [1923]
Ashcroft, A. H.	The History of the Seventh South Staffordshire Regiment.	Boyle, Son & Watchurst Ltd. London 1919

Bibliography for this page.

Author/Compiler	Title	Publisher
*Officers of the Regiment.*	Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc.	-
Anon.	The Army of the Sutlej Casualty Roll.
Webb, J. V.	The Abu Klea Medal Rolls.	The Author 1981
Anon.	Soldiers Died in the Great War Part 42 The South Staffordshire Regiment	HMSO London 1921
Harfield, Alan.	British & Indian Armies in the East Indies 1685-1935	Picton Publishing, Chippenham, 1984
Forsyth, D. R.	South African War Medal Roll 1877 - 8 - 9	Roberts Publications Ltd. (nd).
Stiles, Richard G. M. L.	Mayhem in the Med, A Chronicle of the Cyprus Emergency 1955-60	Savannah Publications, London 2005

	and other sources as listed on the Northumberland Fusiliers page

16/05/2007