South Africa Medal 1877 - 1879 Zulu and Basuto Wars

At this time the enormous mineral wealth of this area of the continent was beginning to be realised, but probably of greater importance was South Africa's strategic position as a critical staging post on the sea route to India.
This medal was Instituted in 1880 to commemorate a number of campaigns to bring this area under British control which effectively meant the pacification by force of the unruly local tribes in the eastern area of the Cape and the north east of that territory. One of these tribes (or more accurately affiliation of tribes) - the Zulus - was of a particular war like disposition, and hence the medal is often referred to as the Zulu war medal. The military operations commemorated in this period are generally divided into campaigns against specific tribes (see first table below)

Medal description: 36mm diameter in silver with an ornate swivelling suspension. Obverse - the diademed head of Queen Victoria and the legend "VICTORIA REGINA". Reverse; a plinth supporting a crouching lion; in the background a Protea bush with a single flower, above this are the words "SOUTH AFRICA" In exergue are four crossed Zulu assegais and shield (This medal is similar to the earlier 1834-53 South African Campaign Medal, except that the exergue date (1853) is now replaced with the Zulu shield and four crossed assegais as mentioned. (see larger reverse picture)
Clasps; (see second table below).
Naming: generally engraved in upright or sloping serif capitals, with a number of minor style variations.
Ribbon; orange, with two outer wide blue stripes, and two inner narrow blue stripes.

Medal awarded for:
Period	Service Against:-
26th September 1877 - 28th June 1878 inclusive	Galekas, Gaikas and other Kafir Tribes
21st - 28th January 1878 inclusive	Chief Pokwane
24th April - 13th November 1878 inclusive	Griquas
11th January -1st September 1879 inclusive	Zulus
11th November - 2nd December 1879 inclusive	Chief Sekukuni (including troops stationed at Fort Burgers, Fort Albert Edward, Seven Mile Post, Fort Oliphants, Fort Weeber, and in the Sekukuni's Valley
25th March - 20 November 1879 inclusive	Chief Moirosi

The medal was commonly issued with a date clasp corresponding to the recipients year(s) of service, although a significant number (15%) were issued without a clasp. (see below)

Medal and Clasp:

Number issued ^N

Criteria

1877

153

Recipient served in a campaign (as defined in table 1) in the year, or each of the years denoted on the clasp.

1877-8

5822

1877-8-9

3525

1878

2009

1878-9

1185

1879

18332

1877-9

Recipient had qualifying service in 1877 and 1879 with no service in 1878. This clasp is rare - mainly a few colonials. (although one to the ASC Commissariat is recorded) These would likely be men who had served in 1877 but returned to there homesteads for the whole of 1878 qualifying periods , but then returned to serve again in 1879.

Other possibilities

Criteria

medal only

5610

For service during the Zulu campaign period (11th January -1st September 1879) but the recipient remained on the Natal side of the Tugela River - as the fighting was confined to the other side of the Tugela no clasp medals are frequently viewed as "non combat" awards.

no medal - clasp only

The medal was not to be awarded to those in possession of the earlier South Africa Medal 1834-53, instead the clasp only for the later campaigns was to be issued and worn on the earlier medal. This only effected a small number of recipients, and a few of them are allegedly still recorded as receiving both medals - and an exception to this were men entitled to the 1877-9 campaign medal without a clasp - in that case the individual would be entitled to both medals. (allegedly only one recorded incident of the latter??)

Main British units deployed ^N (& post Cardwell designation if applicable)	Notes
Royal Navy (& Naval Brigade)
HMS Active	originally 451 names on the roll but 42 Kroomen were deleted leaving 409, of which 62 were RM/RMA
HMS Boadicea	476 of which 53 were RM/RMA
HMS Euphrates	261 of which 19 were RM (all no clasp medals)
HMS Forester	76 of which 9 were RM (all 1879 clasp medals)
HMS Himalaya	229 of which 27 were RM (all no clasp medals)
HMS Orontes	226 of which 27 were RM (all no clasp medals)
HMS Shah	705 of which 87 were RM/RMA
HMS Tamar	226 of which 28 were RM (all no clasp medals)
HMS Tenedos	196 of which 24 were RM/RMA
Army
Royal Artillery.	5th Brigade; N Battery (273 ^N). 6th Brigade; M,(176) N (180) & O (161) Batteries. 7th Brigade; 8 (91), 10 (63) & 11 (170 ^N ) Batteries.
The 1st King's Dragoon Guards.	"1879" (641) + 78 no clasp.
The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own).	"1879" (599) + 33 no clasp.
2nd Battalion, The 3rd (East Kent ) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)	"1878-9" (38), "1879" (892).
2nd Battalion 4th (The King's Own Royal) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion The King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)	"1879" (971) + 28 no clasp.
1st Battalion, The 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment 1st Battalion Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry)	"1878" (38), "1878-9" (688), "1879" (81) + 81 no clasp.
2nd Battalion, The 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion The Royal Scots Fusiliers	"1879" (862) + 153 no clasp.
1st Battalion The 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot 1st Battalion The South Wales Borderers	"1877-8" (157), "1877-8-9" (526), 1878 (1), "1878-9" (24), "1879" (663) + 33 no clasp.	Large number of men killed at Isandhlwana.
2nd Battalion The 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion The South Wales Borderers	"1877-8" (55), "1877-8-9" (823), "1879" (163) + 290 no clasp.
The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot 1st Battalion, The Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment)	"1879" (1034) + 141 no clasp.
The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot. 2nd Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment	"1879" (689) + 345 no clasp.
3rd Battalion, The 60th (The King's Royal Rifle Corps) Regiment of Foot. 3rd Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps	1877-8-9" (1), "1878-9" (1), "1879" (1024) + 38 no clasp.
The 80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot. 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment	1878 (294), "1878-9" (626), "1879" (198) + 121 no clasp.
The 88th (Connaught Rangers) Regiment of Foot. 1st Battalion, The Connaught Rangers.	"1877-8" (252), "1877-8-9" (400), "1879" (387) + 35 no clasp.
The 90th Perthshire Volunteers Light Infantry 2nd Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)	"1877-8" (72), "1877-8-9" (556), 1878 (1), "1879" (388) + 55 no clasp.
The 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire) Highlanders 1st Battalion The Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland) Highlanders.	"1879" (954) + 85 no clasp.
The 94th Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion, The Connaught Rangers.	"1879" (948) + 44 no clasp.
The 99th (The Duke of Edinburgh's Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire Regiment).	"1879" (903) + 31 no clasp.
Army Hospital Corps.	"1877-8" (11), "1877-8-9" (9), 1878 (1), "1879" (249) + 197 no clasp.
Army Medical Department.	"1877" (2) "1877-8" (11), "1877-8-9" (4), 1878 (17), "1878-9" (16), "1879" (78) + 65 no clasp.
Army Pay Department	"1877-8" (8), "1877-8-9" (6), "1879" (10) + 16 no clasp.
Army Service Corps Commissariat.	"1877" (1) "1877-8" (5), "1877-9" (1) "1877-8-9" (5), 1878 (1), "1878-9" (1), "1879" (83) + 71 no clasp.
Army Service Corps Ordnance.	1878 (1), "1878-9" (1), "1879" (36) + 116 no clasp.
Army Service Corps Transport.	"1877-8" (4), "1877-8-9" (1), "1878-9" (1), "1879" (495) + 146 no clasp.
Commissariat and Transport Staff	"1877-8" (14), "1877-8-9" (9), "1878-9" (1), "1879" (100) + 37 no clasp.
Royal Engineers.	C Troop (177), 2nd Coy (177), 5th Coy (139), 7th Coy (46), 30th Coy (212).

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