King’s South Africa Medal

King’s South Africa Medal
Awarded by the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India
Country	United Kingdom
Type	Military Campaign medal
Eligibility	British and Colonial forces
Awarded for	Campaign service
Campaign(s)	Second Boer War
Clasps	SOUTH AFRICA 1901 SOUTH AFRICA 1902
Statistics
Established	1902
Order of wear
Next (higher)	Ashanti Medal
Next (lower)	Africa General Service Medal
Related	Queen's South Africa Medal Cape Copper Company Medal for the Defence of O'okiep
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The King's South Africa Medal is a British campaign medal which was awarded to all British and Colonial military personnel who served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, who were in the theatre on or after 1 January 1902 and who had completed 18 months service in the conflict prior to 1 June 1902.

The fourth campaign medal for the Second Boer War and the second which could be awarded for service in South Africa, the King's South Africa Medal, was instituted in 1902 and was the first British campaign medal to be instituted by King Edward VII. Recipients had to have served in the theatre of war between 1 January 1902 and 31 May 1902 inclusive and completed 18 months service, not necessarily continuous, in the conflict prior to 1 June 1902. The medal recognised service in the difficult latter phases of the war and rewarded those who, by their long service in the field, had brought the campaign to a successful conclusion. The medal was never awarded singly, but was always paired with the Queen's South Africa Medal.

Poor logistics over very long logistics lines and disease, combined with having to fight against a disciplined and capable enemy of excellent horsemen and marksmen who perfected guerrilla warfare, made this a hard-won medal. In addition to men often having had to go without basics such as food and water, enteric fever killed several thousand and was a constant drain on manpower. Published casualty rolls run to over 50,000 names, while studies of contemporary publications and reports put the actual figure for all casualties at 97,000.

This war is notorious for the British scorched earth policy, which was implemented when it became clear that the guerrilla tactics practiced by the republican Boer forces could not be overcome by conventional means. In 1901, Emily Hobhouse reported on the genocide which was taking place in the 45 British concentration camps for Boer women, children and elderly in which, over an 18-month period, 26,370 people would die, 24,000 of them boys and girls under 16. Exact mortality figures in the 64 concentration camps for black displaced farm workers and their families are not known, but was probably even worse.

The King's South Africa Medal was awarded only to those troops who fought in 1902, and who had served for 18 months. Even with continuous service, the recipient would have had to have served from 1 December 1900 to have 18 months service before the war ended on 31 May 1902. Service therefore had to have commenced before the death of Queen Victoria on 22 January 1901 and, as a result, the majority of participants qualified for the award of the Queen's South Africa Medal only.

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