This article examines the complex service history of Constable William Lodewyk Bos/Boss, a member of the South African Mounted Rifles (SAMR) who later transferred to the South African Police (SAP). His career illustrates the transitional period in South African policing after Union, when militarised police forces evolved into national services. The article contextualises the development of long‑service awards, including the Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and the later Police Good Service Medal, instituted under Government Notice GN938 of 8 June 1923.

Constable Bos/Boss’s military and police service included participation in the 1914 Afrikaner Rebellion, the German South West Africa campaign, and later enlistment in the Union Defence Force during World War II. His unusual change of surname from Bos to Boss, confirmed only by a newspaper notice, highlights administrative irregularities of the era. Despite disciplinary infractions that could have disqualified him, he ultimately received the SAP Good Service Medal in 1949. The article reconstructs his career through service records, force orders, medal documentation, and family history sources, offering a detailed case study of early 20th‑century South African policing and medal policy.

“The award was to be known as the Police Good Service Medal…” “A letter dated 2nd January 1920… confirms to staff records at HQ that William Bos has changed his name to Boss.”