TWO ANGLO BOER WAR MEDALS AWARDED TO BOER REPUBLICAN POLICEMEN FOR SERVICE IN THE 2ND ANGLO BOER WAR AND A FAKE.
By Steve Seargent
Abstract
Background history to the Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog, officially The “Zuidafrikaanse Republiek en Oranje Vrijstaat Oorlogmedalje 1899-1902” also called the ABO medal.
Two interesting policemen who served in the Anglo Boer War on the republican side who earned this medal; one a POW taken when the hospital he was being treated in for war wounds was overrun the second a bitter-einder.
Points for collectors to spot being common pointers for fake ABO medals.
Key Words
Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog, ABO Medal Johannes Albertus Pelser, POW Oranjie Vrijstaatse Politie
Stephanus Christiaan Scholtz Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek Politie ZARP, Vorm B Fake Medal, Transvaal Free Sate
Steve Seargent
Steve served in the SAP from 1976 to 1986 first in SWA then on his return to SA on the East Rand and later Natal. He emigrated from SA in 1991 to the UK taking up a career in the Insurance industry as a loss adjuster working in the UK the Middle East and the Caribbean where he was a respected catastrophe loos adjuster.
He is retired and spends his time researching his favourite topic Police History, collecting insignia and medals to South African Policing from the earliest times to 1997. He has an extensive collection of badges to British and world-wide colonial police.
He divorced now lives in Turkey together with his dog Suzi
The Anglo Boer War Medal
The “Medalje voor de Anglo-Boere Oorlog”, officially The “Zuidafrikaanse Republiek en Oranje Vrijstaat Oorlogmedalje 1899-1902” (ABO medal) was authorised for issue to all ranks of the Transvaal and Orange Free State Republic Burghers (men) and later also some women and civilians who had participated against the British during the second Anglo Boer War.
The medal was proposed by a British staff officer Colonel Skinner, the Commandant Union Defence Force Military School in Tempe near Bloemfontein. He noted that some attending the first staff course had fought bravely in the Republican Forces, but were without medals for the war, whilst the Colonial officers from the British side all had at least a campaign medal. He asked Defence Headquarters to have this rectified but, due to the outbreak of WWI, nothing was done until 1920 when the Governor General in terms of Government Notice no. 2307 of 21st December 1920 and published in the Government Gazette of 24th December 1920 on behalf of King George V announced the criteria for the ABO Medal.
The medal is a silver the disk 17⁄16 inches (37 millimetres) in diameter and 1⁄8 inch (3 millimetres) thick at the raised rim. It has a fixed bar suspender with a claw and rivet pin on the upper edge of the medal. The rank, initials and surname of the recipient is impressed in block capitals on the rim. The ribbon is 11⁄4 inches (32 millimetres) wide representing the colours of the two Boer Republics. They were gazetted as red, green, white, blue and orange, but the orange appears as yellow on the actual ribbons.
The criteria for the medal were rather strict; it had to be personally applied for, the applicant had to either be a serving member of the Union Defence Force or eligible for service under the Defence Act of 1912 (which included members of the Police Force). His war service had to have been sometime between the 11th October 1899 and the 31st May 1902 and he had to have remained in service until the 31st May 1902, without surrendering or taking either parole or the British oath of allegiance.
Effectively, anyone killed in action, people over the eligible for service under the Defence Act of 1912, anyone who had voluntarily surrendered, taken an oath of allegiance to the Crown before 1st June 1902, was interred in a Concentration Camp, was a Cape or Natal Rebel fighting with the Republicans, a foreign volunteer in the various Legions of the Republics, or a woman were excluded.
It is estimated by Albert Blake in his book Boereverraaier that amongst Boer Prisoners of War between 12 and 14,000 Boer combatants captured by the British took the oath of allegiance before the 1st June 1902 excluding them from receiving the medal.
The ‘no surrender’ rule was layer waived in the case of formal POW’s who had not taken the oath of allegiance prior to 31st May 1902, of which there were some 28,0000 per the Anglo Boer War.com site, women (mainly nurses or teachers) and some foreign nationals were awarded the medal as were those over the age of service in the UDF. This was done mainly in the 1940’s after the National Party took power. It still however excluded those who surrendered and were not classed as POW’s and those who took the oath of allegiance prior to 1st June 1902.
To obtain the award of the medal the applicant had to personally fill in what was known as Vorm B which listed his service dates, the various actions he took part in as well as providing verifiable proof via officers and witnesses to confirm this. The cut-off date for applications was the 30th June 1921 but this was abandoned with many awards being made in the 1940’s and later. The last award was made in in 1983.
Some 13,800 medals were issued which in reality was a small proportion of the Boer forces that took part in the war.
One medal was awarded covering both republics. The participant was to turn the medal, so his country’s coat of arms was on the obverse. The suspender does not swivel, and each county’s forces wore the medal with the with the ribbon denoting the country’s flag served under, yellow on the left for the Orange Free State Republic and green on the left for the Transvaal Republic.
As I collect only to policing units in South Africa, I mentioned the fact that I had secured my first ABO medal to a ZARP awarded to a ZARP Lieutenant, M. Judell to a fellow collector (sometimes, it’s nice to brag). My medal came with his Vorm B copy and other research paperwork provided by the seller. He told another specialist Anglo Boer War medal collector who brought to my attention that I could not possibly be the owner of Lieutenant Judell’s medal as this resided in another collection, and that having seen photos of the medal I was so proudly bragging burst my little bubble by advising that it was a very well-known reproduction, and a very poor one at that.
All the signs and characteristics of the fake medal shown below were clearly to be seen on it.
I was of course not a happy camper! To the credit of the Auctioneers of the medal, despite the fact that it was outside of their return period, they immediately refunded my entire purchase price stating that they too had been fooled by this reproduction. It is however, I understand a fairly common forgery, but after all this is what you pay your buyer’s premium for.
Like many who start out collecting in a new field, I had blithely entered the bidding fray with much enthusiasm and very little knowledge, unable to believe my “luck” at securing a ZARP police officer’s medal. The adage “If it looks too good to be true……it is too good to be true” springs to mind. We also have a saying in South Africa “Ja jy wil mos….” or suck it up buttercup!
What the collector did do however, was pass my tale of woe on to a man trying to create a record of both the genuine and the forged ABO’s and he in turn put me in touch with a collector who was disposing of parts of his collection and lo and behold not only did he have a medal awarded to a ZARP who fought to the bitter end of the war but he also had one of the few awarded to the Oranje Vrijstaat Politie en Artillerie. So for me this was a massive bonus from crying into my pretzels to jumping for joy!
Burgher J.J.A. Pelser Oranjie Vrijstaatse Politie / Artillerie
36-year-old Jacobus Johannes Albertus Pelser was a member of the Orange Free State Republic Police at the start of the war. He, together with all the policemen was also trained as an Artilleryman. When War broke out, he was and drafted into the Oranjie Vrijstaatse Artillerie on 11th October 1899. The Anglo Boer War Museum confirms his appointment in the Artillery under number 2424.
Burger Pelser took part the first major British defeat at the battle of Stormberg, as the Boers including the OVSA who had now joined forces with the Transvaal Artillery, were forced to retreat north after the battle of Abrahams Kraal where despite having a numerical and surprise advantage, the Burgers panicked and retreated during the night attack.
He took part in the battle of Donkerhoek known as Diamond Hill by the British, which despite their being forced to retreat was, according to General Smuts quoted in Packenham’s book, this battle had “an inspiriting effect which could scarcely have been improved by a real victory.”
His final battle it appears was Witrand where the remaining OVSA were banded together with Carolina Commando as part of General Botha’s forces attempting to block the British advance along the Delagoa Bay rail link.
He was seriously wounded, probably in the skirmishes on 21st August 1900 and taken to a Boer hospital at Barberton in the Eastern Transvaal. He was captured when the British overran the hospital on the 13th September 1900.
The ABO medal awarded to Burger Pelser. Mounted court style (unlikely for a Boer veteran) for display. The yellow of the ribbon to the left for a Free State Burgher and showing the Free State obverse.
Records at the Anglo Boer War Museum show that he was sent to the Turffontein Racecourse POW Camp as a POW 13334. All POWs were sent overseas, and I am attempting to find out more on the man after his capture, but it will be an uphill slog.
Below is his Vorm B application showing his battles confirmed by the commandant of the Orange Free State Artillery.
Application Vorm B Completed by Burgher Pelser, Artillerie van Vrystaat en Polisie
The initial warrant for the medal stated that the person may not have surrendered. A special advisory board under Major General Brink vetted the applications from POW’s who claimed their surrender was forced not voluntary. The referral to the board is confirmed in red ink and his capture confirmed. The purple approval stamp is dated 12th September 1921.
Technically, Burger Pelser could have applied for the Boer Republic wound ribbon awarded to members of the Boer forces who were wounded in action. Whether he did is not known.
Records held by the Anglo Boer war Museum on J.J.A. Pelser
Burgher S.C. Scholtz
The second medal I was able to obtain was to Constable (Burger) Stephanus Christiaan Scholtz of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek Politie or ZARP’s. 23 years old when the war started, on the 30th October 1899, Constable Scholtz was called up into the Johannesburg Police Commando. As in the OVSR, policemen were trained as Artillerymen and the Police Commando was to attached to the ZAR Staats Artillerie group. He entrained down to Natal under Commandant General Van Dam where his field service started on the 25th November 1899 when he took part in the siege of Ladysmith.
Above is his Form B signed by General Muller as confirmation of his service his medal being approved on the 19th October 1921.
During the siege of Ladysmith, he was present at the Battle of Colenso where the ZARP’s in no small measure due to their discipline and courage helped in winning the battle. As the ZARP forces moved across the country under the command of General Schoeman to block the British advance in the Cape Colony, he took part in the actions and later defeat at Colesberg and the beginning of the Boer retreat through the Orange Free State. Here he took part in the attack on Abrahamskraal. Back in the Transvaal, he took part in the battles in the Defence of Pretoria, and the battle of Diamond Hill to the British, but, called Donkerhoek by the Boers. During the retreat into the Eastern Transvaal, he took part in the various major and minor skirmishes protecting Louis Botha’s main force around Belfast where in a skirmish on the 16th July 1901 at Pootjies Nek near Belfast he lost his mule killed. He was also present and survived uninjured at the famous last stand at Dalmanutha where the ZARP’s were virtually wiped out.
The ZARP survivors split up, some moving south towards Swaziland with others joining General Ben Viljoen and later General Muller in the northern and Western Transvaal where, ironically, he may have spent his time fighting members of the SA Constabulary. Here his horse passed away probably from a combination of malnutrition and Rinderpest as he fought on to the bitter end of the war. In June 1902, he was ordered to surrender his rifle to the SA Constabulary in Middleburg together with the remnants of General Muller’s forces.
Documents that I have obtained since buying the medal show that after the war and as part of the British Government grants to cover the costs of the war and the rebuilding of the country, Constable Scholtz as an ex-member of the ZARP’s made two claims for three payments.
The first for a mule which was his property and as described above, was killed in action in a skirmish on the 16th July 1901 at Pootjies Nek near Belfast.
At the same time, he claimed for the loss of a replacement horse purchased following the death of the mule which he states died of sickness on the 6th March 1901 when he was in service with General Muller’s Commando.
He also claimed for outstanding salary not paid as a policeman during the war. Despite his claims being supported by affidavits from various Boer officers, none of the three claims were allowed.
Constable Scholtz, it seems accepted the final defeat as well as the loss of both his salary and the animals.
At some time after this, he joined the South African Police as his address on his Vorm B is given as SAP Roodeport a town near Johannesburg.
I am hoping to find out more on this man’s SAP service but without his force number this may again prove to be difficult.
The affidavits made in support of Constable Scholtz’s claims for war reparations in 1903.
His medal below has the original ribbon with a safety pin fixing stitched on to it.
Strangely he seems to have worn his medal as a Free State fighter with the yellow to the viewers left, and the face of the medal showing the Orange Free State coat of arms rather than that of the Transvaal Republic.
I have kept the medal as it was worn by him but have shown the medal in its correct orientation for this article.
The difference between the weave and colour of the modern ribbon of the medal to Burger Pelser on page two and original ribbon here is clear.
The medal awarded to Burgher Scholtz as worn on top and its correct form bottom.
For those interested in these medals, below are views of the known faults on restrikes when compared to the original.
Please note the list only shows the patently obvious and not minor die faults.
Fake Genuine
The naming is hand punched The naming is die-machine impressed
Transvaal 
On the fake, the lettering is too pronounced, the clasp shape is wrong, shield is sunken, and the anchor is the wrong shape and has an indentation. The field below the ox wagon, and the Burgher are incorrect, the trefoils are too pronounced. On the genuine medal there is a lion and, on the fake, a doglike creature.
As seen more clearly below, there is a definite indentation adjacent to the anchor upright within the rope.
Orange Free State 
Trefoils are too thick, and the shield is flat on the fake whilst it is curved proud of the edges on the genuine medal. The lion’s face is a blob; the wagon is the wrong shape as is the lower powder horn on the fake. The rim is far thicker on both sides on the fake medal.
The easiest one to spot
Fake Genuine
Sources
Blake, A Boereverraaier Tafelberg Publishers Cape Town 2010
Fforde J.P.I & Monick S A Guide to South African Orders Decorations and Medals and their Ribbons Published by the South African Museum of Military History Saxonwold Johannesburg 1986
Monick S South African Military Awards 1912 – 1987 Published by the South African Museum of Military History Saxonwold Johannesburg 1988
Pakenham, T The Boer War Harper Perennial Publishers, New York 1992
Uys I South African Military Who’s Who 1452 – 1992 Fortress Publishers Germiston 1992
Research on Const./Burgher Scholtz provided by Dewald Nel dewald@nelantiques.co.za
Medal illustrations from my own collection including the fake.
