Description
Queen’s South Africa, no bar, Bronze Issue for Followers, Syce Rohlia 1, 72nd Battery, Royal Field Artillery.
Officially engraved in running script: “Syce Rohlia (1) 72d Bty R F Arty”
Confirmed on the medal roll being the first of two men named Rohlia, fortunately the rolls and naming distinguished who was who, the naming noting 1 in brackets.
The roll for the 72nd Battery lists only 16 “Native Followers” with this unit, of which 1 was returned to the mint.
Rare to find to a unit other than the more commonly seen Supply and Transport Corps.
The roll also notes that in an ideal world he would have been entitled to 2 clasps for his services, for Cape Colony and Orange Free State.
As the medal roll was written out in September 1901 during the war, it It was noted that they were entitled to some “Claps if Sanctioned”, sadly it was decided that those who earned the Bronze Medal, would not qualify for any clasps, the clasps annotated for this page reading “No claps to be issued for these followers.”
A SYCE?
In the Indian Army etc, a Syce is the equivalent of a Groom, being a non-combatant who tended to the Horses of a unit.
The heavy artillery guns of the Royal Artillery were usually towed around by Horses for this purpose the 72nd Battery employed amongst Rohlia, 15 Syces for this purpose under the command of a Jemadar Syce named “McGale”
