Description
British War Medal, Bronze Issue for non combatant labourers, 20885 Private John Seboka, Basutoland Contingent, South African Native Labour Corps.
Officially impressed: “20885 Pte J. Seboka. S.A.N.L.C.”
Good condition example.
Confirmed on the medal roll, which notes he amongst those recruited in Basutoland and attested for service at Mafeteng on 9th October 1917.
He was later discharged on 30th September 1918.
The roll also confirms that he saw active service Overseas.
His home of Mafeteng is now part of the nation of Lesotho in what was “Basutoland” during the period, a British Protectorate.
The S.A.N.L.C. was in existence for only a short time during World War 1.
Formed in 1916, it was disbanded in January 1918.
The men were recruited in South Africa from local volunteers on a 1 year contract, the recruiting starting in September 1916 with a plan to recruit 10,000 black recruits to make up 5 Battalions of 2,000 men with 63 Officers and NCOs.
These men were posted to serve in France, the first battalion arriving in November 1916.
By May 1918 all the men were back home in South Africa, but they had since lost 1304 men of the SANLC who died on various duties.
This included 600 Men of the SANLC who went down on the SS Mendi.
Famously on board was the Reverend Isaac Wauchope Dyobha, of the SANLC, who gave this speech on board the ship:
“Be quiet and calm, my countrymen, for what is taking place is exactly what you came to do. You are going to die, but that is what you came to do.
“Brothers, we are drilling the death drill. I, a Xhosa, say you are my brothers. Zulus, Swazis, Pondos, Basothos and all others, let us die like warriors. We are the sons of Africa. Raise your war cries my brothers, for though they made us leave our assegais back in the kraals, our voices are left with our bodies.”
Unfortunately for those proud men that returned home, they were told that unlike the Black Africans who had fought with Regiments which came from the British Protectorates, such as the King’s African Rifles, the labourers of the SANLC, who came from South Africa would be disqualified from claiming the British War Medal.
Fortunately they would at least be then given the Bronze Version of the British War Medal, although apparently South Africa had specially denied them these medals, but as those such as Seboka were technically employed from the British Protectorate of Basutoland, rather than the newly independent Union of South Africa, they were awarded the Bronze British War Medal, this only extended to the 3 British Protectorates in the region.
