Description
Queen’s South Africa Medal, bar Defence of Mafeking, Samuel Jones, Mafeking Town Guard.
Officially impressed: “S. Jones, Mafeking Town Gd.” Confirmed on the Medal Roll.
A particularly crisp unworn example of type.
Mr Samuel Jones, was born circa 1862.
According to some online family research, during 1894 he emigrated to South Africa, taking a ship to Durban, Port Natal.
At the time of the war he was working as a Transport Rider local to Mafeking, they would typically travel around on an Ox and Cart selling goods to different towns. Obviously the war put a stop to that temporarily. It was said that he usually worked around the Northern Transvaal near Delareyville.
He was in Mafeking during the famous Siege of Mafeking which lasted from 13th October 1899 until 17th May 1900.
Just after the lifting of the siege, having seemingly had a bit of a wartime romance, he married Lilly Ethel Clementine Hully at Mafeking on 12th June 1900.
The Hulley family was also a family local to Mafeking and 5 of them also served in the Mafeking Town Guard. They were also descendants of an original “1820 Settler.”
They bride and groom were both stated to be residents of Mafeking, 4 men called Jones also served in the Town Guard including Samuel, who may be his family.
He chose to remain in the town for the next 7 or so years, having 2 sons and 3 daughters, 4 children born in Mafeking up to 1907, before his youngest daughter was born in Klerksdorp during 1912.
He died on 6th March 1939 in Johannesburg.
