Description
Queen’s South Africa, 3 bars, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, SA 1901, 2348 Pte T. Slade, 2nd Bn Royal West Kent Regiment
Officially impressed: “2348 Pte. T. Slade. Rl. W. Kent Regt”
Confirmed on the roll, please note the suspension bar has been bent forwards.
The roll does however notes that initially he was entitled to “NO MEDAL” recalling that he: “Forfeits medal under Section 18” and was disallowed the medal which should have been issued at first with Wittebergen and Cape Colony clasp, but later: “Re earned medal, issued with C.C. O.F.S.”
The medal roll says “Medal re-earned see AG2/M/6158 Issue Authorised AG2/M/6158”
For some reason when the medal was “re-earned” he was not allowed his previous Wittebergen clasp, but the 3 clasps on the medal.
Thomas Henry Slade was born in Plymouth, Devon circa 1870.
Enlisted in the Royal West Kents aged 18 on 3rd July 1888.
he was a former 4th Bn Militia Man of the same regiment who had previously been denied enlistment due to being “Under chest measurements”.
Curious as his birth date was actually late 1871, so he was more like 17 and trying to sneak into the full time Army, but was undersize as he was still quite young.
He was one of those soldiers who was technically done with his service by the war, he had been in the Army Reserve with the rank of Corporal since 8th Feb 1896, but was emergency recalled.
His service records recall the reasoning for his initial forfeiting of the medal and loss of his Corporal rank.
“12th September 1900, Awaiting Trial.
18th September 1900, Convicted and Imprisoned by Field General Court Martial:
1) Not complying with an Order.
2) Doing such without a cause.
Reduced to the ranks and 1 month of field imprisonment and hard labour.”
Later in life, during 1911 he was noted as a “Prison Service Warden” living in Preston, Lancashire.
This lines up with his appointment back in 1896, dated 1st September 1896 where he became a Subordinate Officer Division I, with the Prison Departments England, as noted in the London Gazette, 4th Sept 1896. Which he would have interrupted to fight in the Boer War.
