St John Ambulance Brigade in South Africa 1900-1902

This website is under construction

Supernumerary officer or supply officer?

The Queen's South Africa Medal (QSA) has the recipient's details impressed around the rim.

Including their rank, usually abbreviated to Ordly: for Orderley (for both 1st and 2nd Grade Orderlies) and Sply: Offcr: but does that represent Supply Officer or the SJAB ranks of 1st & 2nd Class Supernumerary Officer? 

1.

The Evidence:

Brigade Order 27 issued on 1st January 1901 abolished the ranks of 1st and 2nd Class Supernumerary Officer and replaced them with 1st Class Sergeant and Sergeant.

The rank of Corporal was also created. 

The medal rolls submitted to certify the entitlement to the  QSA medal and clasps sometimes shows Supernumerary Officer written in full but it is more often abbreviated - some examples:

 

​​​​​​

The No. 15 General Hospital's submission shows the military rank struck through and replaced with 1/c Supy Offcr 

 

The consolidated typed list (WO100/225 dated 29 November 1901) used this abbreviation in column 3  of this  entry for the same medal which has been impressed with SPLY: OFFCR: There is also a London Gazette correction:  to this entry  

A later consolidated typed list (68/AMC/301) typed list changes the rank abbreviation Supr: Offr: to Supply Offr:

 

[The medal roll submissions that these entries are transcribed from are waiting to be found]

 

 

In this example (20th Field Hospital) it is clear that the militaty rank of Sergeant has been corrected and Supernumerary Officer has been spelt out in full

(Ptes is also corrected to Orderlies).

There is no (discovered) evidence that the officers responsible for certifying medal and clasp entitlements used the rank Supply Officer in South Africa and it seems likely that this error was introduced when the medal rolls were consolidated into a typed list in the UK by people unfamiliar with the (by then defunct) SJAB rank of Supernumerary Officer and their replacing of Supr: Offr: with Supply Offr: which was subsequently impressed on the medals as SPLY: OFFCR:

In conclusion:

The impressed abbreviation of    therefore represents the SJAB rank of:

Supernumerary Officer.

Other than the consolidated typed medal entitlement roll we have not found a contemporaneous mention of the SJAB rank Supply Officer.

Please report any 'record finds' that mention Supply Officer in this context.