Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Boer War D.C.M. group of five awarded to Corporal W. T. Jearey, British South Africa Police

Distinguished Conduct Medal, E.VII.R. (Corpl., B.S.A. Police), surname spelt ‘Jeary’; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Cape Colony, Rhodesia, Relief of Mafeking, Transvaal, South Africa 1901 (1164 Corpl., B.S.A. Police); King’s South Africa 1901-02, no clasp (Condr, A.S.C.); British War and Bilingual Victory Medals, both unnamed issues, last two mint, others nearly very fine and better (5) £1600-1800

D.C.M. London Gazette 27 September 1901

M.I.D. London Gazette 16 April 1901.

In the above gazettes the name is given as, ‘H. Geary’; a correction appears in London Gazette 14 November 1905.

William Thomas Jearey attested for the Matabeleland Corps of the B.S.A. Police on 10 August 1899. With them he was mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (One of only 3 to the unit). He was discharged from the B.S.A. Police on 9 August 1901. He later served as a Conductor in the Army Service Corps, January-31 May 1902. During the Great War he served with the 7th Regiment South African Infantry, being taken on to the strength in December 1915. He received a slight wound to the fingers in March 1916 resulting in several weeks in hospital and was discharged as temporarily unfit for war service in April 1917 after suffering a third bout of malaria.

Sold with verification for Q.S.A. and K.S.A.; copied gazette extracts; copied Great War service papers and medical reports and a letter from the South African Dept. of Defence regarding the re-issue of unnamed British War and Victory Medals in October 2003.