Kimberley Medal

 

The Second Boer War 1899-1902.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Kimberley Medal was an un-official British Empire campaign medal that was to be presented by the Town Council of Kimberley for service during the Boer War. It was ‘instituted’ in 1900 and was to be awarded to the defenders of Kimberley that endured the 124 day siege that commenced on the 15 October 1899.

 

It was struck in England but, due to the fact that it incorporated an unsanctioned Royal Cypher on the reverse, most of the medals were melted down.

 

No medals were ever issued and it is unclear how many medals survived.

 

 

The medal is circular, 38mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears a figure of Victory above the Kimberley Town Hall and the dates; ‘1899-1900’ with the inscription; 'SOUTH AFRICA'.

 

The reverse has the inscription; 'INVESTED 15 OCT 1899' within two shields and the inscription; 'RELIEVED 15 FEB 1900'.

 

There is an Imperial Crown, Royal Cipher and the inscription; 'TO THE GALLANT DEFENDERS OF KIMBERLEY'.

 

 

 

The ribbon is 25mm wide with a black left stripe, yellow right stripe and three narrower equal stripes of red, white and blue in the centre.

 

 

None were authorised for this medal.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Second Boer War.

- The Siege Of Kimberley.

 

The Second Boer War - The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State.

 

It ended with a British victory and the annexation of both republics by the British Empire; both would eventually be incorporated into the Union of South Africa, a dominion of the British Empire, in 1910.

 

The conflict is commonly referred to as The Boer War but is also known as the South African War outside South Africa, the Anglo-Boer War among most South Africans, and in Afrikaans as the Anglo-Boereoorlog or Tweede Vryheidsoorlog (Second War of Liberation or Second Freedom War) or the Engelse oorlog (English War).

 

The Second Boer War and the earlier, much less well known, First Boer War (December 1880 to March 1881) are collectively known as the Boer Wars.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

The Siege Of Kimberley - The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town.

 

The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two Boer republics in October 1899. The town was ill-prepared, but the defenders organised an energetic and effective improvised defence that was able to prevent it from being taken.

 

Cecil Rhodes, who had made his fortune in the town, and who controlled all the mining activities, moved into the town at the onset of the siege. His presence was controversial, as his involvement in the Jameson Raid made him one of the primary protagonists behind war breaking out.

 

Rhodes was constantly at loggerheads with the military, but he was nonetheless instrumental in organising the defence of the town. The Boers shelled the town with their superior artillery in an attempt to force the garrison to capitulate. Engineers of the De Beers company manufactured a one-off gun named Long Cecil, however the Boers soon countered with a much larger siege gun that terrified the residents, forcing many to take shelter in the Kimberley Mine.

 

The British military had to change its strategy for the war as public opinion demanded that the sieges of Kimberley, Ladysmith and Mafeking be relieved before the Boer capitals were assaulted. The first attempt at relief of Kimberley under Lord Methuen was stopped at the battles of Modder River and Magersfontein.

 

The 124-day siege was finally relieved on 15 February 1900 by a cavalry division under Lieutenant-General John French, part of a larger force under Lord Roberts. The battle against the Boer general Piet Cronjé continued at Paardeberg immediately after the town itself was relieved.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.