Description
Boer War and Red Cross Medals to a Pharmacist – John Sanders of Crewkerne, Dorset.
Queen’s South Africa, clasps Cape Colony and South Africa 1902. – 16974 Pte. J. F. Sanders, RAMC.
Red Cross ‘Technical’ medal with clasp ‘Pharmacist’ [Numbered ‘21’ and with ‘John Fletcher Sanders’]. With associated ribbon buckle/brooch.
Note –
[1] when originally sold some years ago the QSA had the clasp South Africa 1901 roughly attached on the top (out of sequence) – this has subsequently been removed as he was not entitled to it. See medal roll “Medal and two clasps issued 11/1/05”. [2] the clasp ‘Pharmacist’ is one of the rarest of the professional clasps associated with this award. Instituted only in 1914, this is a very early issue [discontinued in 1960s].These medals were the subject of an article “Pharmacist at War” in “The Armourer” Magazine in 2012.
John Fletcher Sanders was born in llminster, Somerset, in 1878, the son of the local town chemist. He spent most of his professional life as a town chemist in Crewkerne in Dorset, where the various shops that he occupied are easily identified and still in use in the main streets today.
He attested for short service with the Royal Army Medical Corps at Taunton on 10 January 1902 and served for two terms in South Africa, 21 March-6 September 1902 (qualifying for the medal) and 23 September 1902-6 January 1903. He was discharged on the termination of his period of engagement on 9 January 1903. His second service seems to have included work as a pharmacist on a troopship – possibly the Avondale Castle.
Sanders registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on 19 July 1904 – his address given as ‘Budleigh House, Silver Street, llminster’. From 1914 and between the wars his address was ‘East Street, Crewkerne’.
British Red Cross Archive shows that he served as a pharmacist between October 1914 and December 1918 attached to the Somerset/62nd Detachment at Hinton House Hospital, a temporary Red Cross Auxiliary Hospital located near Crewkerne. Probably entitled to the Red Cross medal [white ribbon] for 1914-18 service – he is not on the roll for any WW1 campaign medals.
There are many adverts etc. for/by Sanders in local newspapers throughout his career – copies of some are included in the good file of biographical information which accompanies the pair.
