In the Colonies and Boer Republics which became the Union of South Africa in 1910, several unofficial military decorations and medals were instituted and awarded during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal is an unofficial private campaign medal which was instituted in 1899 by Lieutenant Colonel S.H. van Diggelen, the founder and Commanding Officer of the ''Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps'', for award to the officers and men of his unit.
(Access date 26 April 2015) ttp://www.geocities.ws/militaf/un52.htm South African Medal Website - Unofficial Military Awards(Access date 27 April 2015)

The Volunteer Corps

In terms of Act 17, 1894, three Volunteer Corps units were established in the '' Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek'' in 1894, in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

and

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west ...

. The ''Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps'' was founded and largely financed by Mr. S.H. van Diggelen, who was commissioned by President

Paul Kruger Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (; 10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904) was a South African politician. He was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and President of the South African Republic (or ...

as its commander with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The first meeting to form the Corps was held in Van Diggelen's office on 18 September 1894, with subsequent meetings on 19 September 1894 and 27 March 1895. The first meeting in 1894, as the date on the medal suggests, could be considered the day on which the ''Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps'' was established. The official date of disbandment appears to be 1 January 1899.

Actions

The ''Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps'' took part in two significant actions. The first was at

Doornkop Doornkop (literally "thorn hill") is a ridge and locality on the western outskirts of Soweto in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. Battles It is the spot where Dr Leander Starr Jameson was defeated on 2 January 1896 following the Jameson Raid ...

from 29 December 1895 to 2 January 1896, to suppress the planned Johannesburg ''Uitlander'' Revolution and against the

Jameson Raid The Jameson Raid (29 December 1895 – 2 January 1896) was a botched raid against the South African Republic (commonly known as the Transvaal) carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson, under the employment of Cecil ...

, an unsuccessful British-backed attempt to overthrow the ''Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek'' government.Christie's, The Art People - Sale 1232, Lot 6, Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal 1894-99, Bronze, Unnamed As Issued, Edge Bruising, About Very Fine (Lot notes)
(Access date 27 April 2015)DNW Auctions - Orders, Decorations And Medals (22 June 1999) - Lot 164 - Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal 1894-99, bronze, unnamed as issued, edge bruising, otherwise very fine and very rare £400-600
(Access date 27 April 2015) The second was the

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its n ...

Expedition in 1898. The Expedition took place following the murder of the Chief Induna Mbaba at Zomboti, the seat of the Swazis, in April 1898. At the time of the murder, Swaziland was administered by the Republican Government and the expedition seems to have consisted mainly of patrols for the maintenance of order in that country. Between these two actions, Van Diggelen had also offered his unit's services to the

British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expect ...

Administrator in

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during the Second Matabele War in

Matabeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambe ...

in April 1896, but his offer was declined with thanks.

Institution

The Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal was instituted in 1899 by Lieutenant Colonel Van Diggelen to award to the officers and men of the Corps. Whilst the medal does bear the coat of arms of the ''Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek'', which may indicate official sanction, it appears that Van Diggelen arranged and paid for the award himself.The Soldier's Burden - The DTD, ABO and LvW - Awards to the Boer Side: Anglo Boer War 1899–1902, by Henk Loots
(Access date 29 January 2015) The medals were awarded after the conclusion of the Swaziland Expedition. Two clasps were also awarded, the ''Jameson Inval en Revolutie te Johannesburg 1895–1896'' clasp and the ''Swazieland Expeditie 1898'' clasp. It is not known how many of these medals were awarded, but only ten are known to still exist.

Description

The medal is a disk, 47 millimetres in diameter and struck in bronze. Without suspender, it weighs 48.42 grams. A bronze ring suspender, formed from 1.65-millimetre-diameter wire, passes through a hole in a spherical bronze knob, 7 millimetres in diameter and fused to the top of the medal. The medal was minted by Messrs. Begeer of Utrecht in Holland, now known as ''Naamlooze Vennootschap Atelier voor Edelsmeed- en Penningkunst voorheen Koninklijke Begeer, Voorschoten.''

Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal reverse

;Obverse The obverse has the coat of arms of the ''Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek'', with the inscription "ZUID AFRIKAANSCHE REPUBLIEK" around the perimeter at the bottom. ;Reverse The reverse has, in the centre, a pearl-rimmed cartouche inscribed "JOHANNESBURG VRIJWILLIGER CORPS" on a decorative background, surrounded by two laurel branches. The upper perimeter is inscribed "COMMANDANT V.H. CORPS LUIT^NT KOL: S. H. VAN DIGGELEN", and at the bottom the years "1894-1899". The manufacturer's name is inscribed in small capitals next to the years, "BEGEER" to the left of the year 1894 and "UTRECHT" to the right of the year 1899. ;Clasps The two clasps were struck in bronze and are the width of the ribbon, made to slip over the ribbon. The first is inscribed "JAMESON INVAL EN REVOLUTIE TE JOHANNESBURG 1895-1896" in three lines and is 8.3 millimetres high. The second is inscribed "SWAZIELAND EXPEDITIE 1898" in two lines and is 7 millimetres high. ;Ribbon The ribbon is wide, with equal width bands of bright grass-green, scarlet, white and deep sky-blue, the colours of the '' Transvaal Vierkleur''.

Status

While privately instituted military decorations and medals do not enjoy official status, as a result of not having been formally instituted or sanctioned by the

fount of honour The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Age ...

at the time, and while none of them were therefore allowed to be worn with military uniform, some have become well-known and have acquired recognition in South Africa's military medal history. Four of these decorations and medals are considered to be significant.South African Medal Website - Legal aspects - Fount of Honour
(Accessed 1 May 2015) * Sir Harry Smith's Medal for Gallantry of 1851. * The Johannesburg Vrijwilliger Corps Medal of 1899. * The Kimberley Star of 1900. * The

Cape Copper Company Medal for the Defence of O'okiep In the Colonies and Boer Republics which became the Union of South Africa in 1910, several unofficial military decorations and medals were instituted and awarded during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Cape Copper Company Medal fo ...

of 1902.

References

{{South African military decorations and medals Military decorations and medals of South Africa Military decorations and medals of South Africa pre-1952 South African Republic Awards established in 1899 1899 establishments in South Africa Campaign medals