United Kingdom. A Queen’s South Africa Medal to Trooper Wingrave, B.S.A. Police

Instituted 1899. In silver, rim impressed 837 TPR. W. J. WINGRAVE. B.S.A. POLICE with RHODESIA clasp, suspension loose, minor wear and scratches present, very fine. 

Footnote: W.J. Wingrave is on the QSA and KSA Rolls, serving with the British South African Police. 

The British South Africa Police (B.S.A.P.) served in an important auxiliary military role during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), particularly in Rhodesia and along the northern frontiers of the Cape Colony and Bechuanaland. Originally raised as a mounted paramilitary police force for the administration of Rhodesia, the B.S.A.P. was mobilised for wartime service to secure communications, protect settlements, and counter Boer incursions into the northern theatre.

In Rhodesia, B.S.A.P. detachments formed part of the colonial defensive network that safeguarded key towns, railway lines, and supply routes from possible Boer raiding columns advancing northward. The force carried out mounted patrols, reconnaissance, convoy escort, and garrison duties, while also assisting imperial troops in maintaining order and surveillance across vast and lightly defended frontier districts. During the guerrilla phase of the war, B.S.A.P. units continued to operate as mobile columns and line-of-communication troops, reflecting the critical role of colonial police forces in sustaining British control over Rhodesia and adjacent regions throughout the conflict.