The Queen's South Africa Medal and NZEF British War Medal and Victory Medal pair issued to Sidney Malin, who served in South Africa with the Western Province Mounted Rifles and Bethunes Mounted Infantry and was wounded on the Western Front whilst serving with the NZEF.

 

Sidney Gilbert Malin was born 19th November 1877 at Port Adelaide, Australia. Son of Sidney and Mary Masterman Malin (née Adams).  Malin enlisted in the Western Province Mounted Rifles on 11th January 1901 for a period of six months. The service of this unit is described in Stirling: "When the second invasion of Cape Colony took place in December 1900 several new bodies of volunteers or irregulars were raised at Cape Town, among others this corps. They reached a strength of over 500. As soon as a squadron was ready it took the field, because the enemy in the first week of January 1901 had reached within a day's ride of Cape Town. During January and February the corps was constantly in action.

Throughout 1901 and 1902 the corps did an immense amount of arduous work in the extreme south-west of the Colony. They were often far from support and in a district much favoured by the enemy, and one almost impossible for regular troops. The corps had endless little engagements, frequently involving sharp casualties, and if they had a good many patrols captured this may be attributed to their being more than usually split up into little detachments at the request of the officer who commanded the district."

 

Malin re-attested for service on 31st August 1901 at Durban, this time with Bethune's Mounted Infantry, with whom he served until the end of March 1902. Malin subsequently came to New Zealand around 1906, settling as a bookseller in Wellington. He attested for service in the NZEF in May 1917, embarking with the 30th Reinforcements. Sidney Malin served on the Western Front with C Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade from April 1918. He was wounded in action on 21st August 1918, suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. He was evacuated to the UK, where he recovered and embarked for New Zealand in May 1919.

 

Malin lived and worked as a bookseller and newsagent in Hamilton, and later in Pukekohe, where he died on 7th August 1956. He was buried in the RSA section of Pukekohe Cemetery.

 

The QSA w/clasps Cape Colony and Orange Free State is correctly impressed 307 TPR. S. G. MALIN. W.PROV.M.R., and the NZEF pair is correctly impressed 57562 RFLM. S.G. MALIN. N.Z.E.F. Note, Malin is entitled to the clasps SOUTH AFRICA 1901 and SOUTH AFRICA 1902, issued off the roll of the BMI.

 

 

Service file held at Archives New Zealand