Medal - 10th anniversary of the Launch of H.M.S. Natal

A rare survival of HMS Natal is the “Natal Medal”. This medal was not issued by any national authority but was created by the Canteen Committee of HMS Natal and was issued on the 30th September 1915, the 10th anniversary of the launch of the ship. It was seen as a memento of that event. Everybody who was on the ship’s books at the time was issued with one.

During the early part of World War 1 each ship in the Navy and each regiment in the army was responsible for its own victualling and they all had canteen committees. These committees were better or poorer in organisation and resource. Indeed, there was such a disparity between units that the War Office and the Admiralty had some concerns that unrest could be caused amongst the men. This was not a problem in the pre-war days with the regular army and navy. But during the first years of the war the great recruitment of men straight from civilian life it was seen as a problem especially as many were members of trade unions. By the beginning of 1917 the practice of individual canteen committees had died out and the Navy and Army Canteen Board was founded to provide a uniform service across all regiments and ships.

The Canteen Committee of HMS Natal was well endowed during the early years of the war. This was because the Province of Natal, in South Africa adopted her as their ship. This meant that “The good folk” of the colony provided generous monies for the comforts of the crew. There was a surplus of funds and the Canteen Committee decided to use the funds to create the medal.