M.T. HUNTER, CIVILIAN SCOUT OR COMMISSARIAT SERVICE/STAFF (?) North-West Canada Medal 1885, no clasp (contemporary local style naming, engraved in serifed letters: M.T. Hunter. C.S.). Light hairline surface scratches in field to right of Victoria's bust (now toned over), otherwise attractively toned, Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine and with a length of original ribbon.
M.T. Hunter is not listed on the medal rolls (original or published) for this medal and the unit abbreviation "C.S." uncertain, but possibly stands for Civilian Scout or Commissariat Service/Staff.
During the North West Canada campaign of 1885 the army and militia units involved lacked much of the necessary logistics support for active service in the field. This gap was filled by recruiting civilian volunteers / contractors to provide logistic support for the duration of the campaign. Following the conclusion of the campaign, many of these volunteers / contractors were initially denied a medal and/or clasp for the campaign because they had been employed during the campaign in a civilian capacity. In the post-war years the civilians denied a medal and / or clasp lobbied extensively for medalic recognition and many were eventually granted medals. Perhaps the most well-known group of men who successfully lobbied for a medal were the civilians employed by the Transport Service, who were eventually granted a medal by Order in Council P.C.2794 of 1945, some sixty years after the campaign.
An account of the campaign by the civilians employed by the Transport Service is to be found in the published roll for the North West Canad 1885 Medal (Spink, London, 1975), as follows:
"The Department of National Defence file on the award of the North West Canada medal was kept active only by applications for the replacement of lost medals and by an occaSional late application for initial issue!® but, on 21 November 1944, W. E, Read, the secretary-treasurer of the Saskatchewan section of the North West Field Force Association, opened a vigorous campaign to have the issuance of the medal ex- tended to members of the Transport Service. The Transport Service were never awarded medals or scrip and as all other units of service were so awarded, including Home Guards .. . who though armed were never called upon to serve; while the Transport were armed and performed a service that made possible the advance of troops from Troy, now Qu'Appelle, to Clarke's Crossing. The Military Secretary replied that "the Transport Service . .. have never been Considered as members of the enrolled Militia but as civilian personnel employed on transport duties" and denied that members of the Home Guard units were eligible to receive the medal. In a memorandum to the Military Secretary dated 5 January 1945, Major-General A. E. Walford, the Adjutant General, expanded on this point: They were civilians hired and paid for a particular purpose and were not enlisted personnel belonging to any of the units called out at the time .It is a matter of history that previous to the formation of the Army Service Corps supply services were performed by civilian contractors who hired their own help. They were classed as suttlers and camp followers but had no military status. Responding to the statement which implied that no civilians had been awarded the medal, Read retorted that the crew of the Northcote had been recipients. The Government's argument was that, although there was no separate warrant or order authorizing the award of the medal, it had been awarded to those who were entitled to grants of land for their services in the Rebellion, specifically, (a) Every officer, non-commissioned officer and man actively engaged and bearing arms, other than as a home guard for protection at or near their place of residence. (b) Every scout actively engaged during said outbreak. (c) Crew of the Steamer Northcote. (d) Regularly appointed Medical Staff actively engaged during said outbreak. (e) Nurses and hospital dressers actively engaged and reported for meritorious service. On 19 April 1945, the government capitulated. An Order in Council of that date extended the award of the North West Canada medal to surviving member of the Transport Service. The list which follows was compiled by Mrs Joan McLaren from several rolls in the Public Archives of Canada. Notations appearing opposite the names of recipients in the original rolls have been included as footnotes to this list. In spite of serious misgivings about the accuracy of the spelling of some names, we have decided to adhere as closely as possible to the spelling found in the originals."
A copy of the roll of the civilian employees of the Transport Service granted a medal in 1945, comprising some 64 men, accompanies Hunter's medal. Hunter, however, is not listed on this roll and so presumably saw service as a civilian volunteer with another unit (Civilian Scout or Commissariat Service/Staff ?). His medal therefore worthy of further research to establish Hunter's identity and confirm which unit he actually served with during the North West Canada campaign of 1885.
The naming on this medal is of contemporary locally engraved style and is entirely original (not renamed), and is as issued, so Hunter presumably not entitled to the Saskatchewan clasp.