Queens South Africa Medal to Sapper Rudd Royal Engineers / jailed for attempting suicide

QSA, Cape Colony and Orange Free State; correctly impressed 8748 Sapper G.R. Rudd. Rl. Engineers

Condition VF (official correction to rank last digit of number)

George Richard Rudd was born in Bradford in 1880. On the 1^st of May 1901 he attested at Bradford, giving his age as 21 and his occupation as Telegraphist with the Post Office.

Rudd served for a total of 1 year and 121 days in the Post Office Section of the Royal Engineers. 1 year and 100 days of which was spent in South Africa. For his service he was awarded the Queens South Africa Medal with bars Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 and south Africa 1902.

Discharged in August 1902, his transition back into civilian life wasn’t smooth. He has worked for the post office from 1894 and returned as a letter sorter. On the 6^{th of} June 1903 he was arrested for stealing a postal letter for four money orders of £1 each inside; stealing a postal letter with a money order of 7s 6d inside. He has been under suspicion for a while and was apprehended by a detective who had him under surveillance in Leeds. Rudd had developed a gambling problem.

Rudd was being transported back to Bradford by Cab, from his waistcoat pocket he produced a knife and attempted to slit his ow throat. The wound was superficial, still he was further charged with ‘Attempting to kill and murder himself’ He would be sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

He emigrated to Canada and then to the USA, he married and had a daughter. George found work as a bookkeeper and it seems he passed away in Colorado in 1934.