Awarded for campaign service in the Anglo - Boer War 1899 -1902.

The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to all British forces who served in South Africa from 11 October 1899 up to the end of the war on 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, the Cape of Good Hope, the Colony of Natal and "hensoppers" (joiners and collaborators, literally "hands-uppers") from the South African Republic and Orange Free State, civilians employed in official capacity, war correspondents, and non-enlisted men of whatever nationality who drew military pay, qualified for the award of the medal. This included those such as the New Zealand 10th Contingent, who arrived in Durban in May 1902, but did not fight.

Approximately 178,000 medals were awarded. 

Altogether 26 clasps were awarded to recipients of the Queen's South Africa Medal, to indicate each action and campaign of the Second Boer War. They were authorised in Army Order 94, April 1902, as amended. The official order of wear of all 26 clasps is according to the starting dates of the applicable battle or campaign and, in the case of the four clasps with the same starting dates, also according to the duration of the campaign. As they would appear on a ribbon and read from the suspender upwards, their order of wear is as follows, with the clasps at the bottom of the list appearing closest to the suspender and their applicable starting dates shown in brackets

• SOUTH AFRICA 1902 (1 January 1902)
• SOUTH AFRICA 1901 (1 January 1901)
• BELFAST (26 August 1900)
• WITTEBERGEN (1 July 1900)
• DIAMOND HILL (11 June 1900)
• LAING'S NEK (2 June 1900)
• JOHANNESBURG (29 May 1900)
• TRANSVAAL (24 May 1900)
• WEPENER (9 April 1900)
• DRIEFONTEIN (10 March 1900)
• ORANGE FREE STATE (28 February 1900)
• PAARDEBERG (17 February 1900)
• RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY (15 February 1900)
• TUGELA HEIGHTS (14 February 1900)
• RELIEF OF LADYSMITH (15 December 1899)
• MODDER RIVER (28 November 1899)
• BELMONT (23 November 1899)
• DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH (3 November 1899)
• ELANDSLAAGTE (21 October 1899)
• TALANA (20 October 1899)
• DEFENCE OF KIMBERLEY (14 October 1899)
• DEFENCE OF MAFEKING (13 October 1899)
• RELIEF OF MAFEKING (11 October 1899 to 17 May 1900)
• RHODESIA (11 October 1899 to 17 May 1900)
• NATAL (11 October 1899 to 11 June 1900)
• CAPE COLONY (11 October 1899 to 31 May 1902)