The Pro Patria Medal came out in 1974. See No.SA.37 in The Medal Year Book for the whole story.....or at least MOST of the story!!!

For those of you that have really dug into this medal........and it takes quite a bit of digging......because if the truth be told.......it was VERY sloppily distributed to the lads......some of whom had worked very hard to earn it.
In this case the correct story is as follows. In those early days; when the first......(Less than 5000) had come back from being well into Angola. A Minting run in Numbered Silver and done especially by the South African Mint was ordered.
But why such a high number?........You might well ask.........and the reason was nothing more than deception.........in fact as Michael said to me........the medals' number with 98128 could well have been the 128th issued and the 98 at the front no more than a lot of 'Hoohaa' to deceive.......They just DID NOT want anyone to realise how few troops had in fact been up there.
"Quartermaster's Comment":- Definitely Variant No. One. Has a swing suspension. In MINT Condition. A very nice item.