Colonel-By

I purchased my copy on eBay. It was posted from Paris and arrived expeditiously in Canada. It is a magnificent heavily-illustrated reference work with many color plates of the various medals and badges, etc. I recommend it enthusiastically and without any reservations!!

Here are pictures of the Order of Merit, established in 1861 by King Radama ll, it seems based on the French order system ( 2nd Empire Period ) with rosette, crown & center bust of the King. In 1863 King Radama ll was assassinated and the order became abolished. Does anybody know if the order was primarily given for civil acts or military. Was it mostly awarded to the local populace or Europeans who were stationed in the Kingdom?

Here's a picture of the medal group of General Digby Willoughby, a British soldier-of-fortune who commanded the Madagascan Army against the French in the 1880's. Willoughby subsequently signed the Peace Treaty between the Madagascan and French Governments and was awarded the Order of Merit of Radama II (Officer's Class in gilt) and the French Legion of Honour in recognition of his services. I acquired Willoughby's medals in 1980 and I still have them. I published an article on this remarkable gentleman in a 1982 issue of the Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society (UK).