Austria-Hungary An Austro-British medal

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

Among the Austrian medals, there is one that is strictly connected to Great Britain: the Golden Medal for the battle of Villiers-en-Crouche, 1794, where 8 British cavalry officers were firstly rewarded from Emperor Francis II with an especially-made large gold medal to be worn at the neck by means of a golden chain; later, these officers were created knights of the Military Maria Theresia Order, still retaining the right to wear the medal as a visible sign of distinction and personal appreciation of the Emperor.

To my knowledge, two of these medals appeared on the market, both sold by Spink's in the '60s; the first, offered for sale on the October 1966 issue of the Numismatic Circular and immediately sold; the second, sold to a famous collector in 1967.

Are there any further awarded pieces known, in private hands or museums?

Many thanks in advance,

Enzo

Edited February 27, 2008 by Elmar Lang

[hunyadi]

Do you have an image of the medal? It would certainly be very interesting to see!

[Ed_Haynes]

Someplace, I think I still have the Spink catalogue. Let me seek . . . .

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

The medal is illustrated on Mericka's Book "Orden und Ehrenzeichen der Oesterrechisch-Ungarischen Monarchie", Vienna, 1974; on Proch?zka's "Oesterreichisches Ordenshandbuch", Munich, 1976, on Joseph v. Falkenstien (Dan Ragsdale): "Imperial Austrian Medals and Decorations", Tucson, Arizona, 1972, etc. (on "Oesterreichs Orden", Graz, 1997 there's illustrated a later striking in gold).

Its measures are 60 mm. diam. and 280 grams; on the obverse the laureated head of the emperor facing right, with the inscription "IMP. CAES. FRANCISCVS. II. P. F. AVG."; on the reverse, the inscription "FORTI. BRITANNO. IN EXERCITV. FOED. AD. CAMERACVM. XXIV. APR. MDCCXCIV." ("To the courageous Briton in the Allied Army, near Cambrai, 24th April 1794").

The medal was suspended to the elaborate, typical gold chain made of round, flat S-shaped rings.

In my opinion, it's the rarest Austrian military medal and the only one of its kind to expressely have an "international" meaning.

I don't know if all medals survived (except the two I know that passed through the market), but it would be great to locate the other 6 pieces.

Best wishes,

Enzo

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

searching through my library, I've found some more info about the "Medal for 8 British Officers" in 4 old British books.

The first is:

Charles Morton ELVIN: "A Handbook of the Orders of Chivalry, War Medals & Crosses with their clasps and ribbons..." London, Dean & Son, 1893, where, searching alphabetically at the word "CAMBRAY", we can read:

"CAMBRAY. Gold Medal. Conferred by the Emperor of Germany Francis II. upom eight Officers of the 15^th Light Dragons (sic!) for their gallant conduct on the 24^th., Aril 1794, in defeating the French at Villiers-en-Couche near Cambray known by the name of Caesar's Camp, and preventing the Emperor from being taken prisoner. Lieutenant Colonel William Aylett, and seven other surviving officers received their Sovereign's permission to wear the same. The Royal Licence was officially notified in the London Gazette, on the 2^nd., June 1801." (a mistake: actually, the Austrian Medal was "gazetted" on May 30th 1801; Numb. 15370, page 607). A description of the medal follows.

Then, in

Thomas Carter: "British War Medals and how they were won"; London, Norie and Wilson, 1893, pages 642-643, we find:

"A large and handsome gold medal and chain was presented by the emperor of Germany, Francis II., on mAy 1^st., 1798 (correctly, 1794), to eight officers of the 15^th. Light Dragoons, for the gallant conduct of the regiment at the action of Villiers-en-Couch?, near Cambray, April 24^th., 1894 (correctly, 1794); by which the Emperor was preserved from being taken prisoner by the French. There were but two squadrons of the 15^th. Engaged, but they, with a small body of German Cavalry, attacked and routed several thousands of the enemy, and captured three guns. The medal weighs 4 ozs. 7dwts., with a gold chain of the same weight. On the obverse is a laureated head of the Emperor, with the words "Imp. Caes. Franciscus. II., P. F. Aug."; beneath the head is the name of the engraver, J.N. Wirt, F. On the reverse "Forti Britanno in Exercitu. Foed. Ad Cameracum, XXIV Apr., MDCCXCIV.," with laurel branches beneath.

The officers who received the medal were, Major William Aylett; Captains Edward Pocklington, and Edward M. Ryan; Lieutenants Thomas G. Calcraft, Wm. G. Keir, and Thomas B. Blount; Cornets Edward G. Butler, and Robert Wilson. Only nine medals were struck in gold, and one of these was deposited in the Imperial cabinet at Vienna."

A note, in the same page, says: "Two years afterwards, in November, 1800, the Emperor further rewarded the eight officers of the 15^th., by conferring on each of them the Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa, permission to accept and wear the insignia being granted by George III. At the Greg sale, May 16, 1887, the medal and chain, with the cross of Maria Theresa, given to Cornet E.G. Butler, were sold for ? 240."

In Stanley C. Johnson: "Chats on Military Curios"; London, T. Fisher Unwin, 1915, pages 121-122 we can read:

"In the Year 1794, another case of British soldiers receiving a foreign decoration occurred. In this instance, Emperor Francis II of Germany was the donor of a gold medal and a chain pendant to each of eight officers of the 15^th Light Dragoons. The Emperor had fallen into a precarious position at Villiers-en-Crouch?, a small settlement near Cambray, and, had it not been for the heroic and persistent efforts of the English, he would certainly have been captured by the French, who were massed in great numbers. The awards were made as a thank-offering for his lucky escape.

Unlike the Pope's decorations, those of Francis II were recognized by the English Army Authorities, and the recipients were allowed to wear them when parading in full dress. The following letter may be quoted in reference to the matter:

To Lord Dorchester, Colonel of the 15^th Dragoons.

May 1^st 1798.

My Lord,

The Emperor of Germany having been pleased to present each of the officers of the 15^th Regiment under your Lordship's command, who distinguished themselves in so gallant a manner by their spirited attack upon the enemy, with a very inferior force, on the 24^th April, 1794, near Cambray, a gold medal has been struck by his Imperial Majesty's orders, on the occasion, as a particular mark of the sense he entertained of the signal service thereby rendered to the Allied Army.

I have therefore the honour, by order of his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief to signify to your Lordship his Majesty's pleasure that the abovementioned officers shall be permitted to wear the said medals constantly with their uniforms, as an honorary badge of their bravery in the field of action, and an inducement to all others to imitate, on every favourable occasion, their glorious example.

I have, etc.

Wm. Fawcett, Adjutant General"

Last but not least, in

W. Augustus Steward: "War Medals and their history", London, Stanley Paul & Co., 1915, at page 399, in the chapter "Sale Prices", I've found: "Gold Medal and Chain given by the German Emperor to eight officers of the 15^th Light Dragoons, for "brilliant and important services" at Villiers-en-Couche (near Cambrai), April 24^th, 1794; ? 260 s.0 d.0".

I think that this medal could be considered very close to a "Holy Grail", from any collector of Austrian decorations ...

Best wishes,

Enzo

Edited February 29, 2008 by Elmar Lang

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

my research is going on, and, thanks to the highly informative website of the London Gazette, I've found the .pdf files of all gazettes where the fact of Villiers-en-Couch? (there simply indicated as Cambray); and the award -both of the medal and the Maria Theresia Order- are quoted.

To Ed: any trace of the old Spink Catalogue? I think that in the old Numismatic Circular there was a picture (and group description) of the medal with chain and the MMThO Knight's Cross.

Best wishes,

Enzo

Edited April 26, 2008 by Elmar Lang

[922F]

I recall this photo but not much else--in any case ultra rare--FJP may have this catalog in thier upcoming sales.

[Elmar Lang]

ultra rare... The catalogue with photo, or the medal itself?...

[Taz]

These are the gold medals given to the officers of the 15th Light Dragoons by the Austrian Emperor Francis II. It is 6 cm in diameter and weighs 4.35 oz. It was worn round the neck suspended from a large gold chain of the same weight.

The Emperor Francis II gave a gold medal to each of the officers of the regiment and later presented them with the Order of Maria Theresa. The officers were:

Major William Aylett

Captain Pocklington

Captain Ryan

Lieutenant Calcraft

Lieutenant Keir

Cornet Blunt

Cornet Butler

Cornet Wilson

Image CO British Empire

[Taz]

And the reverse.

[Taz]

These medals were given to the NCOs. Eleven were struck. It is silver gilt and 3.8 cm in diameter, weighing 1 oz. It was minted in England. awarded in recognition of the tremendous effort shown by the regiment at Villiers-en-Couche, on the recommendation of the commander of the 2nd Leopold Hussars, Baron Andrew Szentkerestzy.

Regards Eddie.

[Ed_Haynes]

To Ed: any trace of the old Spink Catalogue? I think that in the old Numismatic Circular there was a picture (and group description) of the medal with chain and the MMThO Knight's Cross.

Yes, I clearly remember the description and image. So far, the catalogue has eluded discovery. I thought I had kept those old ones. They are wonderful sources of frsutration.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello Eddie,

thank you very much for the information, especially for the picture of the medal given to NCOs, of which I didn't see any picture besides a short description in Proch?zka's "Oesterreichisches Ordenshandbuch". No archival research in Austra had any success, and now I understand why: the medal, unofficial, was struck in Grat Britain! I didn't know that.

To Ed: "...They are wonderful sources of frustration...". Do you mean "how wonderful those pieces! I wish I were able to find something like that now"? I'm not worried... fine pieces appear (sometimes).

I hope to post the pictures of the large gold medal soon.

Thank you again and best wishes,

Enzo

[Taz]

Hello Eddie,

thank you very much for the information, especially for the picture of the medal given to NCOs, of which I didn't see any picture besides a short description in Proch?zka's "Oesterreichisches Ordenshandbuch". No archival research in Austra had any success, and now I understand why: the medal, unofficial, was struck in Grat Britain! I didn't know that.

To Ed: "...They are wonderful sources of frustration...". Do you mean "how wonderful those pieces! I wish I were able to find something like that now"? I'm not worried... fine pieces appear (sometimes).

I hope to post the pictures of the large gold medal soon.

Thank you again and best wishes,

Enzo

Enzo,

Glad to help,

Here is a little more info from the article:

Villiers-en-Couche 1794

A British force was sent to the Low Countries to defend Holland against the French Revolutionary army. It was commanded by the Duke of York and included 14 cavalry regiments of which the 15th was one. On 24th April 1794, they, with a regiment of Austrian hussars charged a large body of French Cavalry. It turned out to be a trick and when the cavalry moved to one side a battery of artillery was revealed. But the French guns misfired and there were few casualties - at first. They charged into French Infantry who were dispersed. However, it was a hard fight and the regiment suffered many wounded but surprisingly few killed. The French had the most casualties; one farrier of the 15th was said to have killed 21 of the enemy that day.

The spelling of the name of this battle has changed over the years. The battle honour was granted in 1818 as VILLIERS-EN-COUCHE. Officers sabretaches from 1830-1902 have the honour embroidered as VILLIERS EN COUCHIE. In 1911 the spelling changed to VILLERS-EN-CAUCHIE (note, Villers with only one i). One outcome of the battle was a lasting connection with Austria. The Emperor Francis II gave a gold medal to each of the officers of the regiment and later presented them with the Order of Maria Theresa. The officers were:

Major William Aylett

Captain Pocklington

Captain Ryan

Lieutenant Calcraft

Lieutenant Keir

Cornet Blunt

Cornet Butler

Cornet Wilson

Also the gold lace worn on officer's uniforms and horse furniture was, in future, woven in the Austrian Wave pattern.

Regards Eddie.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

many thanks for the precious information given to better study this particular, Austrian medal.

As promised, I post the pictures of the obverse and reverse side of it, where the S-Shaped links of the collar chain are well visible.

I wasn't able to resize it, so I'm posting a .pdf file.

Best wishes,

Enzo

Villiers2a.pdf

Edited May 3, 2008 by Elmar Lang

[Elmar Lang]

Reverse side:

Villiers2b.pdf

[Taz]

Very nice Enzo

Hope these are detailed enough, if not they can be delated.

Regards Eddie

[Taz]

And the reverse.

[Elmar Lang]

...and here are the pictures (hopefully better resized than my other attempts...)

The obverse face:

[Elmar Lang]

...and the reverse:

[Yankee]

...and here are the pictures (hopefully better resized than my other attempts...)

The obverse face:

Hi Enzo

To see the medal and orginal chain is an absolute delight . That must be one heavy necklace, Mr "T" would be jealous of that one. Whose signature is below the bust? It would be a dream to hold one of those, you probably don't want to let go & you can always keep it under your shirt. All the best.

Sincerely

Brian

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

the signature under the Emperor's Bust is "I.N.WIRT.F." or Iohann Nepomuk Wirt Fecit.

I think that wearing the piece under one's shirt could be quite uncomfortable...

Now, let's find the other 7 pieces!

Best wishes,

Enzo

[Xtender]

...and medal in silver was awarded too?

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

no medals in silver were awarded, besides the 8 ones awarded to the mentioned british officers.

The medal was struck in 9 pieces only: 8 for award and 1 to be preserved in the imperial numismatic cabinet (Münzkabinett).

Later strikings in silver, bronze and tin alloy from the original dies do exist, but they were possibly made for study or museum purposes.

Best wishes,

E.L.