Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Livingstone Gold Medal, by Macgillivray, obv. bust of Livingstone right, ‘David Livingstone’; rev. Angel supporting a torch and olive branch above a three masted vessel moored at an African shore, above, ‘Fiat Lux’ (Let there be Light) (Field Marshal The Right Hon. Viscount Allenby in Recognition of his Services to the Study of Geography in the Nearer East 1926), gold, 63mm., 193.44g., in J. A. Restall, Birmingham case of issue, extremely fine £2000-3000

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society Livingstone Gold Medal was awarded for ‘outstanding public service in which Geography has played an important part, either by exploration, by administration, or in other directions where its principles have been applied to the benefit of the human race’. It was first awarded in 1901.

Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby was born in Brackenhurst, Nottinghamshire on 23 April 1861. Educated at Haileybury and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons in 1881. He served in the Bechuanaland Expedition, 1884-85 and in Zululand, 1888, and was Adjutant of the 6th Dragoons, 1889-93. He served with distinction in the Second Boer War, 1899-1902, being twice mentioned in despatches and awarded the C.B. Between the wars he was officer in command of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers, 1902-05; commanded the 4th Cavalry Brigade, 1905-10 and was Inspector of Cavalry, 1910-14. He served in the Great War in Command of Cavalry, 1914; in Command of the 5th Army Corps, 1915 and in Command of the 3rd Army, 1915-17 - for which he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the K.C.B. In 1917 he became Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, a position for which he was most renowned, notably for his advance into Palestine, capture of Jerusalem and advance to Damascus and beyond. For his services in the latter part of the war he was awarded the G.C.B. and G.C.M.G., promoted to Field Marshal and created Viscount of Megiddo and of Felixstowe. In addition he received numerous orders from the wartime allies, honorary degrees and in 1926 the Livingstone Gold Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Field Marshal Viscount Allenby died on 14 May 1936.