Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Siege of Beaconsfield 1899-1900, obverse, shield, ‘Siege of Beaconsfield, 14 October 1899 - 15 February 1900, reverse, female figure of ‘Peace’, ‘Children’s Medal Presented by the Town Council 1900, Peace 1900’, silver, unnamed with ring suspension, good very fine and rare in silver £1200-1500

Not recorded in Hibbard.

Only one silver example previously sold in these rooms, March 2002 (£750) and September 2011 (£2400).

The small town of Beaconsfield lies about a mile south-east of the outskirts of Kimberley. Much to the indignation of its inhabitants, Kekewich originally excluded the town from his plans for the defence but, faced by so strong and indignant a protest, he was forced to provide for the defence of that place, though independently of the main defensive enclosure.

Some 1,500 Beaconsfield medals were struck in white metal but the silver medals were limited to just 9 pieces. The white metal medals, presented to the school children, both white and mixed race, were pierced at 12 o’clock and suspended by a shoelace thin red, white and blue ribbon from a simple ring suspension. The sterling silver medal is identical except for its superior claw and ring suspension.

The Town Council minutes of 27 November 1900 reflect the names of 9 Beaconsfield Town Councillors, including the Mayor and Town Clerk, who received a sterling silver example of the Beaconsfield medal. Some townspeople expressed a belated desire to have a copy of the sterling silver medal. The Town Clerk was therefore instructed to collect names and prepayments with the object of placing a second order if sufficient numbers were requested. The subsequent minutes, however, make no further mention of the issue and it must be assumed that no further silver examples were ordered.