Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 172

(x) The rare ‘Presented by the King’ Ashanti 1900 Medal awarded to Sergeant Ndayoui, Central African Regiment, who was presented with his Medal by King Edward VII as a part of his Coronation celebrations

East and West Africa 1887-1900, without clasp, ring suspension (38. Serjt. Ndayouli. 1/C. Afr. R. Presented by the King.), officially engraved naming, very fine

Provenance:
Christie's, 16 July 1985.

Ndayouli is confirmed on the Central African Regiment Medal Roll for those individuals present at Marlborough House at the ceremony with His Majesty, King Edward VII. Ndayoui was one of 43 individuals to be presented with Medals inscribed 'Presented by the King'.

A report of the day describes the following: 'The King yesterday inspected the Royal Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard and presented to each of the members of the detachment of the 2nd Battalion of the Central Africa Regiment now in London and the West Africa Medal for service in Ashanti and on the Gambia... The ceremony took place in the garden of Marlborough house in the presence of a number of invited spectators...The inspection of the Yeoman having concluded, a Royal salute was given, and the men of the Central Africa Regiment were marched to the front to be similarly inspected and to receive their medals. They marched up smartly and saluted the King as they received the decoration from his Majesty's hands. In bestowing the medals, the King displayed great interest in the recipients and asked numerous questions about them. He made no speech, but afterwards expressed to the officers his keen appreciation of the smartness of the troops and of the gallantry with which they had behaved when on active service. The Central African detachment were the first to leave the ground, after the inspection.' (A Previously Unrecorded 'Official' Medal for the Ashanti 1900 Campaign: the 'Presented by the King' Medal, Journal of the OMRS June 2018, by Anthony Allen and Christopher B. Mellor-Hill, refers).

The Record Book of the Royal Mint held at the National Archives has an entry dated 16 May 1901 which references a telegram from the War Office which ordered 40 'West Africa' Medals with no clasps, likely being the 40-odd delivered to these men from the Central African Rifles.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Estimate
£1,000 to £1,400

Starting price
£800