Item number: M100

Year: AD 1902

Material: Silver

Size: Medal 54.0 x 37.0 x 3.0 / Ribbon 51.0 x 31.0 mm

Weight: 39.0 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This China War Medal (1901) was awarded by the British government in AD 1902 to individuals who participated in the Boxer Rebellion of AD 1900 as part of the Eight-Nation Alliance. Depending on their role, combatants received a silver medal, while other participants received a bronze medal. The recipient of this medal, William Cowan, was not military personnel by profession. However, he voluntarily participated in the defence of the Beijing Legation Quarter from June 20 to August 14. As a result, the British government awarded him a silver medal as recognition for his contribution and bravery.

The obverse of the medal features a half-length portrait of Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch of Britain at that time. It was designed by the British medalist George William de Saulles. Surrounding the portrait is a Latin inscription that translates to “Victoria Queen and Empress.”

On the reverse side of the medal, the design follows the pattern of the previous two “China War Medals” (AD 1842, AD 1861). It was designed by William Wyon, who served as the Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint. The design depicts a central oval shield with the royal coat of arms, symbolizing the joint protection of the army’s cannon and the navy’s anchor. Behind the shield is a palm tree as a backdrop. At the bottom edge, the medal is inscribed with “China 1900” in English, and at the top edge, there is a Latin inscription that translates to “They demanded peace by force of arms.”

The edge of the medal at the bottom is engraved with William’s name and the title “Office of Work.”

The medal has a swivel straight bar suspension with claw which connects to the ribbon and the clasp, with the disk of the medal secured to the claw by a rivet. The ribbon has a crimson red base color with yellow stripes on each side for decoration. Depending on the battles participated in, there are three types of clasps: “Relief of Pekin,” “Taku Forts,” and “Defence of Legations.” According to the relevant regulations, the medal is limited to two clasps. Since William participated only in the Defence of Legations battle and not the others, he only received the clasp for “Defence of Legations” on his medal.

According to statistics, “Defence of Legations” is the least issued clasp among the mentioned clasps, only awarded to a total of 78 military and non-military personnel who were trapped in the legations and participated in the defense, making it highly valuable and rare (see table)

Total number of clasps:

On May 10, AD 1854, William Cowan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he pursued studies in architecture. In AD 1896, William was assigned as a surveyor to serve in the China Station of the British fleet. His responsibilities included leasing, construction, and management of British properties in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Siam, and other regions in the Far East. He was also involved in the design project for the British consulate in Chongqing. In AD 1900, while in Beijing, William found himself caught in the anti-foreign storm of the Boxer Rebellion.

Since the late Qing Dynasty, Christianity has spread throughout various regions of China alongside the unequal treaties signed with foreign powers. Due to the varying degrees of missionaries’ and believers’ activities, conflicts between the populace and churches have been increasingly escalating. Particularly in the Shandong region, grassroots organizations like the Boxers emerged, combining folk beliefs with martial arts. Initially, the Boxers were somewhat restrained under the governance of Shandong Governor Yuan Shikai. However, as the Boxers expanded into neighboring provinces, they became a tool of contention between the factions of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu. Cixi approved the Boxers’ entry into Beijing, which intensified their attacks on Christian believers and foreigners.

At this time, most foreigners had gathered in the Legation Quarter of Dongjiaominxiang seeking refuge. After a formal meeting on May 20th, the ambassadors of various countries in China decided to request military support from their respective governments. The situation escalated dramatically on June 20th when German Minister Clemens von Ketteler was assassinated, marking a turning point in the events. In the afternoon of that day, with the tacit approval of Empress Dowager Cixi, the regular troops of the Qing Empire and Boxers launched a formal attack on the Legation Quarter. Embassy personnel from various countries elected the British Minister to China, Claude Maxwell MacDonald, as the overall commander, marking the beginning of the 56-day defence of the Legation Quarter. Ultimately, on the morning of August 14th, the relief of the Legation Quarter was declared as the Allied forces successfully entered Beijing.

During the siege lasting nearly two months, William voluntarily participated in the defending forces of the Legation Quarter until its relief, earning him recognition as one of the 57 British Legation staff members awarded the aforementioned medal. Following the conclusion of the military operations, William did not immediately leave Beijing but instead engaged in the reconstruction efforts of the Legation. Subsequently, he continued to serve the British government in the Far East until his death on October 6th, AD 1906, in Shanghai at the age of 52.

物件編號: M100

年代: 公元 1902 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 獎章 54.0 x 37.0 x 3.0 / 緞帶 51.0 x 31.0 mm

重量: 39.0 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這一枚獎章是公元1902年，英國政府頒予參加公元1900年八國聯軍一役相關人士的「第三次中國戰爭獎章」，按照參與者的差異，戰鬥人員獲得銀質獎章，其餘人士則是銅質獎章。此獎章得主：威廉.考恩的本業並非軍人，卻以自願作戰者身分參與6月20日至8月14日的北京使館區保衛戰，故英國政府授予銀質獎章以資獎勵。

獎章正面是時任英國維多利亞女王的半身像，由英國的獎牌製造師：喬治·威廉·德·索雷斯設計。獎章周圍環繞的拉丁銘文意思是「維多利亞女王暨女皇」。獎章背面的圖案沿用前兩次頒發的「中國戰爭獎章」(1842、1861)設計，由曾擔任皇家鑄幣廠首席雕刻師的威廉·維恩設計，象徵陸軍的大砲和海軍的船錨共同護衛中央刻有皇室家徽的橢圓盾牌，背後以一株棕梠樹作為襯托。於下緣以英文刻有「中國 1900」，上緣則是拉丁文銘文「透過武力訴諸和平」。獎章的邊緣處下方，刻著威廉的姓名和「工程師」職稱。

獎章上方以帶有鉚釘的帶爪旋轉直桿懸掛連接著其綬帶和銘牌，綬帶是赤紅為底色，兩側各有一道黃色條紋作為裝飾。依據參與的戰役差異，分別有「解圍北京」、「大沽口要塞」和「保衛使館」三種銘牌，按照相關的法規該獎章以兩個銘牌為限。由於威廉僅參與使館保衛戰一役，故僅有「保衛使館」一個銘牌。

根據統計，「保衛使館」是上述銘牌發行數最少的一種，僅發予受困在使館並參與戰鬥，總計78位的軍事和非軍事人員，實屬珍貴稀有：(見下表)

銘牌的總數量:

公元1854年5月10日，威廉.考恩出生於蘇格蘭愛丁堡，在學期間主修建築。公元1896年，作為測量員的威廉被外派到中國艦隊總司令(China Station)服務。威廉的業務是租賃、建設和管理英方在中國、日本、朝鮮、台灣、暹羅和遠東地區的房產，還曾參與英國在重慶領事館的設計工程。公元1900年，前往北京的威廉發現自己捲入義和團的排外風暴。清末以來，基督信仰伴隨列強簽訂的不平等條約深入中國各地，由於傳教士和信眾的程度參差不齊，使得民眾和教堂的衝突日益激增。特別是在山東一帶，出現結合民間信仰和武術的草根組織義和團。起先義和團在山東巡撫袁世凱取締下有所節制，但隨著義和團擴張到鄰近省分，成為慈禧太后和光緒皇帝兩派勢力的角力工具。慈禧批准義和團進入有外國人和使館的北京，使得義和團對基督信徒和外國人的攻擊加劇。

此時多數的外國人已經聚集到東交民巷的使館區尋求庇護，5月20日各國駐華大使館經過正式會議後，決定向本國政府調度在華的部隊支援。隨著6月20日，德國公使克林德遭到殺害標示事件的白熱化。當日下午四時在慈禧默許下，清帝國的正規軍和拳民對使館區發動正式攻擊。各國使館人員推舉英國駐華公使竇納樂為總指揮，標示使館56天保衛戰的開端。最終於8月14日清晨，以聯軍成功進入北京宣告使館區解圍。

威廉在近兩個月的圍城期間，自願參與保衛使館的作戰隊伍直到解圍之際，使他成為獲頒上述獎章的57位英國大使館工作人員之一。作戰結束後，威廉並未馬上離開北京，而是參與北京使館的重建工作。後續威廉仍留在遠東替英國政府工作，直到公元1906年10月6日，享年52歲病逝於上海為止。