Item number: M180

Year: AD 1898-1901

Material: Gilt

Size: 49.3 x 40.9 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 12.55 g

Provenance: Aberdeen Medals 2023

This is a British Royal Engineers headdress, transferred from the frontlines of the Second Boer War in South Africa to participate in the Eight-Nation Alliance campaign in China between AD 1900 and AD 1901. The unit primarily responsible for constructing fortifications, demolishing enemy structures, and clearing mines.

The headdress is stamped and gold-plated, featuring a hollow circle inscribed with the unit designation “ROYAL ENGINEERS” at its centre, surrounded by a wreath of laurel. Inside the circle is the royal cypher “VRI,” representing “Victoria Regina Imperatrix,” the Latin abbreviation for Queen Victoria. At the top of the circle is the crown symbolising Queen Victoria. British military units bearing the “Royal” title include the reigning monarch’s royal cypher and crown in their insignia, which change with the succession of each monarch. The reverse of the headdress has two loops and a cotter pin for attachment to the hat.

The Royal Engineers is one of the oldest units in the British Army. As the British Empire expanded rapidly during the 19th century, they participated not only in the Empire’s various expansion wars around the globe but also in numerous non-military missions such as archaeological excavations and exploratory expeditions. Additionally, they were pioneers in the application of emerging technologies like photography and aviation.

In AD 1983, during the Falklands War, the 25th Field Squadron of the Royal Engineers named a bridge they constructed outside the capital, Stanley, “Boxer Bridge” to commemorate the unit’s historical involvement in the Boxer Rebellion as part of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

物件編號: M180

年代: 公元 1898-1901 年

材質: 鍍金

尺寸: 49.3 x 40.9 x 2.2 mm

重量: 12.55 g

來源: 亞伯丁獎章 2023

這是公元1900至1901年間，從第二次布爾戰爭的南非前線調往中國參加八國聯軍行動的英國「皇家工兵」帽徽，該單位主要負責陣地建設、破壞敵軍工事和排雷等任務。

帽徽經沖壓和鍍金加工，正中央是壓印「皇家工兵」(ROYAL ENGINEERS)部隊番號的中空圓環，下方以月桂花環環繞。圓環內側有時任統治者維多利亞女王皇家花押「VRI」，意思是「維多利亞女皇帝」(Victoria Regina Imperatrix)拉丁文縮寫。圓環頂端則是象徵維多利亞女王的王冠。冠以皇家頭銜的英軍單位，部隊徽章會加上時任國王/女王的皇家花押和王冠，並會隨統治者更迭有所變更。而帽徽的背面有兩個圓環與將其固定在帽子上的開口銷。

皇家工兵是歷史最為悠久的英軍部隊之一。隨著大英帝國在19世紀的急遽擴張，他們不僅參與帝國在世界各地的擴張戰爭，更參與多場軍事任務外的考古發掘和遠征探險。並且也是攝影和飛行器這些新興科技的應用先驅。

公元1983年，皇家工兵第25野戰中隊參與收復南大西洋的福克蘭群島戰爭期間，將其在首府史丹利郊外搭建的一座橋梁命名為「拳民橋」(Boxer Bridge)，以紀念部隊參與八國聯軍的歷史。