1818-55 Arctic Medal

Commemorative Riband Badge

1818-55極地獎章

私人絲帶章

Item number: M307

Year: AD 1860s

Material: Silver

Size: 26.7 x 23.7 x 5.2 mm

Weight: 3.25 g

Provenance: Noonans 2023

This artefact, dating to the 1860s, is a privately commissioned miniature ribbon badge designed by Royal Navy officer William Chimmo, modelled after the official 1818-1855 Arctic Medal. The swallowtail ribbon mirrors the official medal’s use of a pure white colour scheme. The ribbon is housed within a silver frame, with a brass pin attached to the back. The front of the silver frame features a diagonally positioned scroll-shaped plaque, engraved with the word “ARCTIC” in capital letters with diagonal stripes. Additionally, a silver five-pointed star pendant hangs from the lower edge of the frame, enhancing the design.

During the early reign of Queen Victoria, it became fashionable among British military officers to privately commission bespoke miniature riband badges from jewellers, modelled after their awarded medals. These personalised ribands with attachments allowed officers to display unique representations of their achievements.

One such riband badge belonged to William Chimmo, born on April 23, AD 1826, in Cork, Ireland. At the age of 15, he joined the Royal Navy. During the First Opium War, William served aboard the HMS Cornwallis, the flagship of the British fleet. His naval career spanned several decades, with assignments that took him across China, Australia, Central America, the Arctic, and Indonesia. William retired in AD 1873 with the rank of Captain. On October 30, AD 1891, he passed away at the age of 65 in Dorset, a county in the southwest of England.

In AD 1867, William Chimmo, serving as a naval commander, was responsible for leading an Atlantic patrol mission from Trinidad to the North American coastline. During this deployment, William personally oversaw a survey of the waterways along the Labrador coast, situated within the Arctic Circle in present-day Canada.

As recognition for his contributions to this mission, William was awarded the 1818-1855 Arctic Medal, established by the British government in AD 1857 to encourage polar exploration efforts. The British government issued two versions of the Arctic Medal, the first in AD 1857 and the second in AD 1876, to honour achievements in Arctic expeditions. The AD 1857 version of the medal is octagonal in shape, featuring a five-pointed star pendant.

物件編號: M307

年代: 公元 1860 年代

材質:

尺寸: 26.7 x 23.7 x 5.2 mm

重量: 3.25 g

來源: 諾南斯 2023

這是一枚公元1860年代左右,英國海軍軍官威廉·奇莫以獲頒的「1818-55極地獎章」為設計範本,私人委託設計的小型紀念絲帶章。這條燕尾絲帶仿造官方獎章以純白色作為配色,並且以一個銀質方框收納,背面為一根黃銅材質的別針。銀框正面鑲有一個呈對角的卷軸造型銘條,上方鐫刻著斜條紋造型的大寫英文「ARCTIC」(極地)。方框下方還飾以一枚銀質五角星吊飾。

維多利亞女王統治的早期,英國軍官圈內流行自掏腰包委託珠寶商以獲頒的獎章為設計參考,製作屬於自己獨一無二的小型紀念絲帶章作為搭配。這枚絲帶章的擁有者威廉·奇莫,公元1826年4月23日出生於愛爾蘭島的大城科克,並且在15歲加入英國皇家海軍。威廉於第一次鴉片戰爭期間,於作為英軍旗艦的「汗華囇號」服役。威廉持續於英國皇家海軍服役,足跡先後跨越中國、澳洲、中美洲、北極圈和印尼等地,直到公元1873年以船長的身分退休為止。公元1891年10月30日,威廉於英格蘭西南部的多塞特郡去世,享年65歲。

公元1867年,威廉作為船艦指揮官負責千里達到北美洲沿岸的大西洋巡弋任務期間,親自帶隊參加測量在北極圈內,加拿大拉不拉多地區沿岸的水道。威廉因為這趟任務獲頒公元1857年起,英國政府為獎勵促進極圈探險而設置的「1818-55極地獎章」。英國政府先後於公元1857年和公元1876年設立兩款極地獎章。公元1857年版本的外觀為八角形,並且帶有一個五角星狀的掛飾。

類似/相同物件 請看:

紐西蘭 坎特伯雷博物館 Canterbury Museum

https://collection.canterburymuseum.com/objects/144085/medal-arctic-medal-1818-55

澳洲 澳大利亞戰爭紀念館 The Australian War Memorial

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C134495

更多相關訊息請參考:

A.A. Payne, British and Foreign Orders, War Medals and Decorations (London: J.B.Hayward & Son, 1981)

Borna Barac, Reference Catalogue Orders, Medals and Decorations of the World – Part II (Zagreb: OBOL, 2010)

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/14680/lot/176/william-chimmo-rn-british-b1841-one-of-the-portals-of-the-north-pole-32-x-553-cm-1212-x-2134-in/

返回頂端