Item number: M319

Year: AD 1842

The results after XRF testing

Material: Gold

Size: 36.0 x 36.0 x 3.3 mm

Weight: 45.95 g

Manufactured by: Royal Mint

Provenance:

1. Stack’s Bowers 2024

2. Noonans 2015

This is an extremely rare gold “Medal for the Defence of Kelat-I-Ghilzie,” with fewer than ten known to exist. The medal was established to reward the soldiers who endured the siege at the fortress of Kelat-i-Ghilzie between February and May AD 1842, during the final stages of the First Anglo-Afghan War.

The official version of this medal was produced in silver; this gold version may have been a prototype created by the Royal Mint in London before mass production, using gold as a test material. The medal’s design matches the official silver version, with a prominent shield at its centre bearing the engraved name “KELAT-I-GHILZIE.” The shield is flanked by laurel wreaths, and is topped by a mural crown.

The reverse side of the medal is adorned with a trophy of arms motif at the top, symbolising military strength, and the central raised knight’s shield adds a three-dimensional emphasis to its defensive theme. Below the armoury is a rectangular plaque inscribed with the Latin words INVICTA MDCCCXLII (Invincible 1842), commemorating the defenders’ resilience in AD 1842. In the lower-left corner is the name of the Royal Mint’s Chief Engraver, William Wyon, whose skillful craftsmanship is marked on this rare edition. The official medal version includes a silver clip and a swivel bar suspension for attaching the ribbon, which features a red-white-yellow-white-blue pattern.

In December AD 1838, the British East India Company deployed an invasion force of over 20,000 troops into Afghanistan to kerb Russian expansion threatening its Indian colony. Although British forces managed to capture Kabul and install a client ruler, they faced fierce resistance from local tribes. By January AD 1842, with insurgents encircling Kabul, British command ordered a retreat of both troops and civilians. Tragically, as they withdrew through the narrow pass of Gandamak, the entire contingent was ambushed and annihilated, with only one British army doctor, Dr. William Brydon, surviving to tell the tale.

Following the British defeat at Gandamak, the fort at Kelat-i-Ghilzie, situated between Kabul and Kandahar, remained Britain’s sole military outpost in Afghanistan. The garrison, commanded by Captain John Halket Craigie, comprised 55 Europeans and 877 Indian soldiers. Despite being surrounded by enemy forces and enduring harsh winter conditions, the garrison held out. On May 21, they successfully repelled an assault by more than 6,000 Afghan fighters. Finally, on May 26, reinforcements arrived, lifting the siege and bringing relief to the fort’s resilient defenders.

物件編號: M319

年代: 公元 1842 年

XRF分析結果:

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 36.0 x 36.0 x 3.3 mm

重量: 45.95 g

製造地: 皇家造幣廠

來源:

1. SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

2. 諾南斯 2015

這是一枚十分罕見，存世不超過10枚的金質「克拉特-艾吉爾茲保衛獎章」。這枚獎章是為犒賞第一次英阿戰爭末期，公元1842年2月至5月困守於克拉特-艾吉爾茲 (Kelat-i-Ghilzie)堡壘的士兵所設立。

該獎章的官方版為銀質，這枚黃金材質有可能是倫敦的皇家造幣廠在量產前以黃金試製的樣品。獎章形制和官方版沒有二異，正面中央是一個浮凸設計的盾牌，盾牌上鐫刻堡壘的名字「KELAT-I-GHILZIE」。盾牌兩側為桂冠環繞，頂部則是一頂壁形王冠。

獎章背面的上方以武器庫作為裝飾，中央的騎士盾甲有些許凸起。武器庫下方有一個方形牌匾，牌匾鐫刻拉丁文「INVICTA MDCCCXLII」(無敵 1842)。而在獎章的左下角能看到皇家造幣廠首席雕刻師威廉·威恩的名字「William Wyon」。官方版的獎章頂部以銀夾和旋轉桿式懸掛銜接綬帶，綬帶配色為紅-白-黃-白-藍。

公元1838年12月，英國東印度公司組織一支兩萬多人的兵力入侵阿富汗，力圖阻止在中亞擴張的沙俄威脅其殖民地印度。雖然英軍成功攻佔首都喀布爾和扶植代理人卻深受各部落的反抗。公元1842年1月，隨著叛軍逐漸包圍喀布爾，英軍決定連平民一同撤離阿富汗，卻在甘大麥遭到伏擊全軍覆沒，僅有一名軍醫威廉·布萊登成功逃脫。

英軍在甘大麥覆滅後，位於喀布爾和坎大哈之間的克拉特-艾吉爾茲堡壘是英國唯一的軍事據點。駐守堡壘的官兵聽從約翰·哈克特·克雷吉上尉指揮，由55位歐洲人和877名印度人組成。這些士兵不僅面臨大軍包圍還要忍受冬天的惡劣環境，5月21日更成功擊退六千多人的阿富汗人攻擊，直到26日才成功解圍。