Transvaal: Re-opening of the Meyer and Charlton Gold Mine |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Form: | Circular. Cast. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By: | ? | ||||||||
| Date: | 1901 | ||||||||
| Ref: |
Laidlaw: 0580; |
||||||||
| Variations: |
|
||||||||
| Edge: |
Plain. |
||||||||
| Obverse: |
Headgear and wheel of the Meyer and Charlton gold mine. Legend on a raised band: “MEYER & CHARLTON GOLD MINING CO. LTD.” |
||||||||
| Reverse: |
Across: "SOUVENIR / RE-OPENING / GOLD MINING / INDUSTRY / TRANSVAAL / MAY 4TH. 1901” and stop below. |
||||||||
| Notes: |
Comes inside a custom-made, black, rectangular, leather presentation case, lined on the inside with white silk. The medallion is fitted into a recess on removable internal tray, covered in light-green velvet. On the outside of the lid in gold letters: “PRESENTED BY (in an arc) / THE / MEYER & CHARLTON / GOLD MINING CO. LTD.” On the silk lining inside the lid in gold letters: “MEYER & CHARLTON GOLD MINING CO. LTD. / (ornament) / In commemoration of the / RE-OPENING / OF THE / GOLD MINING INDUSTRY IN THE TRANSVAAL, / after the enforced idleness during the war, / by the restarting of the battery of the / MEYER & CHARLTON GOLD MINING CO. LTD. / on the 4th MAY, 1901, / in the presence of / LORD KITCHENER OF KHARTOUM, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., / COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF HIS MAJESTY’S FORCES IN SOUTH AFRICA, / AND HIS STAFF. / THIS MEDAL IS MADE OF SOME OF THE FIRST GOLD WON BY / THE COY. AFTER THE RESUMPTION OF OPERATIONS.” On the removable tray below in the medal in gold letters: “LORD KITCHENER OF KHARTOUM / G.C.B., G.C.M.G.” The obverse of the medallion shows the headgear and wheel of the Meyer and Charlton gold mine (which still survives apparently, now in downtown Johannesburg). When the Boer War started there was a mass exodus of “uitlanders” (foreigners, mainly British) from Johannesburg and the Rand gold mines were obliged to close down. Only a few people stayed behind to protect the interests of the mine owners and their shareholders. The essential tasks were to man the pumps to prevent the shafts from flooding and to guard the properties against potential Boer sabotage. The latter threat was less than the mine owners supposed because the Transvaal Republic was under considerable pressure from European governments (mainly in Germany) to leave the mines alone. The pressure came from wealthy citizens who had invested heavily in the companies which operated the mines. The mines, therefore, survived the initial stages of the war more or less intact. Once the British occupied the Transvaal, the hazards of the subsequent guerrilla war frustrated the reopening of the mines. Many miners did return but were recruited into units that were set up to undertake guard duties. It wasn’t until January 1901 that improving conditions allowed operations to gradually recommence. An occasion was organised to mark the reopening of the mines on 4th May 1901. The venue was the Meyer and Charlton Gold mine on the outskirts of Johannesburg. This mine was the original source of wealth of the Albu brothers, George and Leopold. They were German Jews and Kitchener’s selection of their mine for the event was not received kindly by the other Randlords, many of whom had contributed significantly, both in money and resources, to the British side. The Albu brothers, on the other hand, were well known for their pro-Boer stance. In the event, George Albu shifted his ground and gave a suitably sycophantic speech to which Lord Kitchener graciously replied. There is a photograph which shows George Albu giving the speech; Leopold is standing on the far right; and Kitchener is seated in the middle of the front row. Gold medals were presented as souvenirs of the occasion and claim to have been made from the first new gold extracted. This medal came from the granddaughter of Leopold Albu and another is known to have been presented to George Albu, now in the hand of his grandson, Sir George Albu. A third medal was sold in 2017 on auction at Baldwin's (details further down). It is believed that about twenty medals were made but no others have come to light. The above synopsis has been drawn from the book, Through Fortress and Rock, by JDF Jones. The book was commissioned by Gencor Ltd in 1995 to mark their centenary. Gencor was formed from an amalgamation of companies founded by the Albu brothers. Subsequently, the holdings of Gencor have been taken over by Gold Fields Ltd. An example of this medal sold for £2,700; Baldwin's of St. James's, Auction 8, 20 Sep 2017, lot 288. The medal formed part of the W.V.R. Baldwin Collection of the Medals of Southern Africa. It was inside an envelope stating: "This specimen belonged to Mr W. Wyburgh Commissioner of Mines. Only six appeared to have been given .... one to Kitchener". |
||||||||
