Great Britain: Boer War: Chamberlain Visit to South Africa

Form:

Circular.

By:

Joseph Fray

Date:

1903

Ref:

AM2: 99; Hern: 572; BHM: 3888; Eimer: 1876; Fearon: 354.2; Laidlaw: 0018;

Variations:

Size	Metal	Mass	Value
51.0 mm	Silver	59.3 gm	$70
51.1 mm	Silver Plated Bronze	55.2 gm	$45
50.6 mm	Bronze	53.1 gm	$45

Edge:

Plain. The silver medal is stamped: “SILVER”. The silver plated medals and bronze medals are unmarked.

Obverse:

Full face bust of Joseph Chamberlain with monocle in morning dress with orchid in buttonhole. Signed: “JF.” below the bust to the right near the rim. The legend in ornate script letters: “THE RIGHT HON. J. CHAMBERLAIN. M.P.”

Reverse:

Standing to the right, Peace clasping a dove to her shoulder and with her right arm raised in blessing. Behind, a radiant the sun, inscribed: “UNITY” in an arc above, over the sea on which a ship is steaming. On the left, a ribbon: “GOOD HOPE”. Below, an ornamental cartouche bearing the incused inscription: “I GO TO S.AFRICA / WITH THE MOST / EARNEST DESIRE / TO BRING TOGETHER THE PEOPLE / INTO ONE GREAT / AFRICAN NATION / UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG”. Faint Monogram: JF" lower right near rim. At the top, the legend in ornate script letters: “SOUTH AFRICA 1903”.

Notes:

The silver medal comes in a red case. The bronze medals are usually silver plated. When the silver plated medals are in good condition they can easily be misidentified as being solid silver.

Joseph Chamberlain (July 8, 1836 - July 3, 1914) was a British industrialist turned politician. He was the Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1895 and 1903. After the conclusion of the Boer War, Chamberlain sailed to South Africa on HMS Good Hope. He traveled widely throughout the country between 26 December 1902 and 25 February 1903. His aim was to foster unity in South Africa within the British Empire.

The armoured cruiser HMS Good Hope was originally to be called HMS Africa. She was launched in 1902 at the end of the South African war and sailed to Cape Town on a goodwill mission. At the outset of the First World War she was sunk off Coronel, Chile, by a squadron of German ships under the command of Vice Admiral Graf von Spee.