The French Saint Helena Medal

The Orders and Medals Society of America TO HIS COMPANIONS OF GLORY- THE FRENCH SAINT HELENA MEDAL

Kendall L. Witt, OMSA #5595

Recognition generally comes late and often it does not come at all. For the rank and file soldier of Napoleon’s armies it came forty-two years after the battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) in the form of the Saint Helena Medal.

In 1857 Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon I and Emperor of the Second French Empire, sought to honor all the soldiers who had served France during the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815). To this end the Saint Helena Medal was instituted by Imperial decree on 12 August 1857. The medal’s title was taken from the island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon I died in exile on 5 May 1821. This medal was given to all soldiers and sailors, French and foreign, who served France during the period of 1792 to 1815. The Grand Chancellery of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honor issued the medals.

The medal was designed by Albert D6sir~ Barre1, who was the engraver of the Administration des Monnaies et Medailles in Paris. This establishment was the official manufacturer of the medal. Regulation medals were issued in Bronze and measure 50mm high by 3 lmm wide. A laurel wreath surrounds the medal’s circular body, which is topped by an Imperial crown. This solid crown, 18ram by 20mm, is formed by eight palm leaves with an imperial eagle at the base of each leaf. The crown is surmounted by a ball, with a cross on top, through which the suspension ring passes.

The obverse of the medal displays the laureled bust of Napoleon I facing to the right, ringed by the inscription NAPOLEON I EMPEREUR. Below the bust is the anchor hallmark of Albert Barre. The reverse displays the raised inscription (in nine lines) A SES COMPAGNONS DE GLOIRE SA DERNI~RE PENSIVE STE. H~L~NE 5 MAI 1821. (To his companions of glory his last thought St. Helena 5 May 1821). Surrounding this inscription is the legend CAMlaAIGNES DE 1792 A 1815 (Campaigns of 1792 to 1815.)

1 Mr. Barre’s name has also been given as Jean-Auguste Barre by various sources.

10 The Medal Collector Volume 47, Number 8 The medal’s green ribbon is 38ram wide and has five evenly spaced rose colored stripes. Each stripe is 1.8mm wide. In ad- dition, the edges of the ribbon are of rose. The medal was worn on the lapel.

This medal can also be found gilded or silvered; however, these medals are not regulation issue. Ad- ditionally, Barre pro- duced three different sizes of non-regulation miniature me- dais. These medals The Saint Helena Medal - Reverse were similar in ap- pearance to the regulation medal and measure 16ram, 20mm and 33mm in height. The reverse of the 16mm medal bears only the partial legend SAINTE HI~L~NE, 5 MAI 1821.

The medal was issued in a white cardboard box meas- uring 63mm by 42ram. A raised image of an imperial eagle decorates the front of the box. Below the eagle, in seven lines, is the inscription AUX COMPAGNONS DE GLOIRE DE NAPOLEON IER.-DECRET IMPI~RIAL DU 12 AOUT 1857 St. Helena Medal Box of Issue 11 The Orders and Medals Society of America (To the companions of glory of Napoleon I.-Imperial Decree of 12 August 1857).

MI~DAILLE DE SAINTE-HI~LI~NE

INSTITUI~E PAR S.M. NAPOLI~ON III

A ses Compagnons de gloire. Sa dernii~re pens~e! Salnte-Hi~l~ne, fi Mai 1821

Le Grand Chancelier de l’Ordre Imperial de la L~gion d’Honneur, certifie que M The Soldier’s name & unit ayant servi durant la p~riode de 1792 fi 1815, a re~:u la M~daille de Ste. H~li~ne.

Inscrit ~ la Grande Chancellerie No. (The number ofissue)

A certificate, commonly called a brevet, was awarded with the medal. The brevet certified that the recipient of the medal had served under the French flag during the period of 1792 to 1815. On the upper portion of the brevet is displayed an engraving of the obverse of the Saint Helena Medal. Below the engraving is the title NAPOLEON I~R. The brevet measures 19.5cm by 29.5 cm and states the following:

(Saint-Helena Medal instituted by H.M. Napoleon IlL To his companions of glory. His last thought! Saint-Helena, 5 May 1821. The Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honor, certifies that Mr.__ served during the period of 1792 to 1815, and received the St. Helena Medal Inscribed at the Grand Chancellery No. .)

On the lower portion of the brevet is a blind stamp for the Grand Chancellery. On the lower right portion is the stamped signature of General Lebrun, Duc de Plaisance, who was the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honor. The Pascal printing house in Paris printed the brevets.

Notices regarding the creation of the medal were placed in various publications and eligible veterans were requested to apply for the award. Veterans in France received their medals in one of two ways. In the Department of the Seine the veterans had to go to the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor in Paris to present their claims for the decoration. In the provinces the mayors were responsible for compiling lists of eligible veterans. Upon verification of the veteran’s service the medal and brevet would be awarded. The distribution of medals began in Paris on 1 September 1857.