Details
LIEUTENANT CHARLES W.R.ROYDS (1876-1931)
A silver medallion awarded to Royds for Antarctic Sports, 1901, diameter 28mm., weight 10.8gms, the obverse with expedition emblem of a penguin on an ice-floe, an ice-berg behind, surrounded by the raised legend "Discovery" National Antarctic Expedition 1901, the reverse with raised legend Antarctic Sports Won By with engraved beneath Lt.C.W.R.Royds, R.N. very fine.
VERY RARE. Medals were awarded on a number of occasions for sports ranging from sledge-pulling to dominoes. The best known athletics meeting was held to mark Edward VII's birthday on November 9th 1902: 'it was decided that... there should be a general holiday, and it seemed no more fitting occasion could present itself for holding the athletic sports which we had so often discussed. Accordingly, in the early morning the ship was dressed with flags, the large silken Union Jack was hoisted at Hut Point, and marks were placed and arrangements made for the various competitions.' (Scott. The Voyage of the 'Discovery', 1905. vol.II, p.128). The events included 'a flat ski race' (won by Evans), 'a ski race down one of the steep hill sides', a 'half-mile race on foot between teams of officers and men dragging heavy loaded sledges' (won by the officers), a rifle-shooting match and a toboggan race 'for this the men had entered in pairs, and each pair had been obliged to provide their own toboggan, subject to the rule that no sledge, or part of a sledge, and no ski could be used'. It has not been poassible to establish when the present medallion was awarded, but, at the time of the the King's birthday, Royds had just returned from a trip to the Emperor Penguin colony and would have taken part in the sports: the medallion was perhaps awarded for his efforts in the half-mile race on foot dragging a sledge?
We would like to acknowledge the help of David Yelverton in cataloguing this lot.
A silver medallion awarded to Royds for Antarctic Sports, 1901, diameter 28mm., weight 10.8gms, the obverse with expedition emblem of a penguin on an ice-floe, an ice-berg behind, surrounded by the raised legend "Discovery" National Antarctic Expedition 1901, the reverse with raised legend Antarctic Sports Won By with engraved beneath Lt.C.W.R.Royds, R.N. very fine.
VERY RARE. Medals were awarded on a number of occasions for sports ranging from sledge-pulling to dominoes. The best known athletics meeting was held to mark Edward VII's birthday on November 9th 1902: 'it was decided that... there should be a general holiday, and it seemed no more fitting occasion could present itself for holding the athletic sports which we had so often discussed. Accordingly, in the early morning the ship was dressed with flags, the large silken Union Jack was hoisted at Hut Point, and marks were placed and arrangements made for the various competitions.' (Scott. The Voyage of the 'Discovery', 1905. vol.II, p.128). The events included 'a flat ski race' (won by Evans), 'a ski race down one of the steep hill sides', a 'half-mile race on foot between teams of officers and men dragging heavy loaded sledges' (won by the officers), a rifle-shooting match and a toboggan race 'for this the men had entered in pairs, and each pair had been obliged to provide their own toboggan, subject to the rule that no sledge, or part of a sledge, and no ski could be used'. It has not been poassible to establish when the present medallion was awarded, but, at the time of the the King's birthday, Royds had just returned from a trip to the Emperor Penguin colony and would have taken part in the sports: the medallion was perhaps awarded for his efforts in the half-mile race on foot dragging a sledge?
We would like to acknowledge the help of David Yelverton in cataloguing this lot.