Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Royal Engineers Armstrong Memorial Prize Medal 1902, by F. Bowcher, obverse: bust of Armstrong facing left, ‘Col. R. Y. Armstrong, C.B., Royal Engineers’; reverse: a hand thrust upwards from a mural crown grasping winged thunderbolts and lightning, ‘Armstrong Memorial Prize’ (James A. C. Pennycuick. July 1910) 57mm., silver, nearly extremely fine
£150-200

Colonel R. Y. Armstrong, C.B., F.R.S., joined the Corps in 1858, retired in 1892 and died two years later. He contributed greatly in the development of signalling and submarine mining services, and was in succession, Instructor in Telegraphy at Chatham, 1875-83 and Inspector of Submarine Defences at the War Office, 1884-91. A memorial to the Colonel was founded by the Corps in 1899. The memorial took the form of a silver medal, awarded to the cadet in each batch at the Royal Military Academy, who showed the greatest proficiency in Electricity and a watch or other present, given to the best N.C.O. in the course for Military Mechanist Electricians.

Lieutenant J. A. C. Pennycuick, R.E. entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 18 August 1914 and was wounded twice. Three times mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 19 October 1914, 14 December 1917 and 5 July 1919) he was awarded Distinguished Service Order and Bar (London Gazettes 9 December 1914 and 18 July 1917) and the Russian Order of St. Anne.