Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

88th (Connaught Rangers) Light Company Officer’s Silver Gilt Whistle, an exceptionally rare, if not by now unique, the whistle and case are both hall marked for London 1827 with maker’s mark ‘DD’ (Daniel Denney). It measures, including the knop that supports the carrying ring, 5.8 cms when in the case, out of the case the whistle measures 4.9 cms. The readed case is mounted with two hand wrought heavy gauge bands of shamrocks, the front of the case further embellished in silver with the Maid and Harp over ‘88’. The knop on the whistle also features the shamrock decoration. Both elements are finished with the particularly fine quality ‘lemon’ gilt of the period. The whist is struck with the sovereign’s head duty mark, the lion passant, date letter for London 1827 and maker’s mark ‘DD’. The case with the same marks plus the leopard’s head for London. The belt attachment points are also of the earliest style being two pierced shanks. The shoulder belts prior to 1830 were narrower and of a thinner gauge of leather, altogether more practical than what followed. Between these points the case is also struck with the enigmatic ‘fleur de lis’ symbol. Very good condition £800-£1,000

Daniel Denney was entered at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1786 with an address of ‘St. Martin Le Grand’. His mark has been noted before on shoulder belt plates of the early 19th century.
Instances of the fleur de lis symbol have been noted both on quality and base metal back plates of shoulder belt plates both British and Indian Armies and also on the reverses of 1829 pattern shako plates, again base metal. It is probably that this mark is that of a specialist gilder rather than a retailer.