Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Royal Artillery Institution Le Froy Medal 1890, by Elkington, London, obverse; Britannia, wearing armour and a helmet, seated by a cannon facing right, holding papers in her hands and with a telescope at her feet, in the background, coastal fortifications and the sea, ‘Arte et Marte’ above, in the exergue, ‘1890’; reverse: within a wreath of oak and laurel, ‘John Henry Le Froy Royal Artillery 1834-1890’ (Colonel K. E. Haynes, C.M.G., C.B.E., R.A., 1922), 48mm., gold, 61.45g., with milled rim, in Elkington fitted case of issue, nearly extremely fine £250-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Prize, Training Ship, Nursing & Other Medals from the James N. Spencer Collection.

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Major-General Sir J. H. Le Froy, K.C.M.G., C.B., F.R.S. (1817-1890) joined the the Royal Artillery Regiment in 1834. Together with Lieutenant (afterwards Major-General) F. M. Eardley-Wilmot, he was largely responsible for the creation of the Royal Artillery Institution in 1838 and was its first Secretary. A pioneer of magnetic research, he joined the Toronto Observatory in 1842, serving for eleven years, undertaking vast surveying operations in the Hudson Bay region. The author of the Handbook for Field Service, he was the Duke of Newcastle’s special advisor on artillery matters in 1854. In 1858 he wrote a paper urging the establishment of a School of Gunnery and his suggestions were shortly afterwards adopted. In 1859 he was member of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, after which he became first Secretary and then President of the Ordnance Select Committee. In 1868 he was appointed Director-General of Ordnance. He retired as a Major-General in 1870 and the following year was appointed Governor and C-in-C of Bermuda. He was Governor of Tasmania from 1880 to 1882.

The Le Froy Gold Medal was given by Lady Le Froy in memory of her late husband to the most distinguished student in each Advanced Class at the Artillery College. When the College ceased to be a regimental institution in 1899 the medal was placed at the disposal of the Royal Artillery Institution. There it was awarded biennially to officers who made distinguished contributions towards the scientific study and application of artillery.

Kenneth Edward Haynes was born on 2 August 1871, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel E. C. Haynes of Bridge, Kent, Educated at Malvern College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he entered the Royal Artillery in 1890 and was promoted Captain in 1899. During the Boer War he served in operations in Cape Colony during May 1900 and in Transvaal during May-June 1900, for which he was awarded the Queen's Medal with two clasps. He then earned a medal for his service in China during the same year. Captain Haynes held the posts of Assistant Superintendent of Experiments at the School of Gunnery, Shoeburyness during 1901-05, Assistant Superintendent at the Royal Carriage Factory during 1907-12 and was Superintendent of Experiments at the School of Gunnery during 1913-18. Promoted Major in 1911, he served during the Great War and received the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1915, was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 25 January 1917), was created a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1917 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919 and also honoured with the Russian Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd Class. Promoted Colonel in 1919, he held various important posts - as Member of the Ordnance Committee 1918, Vice-President of the Committee during 1920-23, Superintendent of Design, 1924-25, President of the Royal Artillery Committee, 1925, Member of the Ordnance Committee, 1925-27 and Vice-President during 1927-28. Haynes retired with the rank of Brigadier-General in 1928. He died on 28 June 1944.