The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

Royal Artillery Institution ‘Duncan’ Prize Medal, gold, 48mm, 56.39g (Major J. L. Keir. R.A. 1894) in its presentation case, extremely fine £1200-1500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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The Royal Artillery Institution ‘Duncan’ prize medal was instituted in 1871 as an annual award for the best essay on a given artillery subject. It could also be awarded in silver and in occasional years was awarded in both metals.

Lieutenant-General Sir John Keir was born on 6 July 1856, and entered the Royal Artillery as a Gentleman Cadet on 20 March 1874. He saw service in India on several occasions between 1880 and 1899, being promoted to Major in November 1892. During the Boer War Keir served as a Special Service Officer with the Mounted Infantry and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in March 1901. He commanded an Imperial Yeomanry Battalion from April 1901, and one of four mobile columns under Lt. General Sir L. Rundle in the Orange Free State in May. The strength of the latter was 150 mounted men and 160 Infantry. In January 1902, Keir was given command of one of the three corps of Royal Artillery Mounted Rifles, approximately 750 strong, which he held during the three drives against De Wet in the Orange Free State between February and March. During the last drive he commanded a combined force of his own and two other columns (Damant's and Wilson's), totalling 2000 men. Late in March, his was one of three columns tranferred to the Western Transvaal following the defeat of Lord Methuen's Force at Haart River, and he commanded it in an unsuccessful drive under Major General F. W. Kitchener, the enemy slipping out between his and another column. On 31 March 1902, Keir commanded the Royal Artillery Mounted Rifles and Kitchener's Fighting Scouts in the action at Boschbuit, Western Transvaal, where De La Rey ambushed the three columns pursuing him under Lt. Colonel Cookson.

Keir was made a Brevet Colonel on 26 June 1902. He was Assistant Adjutant General in India from 1904 until 1907, Commander of the Allahabad Brigade from 1907 until 1911 (C.B. created 1908), and promoted Major General on 7 July 1909. On the outbreak of World War One, he had command of the 6th Division in Ireland and subsequently took it to France in September 1914. For his leadership during the Battles of Ypres and Armentieres, he was mentioned in despatches, received the K.C.B. and promotion to Lieutenant General in command of the Sixth Corps. It was against this Corps that the Germans launched their gas attack in December 1915. In 1916 Keir was awarded the First Class Grade of the Belgian Order of the Crown, but meanwhile a bitter row was erupting between him and General Allenby. The latter had taken over command of the Third Army at the beginning of the year and clearly disliked his junior Corps Commander. In fact they had so many disputes that General Byng, another Corps Commander, thinking of Allenby's nickname of "The Bull", called Keir "The Toreador". After the Third Army's unsuccessful diversionary attack at Gommecourt prior to the Battle of the Somme, Allenby relieved Keir of his command. Keir went straight
to Haig protesting that Allenby was an intolerant bully, but ultimately Haig confirmed the decision and Keir was sent home. The scene is described in Haig's diary entry for 8 August 1916. In retirement General Sir John Keir was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Warwickshire. He was author of A Soldier's Eye-View of our Armies and died on 3 May 1937, aged eighty.
Keir’s full sized medals were sold by Sotheby in July 1987 and by Spink in April 1940.