Campaign Medals of Sir Harry Paget Flashman Brigadier-General V.C. K.C.B., K.C.I.E. 1822 - 1915

Collected by Michael Hargreave Mawson U.C; D.B.P; Vice-Chairman Flashman Society and Orders and Medals Research Society.

This ribbon bar group believed to have been worn by Sir Harry Flashman toward the end of his career recently came to light, discovered by an auctioneer at Christerby's folded up inside a silver cigarette case which bore the inscription "To my dearest Hector, ever faithful and waiting - E. The Ribbon, partly burnt, was wrapped around the remains of a cheap Turkish blend cheroot. The quick thinking auctioneer alerted Mr Hargreave Mawson who was able to identify the item as belong to Sir Harry. There would seem to be few other military men of the Victorian era who would have anything like this grouping.

The details of the group researched by Michael Hargreave Mawson:

First Row

Victoria Cross Indian Mutiny

Knight Comander of the Bath for services during the Indian Mutiny 1858

Second Row

Knight Commander Indian Empire

Queen's Medal for Afghanistan 1841-42 (ribbon very faded)

Cabul 1842

Third Row

Jellalabad, Afghanistan. Awarded to the defenders of Jellalabad 1842

Sutlej, India 1846

Crimea 1856

Indian Mutiny 1858

Four Row

Second China War 1860

Abyssinia

South Africa, Zulu War 1879

Egypt 1874

Fifth Row

Queen's Sudan 1896

Third China War 1900

Queen Victoria's Jubilee

Edward VII Coronation

Sixth Row

Edward VII Delhi Durbar

George V Coronation

Order of the Elephant (Denmark)

Turkish Crimea Medal 1856

Seventh Row

Congressional Medal of Honor (USA, post-1904 ribbon)

Civil War Campaign Medal (USA, second ribbon)

Southern Cross of Honor (awarded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to Confederate veterans)

San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth (4th class)

Eighth Row

Possibly Iron Cross (Germany, 1870 variety) or Commerative medal of the Congress of Berlin 1883.

Legion of Honour (France)

Franco-Prussian War Medal (France)

Franco-Prussian War Medal (Germany)

Nineth Row

Indian War Medal (USA, first ribbon)

Khedive's Star (Egypt)

Khedive's Sudan Medal 1896 (Egypt)

General Gordon's Khartoum Star

There is speculation about the accuracy of the identification of these ribbons. Further volumes of the Flashman papers will of course aid the research into this ribbon group. The age and condition of the ribbons make identification difficult, along with the extraordinarily wide variety and length of Flashman's military service. While there is speculation on the old generals part in the Great War, it was recently pointed out that a ribbon thought to be remaining from a medal from the Great War, it could in fact have been a ribbon awarded to benifactors of the 'Mission for Reclamation of Reduced Females', New York!

George MacDonald Fraser

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