Orders, Medals and Ribbons

On ANZAC Day we admire the orders, medals and ribbons so proudly and deservedly worn by the service men and women. The commander who first awarded such decorations to all the soldiers who took part in a battle was Napoleon Bonaparte. Until then only a few medals recognising specific acts of heroism and bravery were issued. Soldiers took great pride in their campaign medals and ribbons and were anxious to earn more, so much so that Napoleon was quoted as saying: "With a handful of ribbons I can conquer all of Europe."

His optimism was misplaced!

Following his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena. The Saints had little warning of his arrival "as news of his escape from Elba and the subsequent eventful campaigns had not reached the island" so they were all "incredulous"  at the information. Thus the house eventually designated for him and his entourage was far from ready.

For his first few months of exile on the Island Bonaparte stayed with the family of William Balcombe at "The Briars". Balcombe's daughter Betsy reported that Napoleon entered into "every sort of mirth or fun with the children", the two small boys still at home being similar in age to Napoleon's own son. She remembered he "had the glee of a child and he never lost his temper or fell back on his age or rank to shield himself." She recalled "My brothers at this time were quite children and Napoleon used to allow them to sit on his knee and amuse them by playing with his orders etc. More than once he has desired me to cut them off to please them."

One of those small boys was Thomas Tyrwhitt Balcombe. How apt that his great-grandson Bill Gaden became a member of the 2/20 Battalion AIF and earned medals and ribbons of his own.  It was Bill who wrote all the letters from Malaya and Singapore which became the inspiration and formed the timeline for my book "Pounding Along to Singapore, a history of the 2/20 Battalion AIF"

Lest we forget.

References:

Campaign medals, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_medal, accessed 9 April 2013.

Mrs Abell (late Miss Elizabeth [Betsy] Balcombe) , Recollections of Napoleon at Saint Helena, London, John Murray, 1844, pp 11, 39-40.

Caroline Gaden, Pounding Along to Singapore, a history of the 2/20 Battalion AIF, available from the author at <cagaden@iprimus.com.au>