Grandfather's Mysterious Medal

[Digger]

My Grandfather, William Fogden served with the R.F.A. during WW1. He spent time in Palestine. Amongst a box of army bits and pieces I inherited there was a silver coloured, lightweight medal. The medal has Marie au Bergeau and Ste Anne - Jerusalem on one side, and Basilique de Ste Anne on the other. No one in the family has any idea of why he had it, or where it came from. I cannot find anything that appears to connect to the medal on the internet. Can anyone help please.

[Digger]

I appear to have left the attachment off my first message. Brain is failing fast.

[DirtyDick]

Looks like a religious token of some sort - perhaps a commemorative medallion of the visit to the Basilica in Palestine (which obviously holds a lot of Christian history and religious sites of interest).

Such tokens, medallions and amulets appear to be fairly common in the Catholic countries of Europe: have a look on ebay France since they often have quite a few for sale alongside military awards.

Richard

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Such tokens, medallions and amulets appear to be fairly common in the Catholic countries of Europe

Including the UK

[michaeldr]

My Grandfather, William Fogden served with the R.F.A. during WW1. He spent time in Palestine. Amongst a box of army bits and pieces I inherited there was a silver coloured, lightweight medal. The medal has Marie au Bergeau and Ste Anne - Jerusalem on one side, and Basilique de Ste Anne on the other. No one in the family has any idea of why he had it, or where it came from. I cannot find anything that appears to connect to the medal on the internet. Can anyone help please.

Digger,

I cannot tell you anything about the medal however I can supply some info on the Church of St Anne in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is next to St. Stephen’s Gate [also called the Lions’ Gate, and also once upon a time called the Gate of the Lady Mary]. The Church dates from crusader times and according to tradition it occupies the site of the home of Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary, and the place of her birth. The Pool of Bethesda is in its grounds. I believe that today it is a church and monastery of the White Fathers (Peres Blancs)

The picture below dates from the winter of 1864-65 and was almost certainly taken by Serjt. J. McDonald R.E. who was in charge of photography for the Ordnance Survey carried out at that time by a small party of Royal Engineers under Capt. C. W. Wilson R.E., who described the building thus

“The church now belongs to the French, and repairs almost amounting to a reconstruction are being executed. ……the work goes slowly and is very expensive, all the timbers for scaffolding, &c., having to be brought to Jaffa and thence over the bad roads to Jerusalem.”

[michaeldr]

After the capture of Jerusalem in 1917 it was decided to hold an Army Catholic Congress [pilgrimage] there. This was delayed a few times but eventually took place on the feast of the Assumption, 15th August 1918.

Selected catholic troops [over 1,500 men] from all allied units in Palestine and Egypt took part. They visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the garden of Gethsemane before hearing mass at the Church of St Anne;

“The General and the officers had seats in the nave, but the choir, sanctuary, nave, aisles were thronged with men, some sitting on the ground, others standing pressed together so closely that the priests had the greatest difficulty in getting to the altar. All carries their mess-tins and haversacks, for they were to have lunch in the grounds after the Mass.”

[Rev Bede Camm OSB ‘Pilgrim Paths in Latin Lands’ 1923, quoted in ‘The Cross on the Sword’]

The picture below is a small part of an aerial shot of the Old City of Jerusalem taken Holzhausen and Steinkraus of the German Squadron 303 on 2nd November 1917 at 08.45 hrs from a height of 1,800m. [bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Munich, Abt.IV: Kriegsarchiv]. The Church of St Anne is just below the centre of the photograph. It is the cross shaped building which has a small dome over the centre of the cross

I wonder if your grandfather took part in the pilgrimage?

and I hope that you and your family will find this of interest

Regards

Michael D.R.

Edited 29 September , 2004 by michaeldr

[Digger]

Thanks to everyone for all the information. I was interested in the fact that there is a catholic connection, as my grandfather was protestant. I wonder under what circumstances he acquired it !! 2 days a member and already helped twice. Thanks.

[michaeldr]

I was interested in the fact that there is a catholic connection, as my grandfather was protestant.  I wonder under what circumstances he acquired it !!

Digger,

There was a case at Gallipoli in 1915 when the Rev Father Finn gave a similar medallion to his Anglican friend the Rev Foster as talisman to protect him. Perhaps your grandfather got it from an RC pal of his?

[The end of the Gallipoli story is that Finn was killed on the first day and Foster survived the war]

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Digger]

Thanks to everyone for the info, and photographs. The medal must have meant something to my grandfather as he kept it with his medals etc., so it is great to finally know something about it.