French Saint Helena Medal

Saint Helena Medal. Unnamed as issued. Obverse: In the centre the head of Napoleon I facing right with the inscription 'NAPOLEON I' to the left and 'EMPEREUR' to the right within a beaded circle. The outside edge takes the form of a laurel wreath tied at the base with a bow and surmounted by a fixed crown that is fitted with a loose suspender ring. Reverse: In the centre the inscription 'A SES COMPAGNONS DE GLOIRE SA DERNIÈRE PENSÉE STE HÉLÈNE 5 MAI 1821' (To His Comrades in Glory His Last Thought St Helena 5 May 1821) on nine lines surrounded by 'CAMPAGNES DE 1792 A 1915 *'. Attached to the suspender ring is a piece of 37.5 mm green ribbon with seven thin red stripes.

Approved by Napoleon III in 1857, this medal was awarded to the surviving veterans of Napoleon I's Grand Armee or Navy that had fought in his campaigns between between 1792 and 1815. Approximately 405,000 were claimed. This medal is part of a collection assembled by the late Hon. Sir Thomas Hughes, Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales. It was presented to the Memorial in memory of his son, Captain Roger Forrest Hughes, Australian Army Medical Corps, who died of wounds in France on 11 December 1916 and his grandson, Flying Officer Peter Roger Forrest Hughes, 12 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, who was killed on active service while flying in the Northern Territory on 3 October 1942.