(1899) Canada General Service medal with one clasp: FENIAN RAID 1866. Silver, 36 mm. MY-125 (clasp i), BBM-80. Edge mount with straight bar swivel suspension. Extremely Fine. "969. Pte. T.C. HERBERT. 2/17 LEIC:R." engraved in upright capital letters on the edge. Polished to brightness, with some evident residue remaining. Highly reflective and attractive, with a hint of golden toning on the reverse.<p>The Fenian Brotherhood was composed of Irish Nationalist Americans who believed, incorrectly as it turned out, that if they created a force to attack Canada, they could influence British policy in Ireland. Most were Irish-born veterans of the Union Army in the U.S. Civil War. Their first attempt, in April 1866, focused on New Brunswick, but went nowhere. Their second, however, resulted in a substantial cross border incursion across the Niagara River. More than 1,000 Fenians took on Canadian militiamen at the Battle of Ridgeway, right across the river from Buffalo, on June 2, 1866. The Canadians suffered nine dead and four wounded; the Fenians, 10 and 16. Later the same week, another mass of roughly 1,000 Fenians came across the border from Vermont into Canada East (modern Quebec) at Pigeon Hill. That raid fizzled, but a young private of the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consorts Own) was awarded a Victoria Cross for the action.<p>Of the nearly 17,000 Canada General Service medals awarded, all but 1,368 were awarded to Canadian units, making this medal to Private Thomas Herbert of the 17th Foot a scarce exception. About 570 men from the 17th Foot arrived in New Brunswick in April 1866 as part of the force that thwarted the very first planned Fenian Raid.<p>Offered with a modern ribbon. From the Gem Collection.
