Journal 2008 - The Journal Royal Highland Fusiliers - The Royal ...

After a year at Aldershot, David was attached, during theRusso-Japanese War of 1904-5, to the Japanese Second Army inManchuria. This brought him the 1904-05 War Medal, a medalinstituted by the Japanese Government in 1906 and awarded forservice in the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War.David was sent to Peking in 1905 to study Chinese and, after aspell in the United Kingdom (during which he participated in theCoronation of George V as a Traffic Officer, for which he received acommemorative medal), was appointed Military Attaché Peking in1912. He was attached to the Chinese Army in 1913-14 during theYangtse Rebellion and the ‘White Wolf’ Campaign in Central China.In 1914 he was awarded the Order of the Golden Grain (referred toin Home Office and family papers as the Excellent Crop and SecondCrop respectively) and the 3rd Class Chai Ho decoration (assumedto be the Order of the Striped Tiger) 1 ‘in recognition of serviceswhilst attached to the (Chinese) Government during hostilities atHurow and Honan’. The Order of the Golden Grain was establishedin 1912 (replaced by the order of the Brilliant Jade in 1929) to rewardoutstanding civil or military meritorious achievement. The Orderof the Striped Tiger was also founded in 1912 (abolished in 1928) toreward both Chinese and foreign military officers for ‘merit duringtimes of peace and war’. The permission of the Sovereign to wearthe insignia of foreign orders had to be obtained and, in a letter tohis mother, David expresses his delight that permission to wear theInsignia of the Chai Ho Order arrived just in time for it to be wornat a function taking place on his birthday. David was also awardedthree Chinese War Lord Medals – almost every Chinese warlord (the‘White Wolf’ was a warlord) awarded his own Medals.David’s next posting was an attachment to the Japanese Armyduring the Siege of Tsingtao (1914-15), for which he was awardedThe Order of the Sacred Treasure 4th Class. This Order wascreated in 1888 to reward distinguished military or civil merit.After a brief period at the War Office in London, Davidaccompanied General Murray on a mission to Russia and spent sixmonths at the Russian front (1915-16); as a result he received TheOrder of St Vladimir (4th Class) with Swords and Bow. ThisOrder, named in honour of St Vladimir who introduced Christianityto Russia, was founded in 1782 by Catherine the Great to rewardthose who had served the State loyally and faithfully, had ‘saved tenlives from fire or water’, had given assistance in times of famine orhad done something notable in their professions.Top Row: Japan, Order of the Sacred Treasure (Neck Badge), China, Order ofthe Golden Grain, China, Order of the Striped TigerMiddle Row: Great Britain, Queen’s South Africa Medal,Great Britain, British War Medal 1914 – 1918,Great Britain Victory Medal 1914 – 1919, Russia, Order of St VladimirBottom Row: Japan, Order of the Sacred Treasure (Breast Badge),Japan, 1904-5 War Medal, China, War Lords Medals, China, War LordsMedals, China, War Lords MedalsResearching the Chinese orders has presented problems.David went back to Peking as temporary Military Attaché in1916. In 1917 he was despatched to Vladivostok to prepare forthe intervention of British forces during the Russian Civil War,was briefly British Military Representative in Siberia and acted asBritish High Commissioner (under order of the Foreign Office),was promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed BritishHigh Commissioner in Omsk. He was later recalled to Peking asMilitary Attaché and died in 1919.The British Government recognised David’s services by awarding him:The British War Medal 1914–1920, a medal issued tocommemorate the battles of World War I, for post-war services inRussia (1919-20) and for mine clearances in the North Sea.The Victory Medal 1914–1919, a medal produced tocommemorate Victory in the First World War and often called22 THE ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS