Medal commemorating the WW1 concerts in France produced for the troops by Seymour Hicks
Medal
ca.1915 (made)
ca.1915 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The actor-manager and dramatist Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (1871-1949) was responsible for gathering together the artists named on this medal, including his wife, the actress Ellaline Terriss (1861-1971). The medal celebrates the first occasion on which British soldiers abroad were visited and entertained by a troupe from home. The practice, which became widespread by the time of WW11, was an innovation that must have given enormous pleasure to the men at the Front. An account of the visit by Gladys Cooper is given in the book Gladys Cooper by her grandson Sheridan Morley, published in 1979.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Medal commemorating the WW1 concerts in France produced for the troops by Seymour Hicks (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Cast and raised bronze |
| Brief description | Bronze medal produced to commemorate 'The Fighting Lines Concerts 1914-1915' organised by Seymour Hicks (1871-1949) |
| Physical description | Cast, raised bronze medal depicting a bust of Seymour Hicks three-quarters left, bare-headed and wearing a suit, collar and tie with a flower in his button-hole. In the background a coastal scene with cliffs, the sea and a battleship, and the legend EUROPEAN WAR 1914 1915. To the left, a wall surmounted by a cannnon, the wall inscribed with the names SEYMOUR HICKS/ELLALINE TERRISS/GLADYS COOKER/OLGA HUDSON/IVY ST. HELIER/WILL VAN ALLEN/WILLIE FRAME/ELI HUDSON/BEN DAVIES and in the exergue TO COMMEMORATE THE FIGHTING LINE CONCERTS/ARRANGED BY MR SEYMOUR HICKS WHO WITH A SPECIAL COMPANY VISITED THE/TROOPS IN FRANCE. Signed under the truncation H.W.CASHMORE & CO. CRAFTSMEN LONDON |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Above portrait of Hicks: 'EUROPEAN WAR 1914-1915.'
To the left, on sea wall: 'SEYMOUR HICKS ELLALINE TERRISS GLADYS COOPER OLGA HUDSON IVY ST. HELIER WILL VAN ALLEN WILLIE FRAME ELI HUDSON BEN DAVIES'
Below portrait of Hicks: 'TO COMMEMORATE THE FIGHTING LINE CONCERTS ARRANGED BY MR SEYMOUR HICKS WHO WITH A SPECIAL COMPANY VISITED THE TROOPS IN FRANCE.' |
| Credit line | Purchased from Philip T. Meldrum Esquire |
| Summary | The actor-manager and dramatist Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (1871-1949) was responsible for gathering together the artists named on this medal, including his wife, the actress Ellaline Terriss (1861-1971). The medal celebrates the first occasion on which British soldiers abroad were visited and entertained by a troupe from home. The practice, which became widespread by the time of WW11, was an innovation that must have given enormous pleasure to the men at the Front. An account of the visit by Gladys Cooper is given in the book Gladys Cooper by her grandson Sheridan Morley, published in 1979. |
| Other number | 1987/1948 - RF number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.77-1988 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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