State: South Australia
Issued on: n/a
Date of presentation: Bef. 30/06/1900
Number issued: 1
Gold medal, to:
The medal was thought to have been lost in the post, and in November 1902 correspondence was received stating that it had never reached its destination. However, further enquiries made by General Buller in January 1903 ascertained that the package had been placed in a drawer in the library for safe keeping, and forgotten about.
"General Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., had written to him [Mr George Davidson of the Crtsyal Brook Committee], stating that he had not received the gold medal sent to him from that town two years ago" (Adelaide Chronicle, 22/11/1902).
THE CRYSTAL BROOK MEDAL.
Recently we published a paragraph, in which it was asserted, on the authority of a resident of Crystal Brook, that General Sir Redvers BULLER, V.C., had written to him, stating that he had not received the gold medal sent to him from that town two years ago. Mr. George Davidson, on behalf of the Crystal Brook committee, which arranged for the purchase and dispatch of the medal, writes to us, under date of November 15, in regard to the matter –
“Evidence before us shows that the medal was duly forwarded by registered post, No. 73, on November 2, 1900, addressed to Lady Audrey Buller, Crediton, Devonshire, England as advised by Lord Tennyson. Enquiry was instructed to be instituted in April last, but up to the present no information has reached us. Registered correspondence will now be dispatched to ascertain if the said medal has reached its destination, and also enquiry will be made of the Postal Department as to whose receipt they hold for delivery of same."
THE SIR REDVERS BULLER MEDAL.
Towards the end of last year we published certain interesting correspondence, published in the Port Pirie “Recorder”, regarding a medal sent over two years ago from Crystal Brook admirers of the famous general to Sir Redvers BULLER. At that time no acknowledgement of the presentation had been received from Sir Redvers. In the latest issue of the Port Pirie paper its Crystal Brook correspondent writes – I have received a letter from Sir Redvers BULLER, dated January 2, 1903, in which he sates –
“I am much obliged to you for your letter of November 19 last, which I am glad to say, has been the means of my finding the medal that was believed to be missing. It seems that the registered letter containing it was duly received here on December 9, 1900. Neither Lady Audrey or I was at home at this time; we were then both of us receiving so heavy a correspondence that we did not let it follow us when away for a few days, as was the case at that moment. The parcel, being registered, would ordinarily have been sent on at once, but it happened to be a Sunday, and it was placed in a drawer in the library for safety. It was forgotten until today, when on enquiry being made it was recollected, and I have just received it. I have written this to you because I feel that I owe to you the pleasure the medal gives me”.
