Hello - this is my first post on the board.

My name is Peter and I have an interest in British medals. I recently purchased the China 1900 medal with the clasp "Defence of Legations" awarded to Peter Turner, China Defence Force. Thus far, I have been unable to find any information on the formation and role of the CDF.

The Legation housed consular officials, customs officers and students, and was protected by a small force of Royal Marines.

If anyone has any information or can point me to a few reference books I would be very grateful.

Peter

Hi PeterW.
Welcome to the forum.
I have a friend that might have that information. He is out of town right now, traveling on business, so I can not contact him right away.
I will ask him when he returns.

I hope that I am not stating the obvious, but this relates to the Boxer Uprising and the defence of the International Quarter until the relief column of the Eight Nation Alliance arrived.

China Defence Force, sounds like a service designation in the Royal Marines, just as the Royal Navies Armilla Patrol is today, in the Persian Gulf.

It might be worth checking the records of Hong Kong as the Beijing guards may have been drawn from that Garrison and the term "China Defence Force" may well cover the whole of that Garrison deployment.

Thank you for the welcome.

I am reasonably confident that the China Defence Force was not related to the Royal Marines. The recipient has no rank or service number and appears in a separate list (along with the students and consular staff) on the medal roll.

It is possible that:
1. The China Defence Force was a permanent, paid organisation that was serving at the time;
2. The Force was raised during the siege as an emergency, civilian militia.
3. Either of the above might be hopelessly wrong.

Peter

Here is an update for those that may be interested.

I braved the refurbishment at Kew (The National Archives) and browsed FO 17/1720 - embassy correspondence relating to the China medal.
The first hand written list from the legation is a comprehensive list of all volunteers, including foreign nationals. The accompany letter is dated October 19, 1900 and Mr Turner (no initial) appears in a list of seven "Miscellaneous."

The list appears again, this time typed, and annotated against Turner's name is the remark "Says he is an American. Leave him out."

There is much correspondence relating to the award of the China medal and the fact that it would be restricted to British nationals. There is no other Turner on the list so if he was American, then Turner's medal would be unique.

Having been omitted from the original list, Turner along with four others has his name submitted for the medal by the senior diplomat Sir Claude MacDonald. The letter, dates 16 June 1903, states:

"This is to certify that the under mentioned persons served as volunteers during the Siege of the Peking Legations June - August 1900.
John M Allardyce
Peter Turner
Samuel M Russell
Revd T Biggin
Joseph Bailie

Their names were omitted from the original roll, an oversight."

The others are:

Joseph Bailie was a Scot, a Professor of English at the Imperial University, Peking
Samuel M Russell was similarly a Professor at the same establishment. After the Siege he wrote ' The Story of the Seige of Peking' published by Elliott Stock in 1901.
The Reverend Thomas Biggin served with the London Missionary Society
Mr J. M. Allardyce, of New College (Oxford?) was accepted for the foreign missionary service (he was a Methodist I think) as reported in the The Times ,May 1891. He was an educational missionary and Revd Biggin was sent out to replace him.

I'm reasonably certain that the "China Defence Force" was a term invented by the War Office/Medal Office in 1903 and that Turner was just a volunteer. But whether he was British or American, and in what capacity he was present in Peking, remains unknown.

I would welcome further suggestions, particularly on the American possibility.

Peter

A further update for those that might be interested.

Peter Turner has been identified as a Scottish-born engineer who emigrated to Canada in 1879.

George Morrison. the Times' Peking correspondent who was also besieged in the legations, refers to Turner in his diaries. Turner was responsible for the design/construction of Morrison's house and library in Peking, which accommodated his his world-renowned collection of books. At some stage Turner returned to Canada, marrying in 1908 in Toronto. The last reference I have for him is in 1919 when he was with the Bank of Montreal.

As yet, I do not have a photograph of him.

Peter

This is quite an interesting thread! i can imagine the pains you must gone thru to find all that data. hope more information can be found