Jubilee Fever

Whilst we’re all in the midst of Jubilee fever and just when you’re thinking they can’t possibly make some tenuous links between the Jubilee and the Royal Marines, you are mistaken. There are of course Diamond Jubilee medals!

The museum has the Diamond Jubilee represented already in its collections; Queen Victoria’s to be exact. In Queen Victoria’s reign, there was a medal celebrating her Golden Jubilee in 1887 and in 1897 for the Diamond Jubilee you received an ‘1897’ clasp to the existing jubilee medal.

Col J H Poore served in the Royal Marine Artillery for 40 years.  He was involved in the expedition in Mexico in 1862, and served aboard the ships HMS Galatea, HMS Sultan, HMS Minotaur. He then spent a large proportion of his career as an Equerry to members of the Royal family.  Despite ending up as the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marine Artillery, he only qualified for one medal: the Jubilee Medal 1887 with clasp 1897. It is the only example of this medal in the collection.

To bring the story up to date for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, a separate medal has been struck. One of the most decorated men in the Royal Marines today, WO1(RSM) Matthew Tomlinson CGC MC has recently received this medal.  After remounting with his other decorations and medals, it will be placed on display in the Museum medal room, not far from Col Poore’s single award from 100 years ago.