University of London, Fellowes Medal, 1827.

Medicine, University of London, Fellowes Medal, 1827, Gold Medal by W Wyon, bust left, ROBERTVS FELLOWES, L.L.D. MERENTI PROPOSVIT., rev. MORBIS INSPECTIS DESCRIPTISQVE MERVIT. VNIV: COLL: HOSP: SCHOL: MED: VNIV: LONDIN: ALVMNVS., edge, W.J.M. SADLER SUMMER SESSION 1926-27, 38mm (BHM 1310; cf Eimer 1198). Rare and extremely fine, in NGC holder graded MS62, the holder slightly pecked.

Surgeon Commander William James Meredith Sadler, Royal Navy, joined the navy after qualifying as a doctor and had attained the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant by November 1929; Surgeon Lieutenant Commander by the end of 1935 and Surgeon Commander by the end of 1941. He was awarded the Naval General Service, with bar for Palestine 1936-1939; the Defence Medal, War Medal and Coronation Medal for 1953. He was Royal Navy honorary surgeon to H.M. The Queen and was awarded the CBE in the year of his retirement, which was announced by the admiralty in November 1961.

Robert Fellowes (1771-1847) was a philanthropist, editor of Critical Review, friend of Queen Caroline, benefactor of Edinburgh University and one of the promotors of London University, now University College. BHM tells us that he provided two annual gold prize medals to be awarded for proficiency in clinical medicine, and that this was out of personal gratitude to Dr John Elliotson, Chair of Medicine, at the university.

Brown does not list the gold medal, though he does refer to it. He does list a specimen in bronze numbered 795, which he studied at the Ashmolean Museum. That medal must have been part of the Wyon family specimen collection and visitors to this site will find examples of these extraordinarily rare specimens from that collection within our sold archive.