Shankland Victoria Cross going to auction

[Michael OLeary]

What price valour? Canadian's Victoria Cross goes up for auction

Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service

An iconic Canadian war medal — the Victoria Cross of Robert Shankland, one of the trio of First World War heroes from Winnipeg’s "Valour Road" — is to be auctioned next month in Toronto at a sale likely to prompt controversy and possible government intervention.

Shankland’s VC, awarded to him in 1917 for "most conspicuous bravery" in leading his troops against the Germans at Passchendaele, is the centrepiece of a nine-medal set being offered at Bonham’s May 25 auction of Canadian art and history.

The "very scarce" combination of Shankland’s Victoria Cross and his Distinguished Conduct Medal — won in 1916 for leading a team of stretcher bearers through enemy fire — has pushed the high-end estimate for the full set to $330,000, a price comparable to other recent VC sales in Britain.

But recent attempts to auction examples of Canada’s highest military decoration — awarded only 94 times in the nation’s history, and not once since 1945 — have provoked public ire and government action to stop the planned sales.

More at link.

 

[Michael OLeary]

The auction listing from Bonham's:

Sale 17469 - Canadian Art, 25 May 2009 Toronto

Lot No: 27

Collection of 4 medals awarded to L. Col Robert Shankland - V.C and DCM

The Great War Victoria Cross and Distinguished Conduct Medal group of nine to Lieutenant Colonel R.Shankland, Canadian Army,

The Medals comprise:

Victoria Cross, engraved on reverse (Lt. R.Shankland. 43rd.. Bn.Can.Infy 26. Oct. 1917.); Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (420933 C.S.Mjr: R.Shankland. 43/Can: Inf: Bn; British War and Victory Medal (Capt. R.Shankland.); Defence Medal; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with overseas bar; War Medal; Coronation Medal 1937; Coronation Medal 1953. With rhodium plating to the silver medals, otherwise very fine.

Estimate: CAD$220,000 - 330,000

 

[Michael OLeary]

Ottawa Citizen

Storied Victoria Cross up for auction won't leave Canada, minister says
Medal is jewel of nine-piece set expected to fetch up to $330,000
By Randy Boswell, Canwest News ServiceApril 22, 2009

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Life/Somnia/1520684/story.html

An iconic Canadian war medal -- the Victoria Cross awarded to Robert Shankland, one of the trio of First World War heroes from Winnipeg's Valour Road -- is to be auctioned next month in Toronto at a sale that has Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson vowing to do "whatever it takes" to prevent the "powerful and enduring symbol" of gallantry from leaving the country.

Shankland's medal, awarded to him in 1917 for "most conspicuous bravery" in leading his troops against the Germans near the Belgian town of Passchendaele, is the centrepiece of a nine-medal set being offered at Bonhams' May 25 auction of Canadian art and history.

The "very scarce" combination of Shankland's Victoria Cross and his Distinguished Conduct Medal -- won in 1916 for rescuing a team of Canadian stretcher-bearers under enemy fire -- has pushed the high-end estimate for the full set to $330,000, a price comparable to other recent Victoria Cross sales in Britain.

Jack Kerr-Wilson, president of Bonhams Canada, told Canwest News Service on Tuesday that the Shankland Victoria Cross is available for sale to any Canadian or foreign buyer, but added that an international collector would need federal approval to take the medals out of Canada.

"The Cultural Property Review Board will require an application for an export permit if the Shankland medals are acquired by an overseas resident who might then wish to have them sent out of Canada," he said. "Any interested buyers are informed of this obligation."

He added: "With regards to the history of the medals, I regret that we are not at liberty to divulge that information."

Thompson made clear, however, that there's little chance the medal could be sold and shipped to an out-of-country buyer.

"The Victoria Cross is a powerful and enduring symbol of the courageous men and women who have always been there to defend our great country," he said. "We have a duty to protect and preserve this proud history of our nation's truest heroes. We will do whatever it takes to keep this Victoria Cross in Canada -- and to ensure that it is treated with the respect it deserves.

"Our heritage cannot be for export."

More at link.

 

[the 48th regulator]

http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bbshankl.htm

THE VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROBERT SHANKLAND, 43RD BN, CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, IS TO BE AUCTIONED IN CANADA.
2 April 2009

( select to enlarge )
Medal entitlement of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Shankland,
43rd Bn, Manitoba Regiment, CEF
Victoria Cross
Distinguished Conduct Medal ( DCM )
British War Medal ( 1914-20 )
Victory Medal ( 1914-19 )
Defence Medal ( 1939-45 )
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal ( 1939-45 )+ Overseas clasp
War Medal ( 1939-45 )
King George VI Coronation Medal ( 1937 )
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal ( 1953 )
The Victoria Cross and campaign medals awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Shankland are to be auctioned by Bonhams of Toronto on Monday, 25th May 2009.
By mid October 1917 the Bellevue Spur faced the Allies with a cordon of pillboxes, varying in shape and size and protected by thickets of barbed wire, that straddled a slight rise, less than 1,500 yards from the outskirts of Passchendaele. Twice in the space of three days these German defences had dealt crushing blows to British hopes. Haig turned to the Canadian Corps to salvage something of the wreckage of his plans. The talk was no longer of a breakthrough but of securing a defensible winter position and diverting attention away from new plans for an armoured strike at Cambrai.

[ London Gazette, 18 December 1917 ], Passchendaele, Belgium, 26 October 1917, Lieutenant Robert Shankland DCM, 43rd Bn, Manitoba Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force.

For most conspicuous bravery and resource in action under critical and adverse conditions ( Passchendaele, Belgium ). Having gained a position he rallied the remnant of his own platoon and men of other companies, disposed them to command the ground in front, and inflicted heavy casualties upon the retreating enemy.
Later, he dispersed a counter-attack, thus enabling support troops to come up unmolested. He then personally communicated to Battalion Headquarters an accurate and valuable report as to the position on the Brigade frontage, and after doing so rejoined his command and carried on until relieved.

His courage and splendid example inspired all ranks and coupled with his great gallantry and skill undoubtedly saved a very critical situation.

Robert Shankland was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Sandringham on the 7th October 1918.

[ London Gazette, 19 August 1916 ], for the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal ( DCM ), 420933 Company Sergeant Major Robert Shankland, Canadian Infantry

For conspicuous gallantry for volunteering to lead a party of stretcher-bearers, under very heavy shell fire, and bringing in some wounded and partially buried men. His courage and devotion were most marked.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Shankland, then 51, re-enlisted in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada. Promoted Major in 1940, he was subsequently appointed camp commandant of the Canadian HQ in England with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Robert Shankland died on 20 January 1968 in Shaughnessy Hospital, Vancouver. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered in the grounds of Mountain View cemetery.

Two further Victoria Crosses were earned by Canadians at Passchendaele on this day, 26 October 1917:

Private Thomas Holmes, 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles, CEF
Captain Christopher O'Kelly, 52nd Bn, Manitoba Regiment, CEF

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Shankland


Robert Shankland VC, DCM (October 10, 1887 – January 20, 1968) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Contents

Born in Ayr, Scotland, on October 10, 1887, Robert Shankland was the son of a railroad guard, and his first job was that of a clerk in the stationmaster’s office. He moved to Canada in 1910 where he worked as assistant cashier for the Crescent Creamery Company in Winnipeg. When the First World War broke out he joined the 43rd Battalion (Cameron Highlanders of Canada) Canadian Expeditionary Force as a private.
[edit]Victoria Cross

Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Sanctuary Wood in 1916 as a Sergeant (in charge of a stretcher bearer party), Shankland received a battlefield commission later that year and continued to serve with the 43rd Bn as an officer. On the morning of October 26, he led his platoon of 40 men from D Company (D Company commanded by Capt. Galt) to the crest of the hill at the Bellevue Spur, the main trench line defending the approach to Passchendaele. Overrunning it and holding the position was critical to capturing the town. Early in the advance, B Company captured and held the Spur.
On the right, the 58th Bn, which was under heavy fire from Snipe Hill, was forced to retire after failing to reach its objective. Some of the men joined Shankland’s platoon, but this still left his right flank open. For four hours they withstood incessant artillery shelling and German counterattacks, sustaining frightful casualties. By this time the 8th Brigade on the left was forced to withdraw leaving both of Shankland’s flanks exposed.
He and his men were in danger of being cut off and losing the vital position gained at such fearful cost. The only solution was to bring up reinforcements and counterattack. Shankland turned over his command to another officer and then weaved his way through heavy mud and German shelling to battalion headquarters where he gave a first-hand report of the situation. He also offered a detailed plan on how a counterattack with reinforcements could best be achieved. He then returned to his men to lead the forthcoming attack supported by reinforcements from the 52nd and 58th battalions. For his actions that day Robert Shankland was awarded the Victoria Cross.
The Citation: Having gained a position at Passchendaele on 26th October 1917, Lieutenant Shankland organised the remnants of his own platoon and other men from various companies to command the foreground where they inflicted heavy casualties on the retreating Germans. He later dissipated a counter-attack, allowing for the arrival of support troops. He then communicated to his HQ a detailed evaluation of the brigade frontage. On its completion he rejoined his command, carrying on until relieved. His courage and his example undoubtedly saved a critical situation.
[edit]Later life

Following the war, Shankland stayed in the Militia with the Camerons and in his civilian work served as secretary-manager for several Winnipeg firms. He eventually moved to Victoria and joined the Canadian Scottish Regiment. When the Second World War started, he returned to Winnipeg and rejoined the Camerons. Now a Major, he went overseas with the battalion as Officer Commanding Headquarters Company. Due to his age (53) he was too old for combat duty. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Shankland was appointed camp commandant of the Canadian Army Headquarters in England in December 1940.
According to the May/June 2005 issue of the Legion Magazine, "in 1946, Shankland took his discharge and became secretary of a leading securities firm in Vancouver. He died 20 January 1968, at Shaughnessy, Vancouver, and his body was cremated and his ashes scattered in the grounds of Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery."
[edit]Valour Road


Valour Road Memorial

Frederick William Hall, Leo Clarke, and Robert Shankland all lived on Pine Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is believed to be the only street in the world to have three Victoria Cross winners who lived there. The city later renamed it Valour Road in their honour. A bronze plaque is mounted on a street lamp at the corner of Portage Ave and Valour Road to tell this story.
The medal

The medal is currently not on public display. Shankland's battledress blouse with ribbons and his miniatures are on display in the Cameron's museum in Winnipeg.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Winnipeg Free Press

War medals could leave Canada
Soldier one of three Valour Road heroes

By: Aldo Santin

A part of Canada's military history could be sold to a foreign collector next month when the First World War medals of former Winnipeg resident Robert Shankland are put up for auction.

Shankland's medals, including the Victoria Cross and the Distinguished Conduct Medal, will be auctioned off in Toronto on May 25.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross after leading his outnumbered troops in battle against the Germans near the Belgian town of Passchendale.

Bonhams Canada auction house estimates Shankland's nine medals will fetch between $220,000 and $330,000 -- but that's probably low considering a year ago in Australia a Victoria Cross and several other medals sold for the equivalent of C$573,000.

The prospect Shankland's medals could leave the country, along with his VC -- the British Commonwealth's highest award for gallantry in battle -- has military buffs and politicians wringing their hands in anguish.

"I think it would be a disaster," said Murray Burt, the secretary of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, the local militia regiment that Shankland joined at the war's end.

Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson vowed earlier this week he would do "whatever it takes" to prevent the "powerful and enduring symbol" of gallantry from leaving the country.

But there may be little anyone can do to prevent the sale.

Robert Vandewater, a vice-president at CIBC Wood Gundy's Winnipeg office and honorary lieutenant-colonel of the Cameron's militia unit, said it's unlikely anyone with the regiment could come up with the funds needed to buy the medals at auction. "I don't see what we can do," Vandewater said. "We just don't have the resources to do it."

The medals will be sought after by foreign investors, that's for certain.

"There is a great deal of interest from collectors around the world," said Jack Kerr-Wilson, the Bonhams specialist handling the auction."The Victoria Cross medals have a mystique... the heroism of the people who earned them," Kerr-Wilson said. "The medals themselves are wonderful objects but when you consider the reasons they were given, they are clearly history... a history of the individual, the history of valour that someone can summon under extreme duress."

Fundraising efforts have been initiated elsewhere to save military medals, but local efforts might have more time than the date of next month's auction would indicate.

Kerr-Wilson said that by law, a foreign buyer cannot remove a military medal from the country without first securing an export permit and all bidders have been notified of this.

Kerr-Wilson said if a successful foreign bidder is rejected for an export permit, locals have six months to raise the necessary funds to match the winning bid. However, if no one can match the winning bid after six months, the Cultural Properties Act stipulates an export permit must be given to the foreign buyer, Kerr-Wilson said.

It's assumed Shankland's medals have been put up for auction by his family, but Kerr-Wilson said Bonhams' policy prevents him from disclosing the identity of the seller.

Shankland returned to Winnipeg after the First World War and later moved to Victoria and then Vancouver. After serving in the Second World War, he returned to the West Coast. Bonhams' historical records state Shankland's wife died in 1952. Shankland died in Vancouver in 1968 at the age of 80.

Vandewater said the only real hope of keeping the medals in Canada rests with the Canadian War Museum, which is the country's largest repository for Canadian military medals.

Museum spokesman Pierre Leduc said they are aware of the auction but would not disclose if they're preparing a bid.

Article link.

 

[Michael OLeary]

War Museum pays $288K to buy Victoria Cross

Article link

By Dan Blackburn and Randy Boswell, National Post and Canwest News Service
May 25, 2009 9:01 PM

TORONTO — The Canadian government spent almost $300,000 at a controversial auction in Toronto on Monday night to buy a Victoria Cross awarded to First World War hero Robert Shankland, preventing the iconic medal from leaving the country.

A set of nine military decorations given to Shankland — who was one of the three "Valour Road" soldiers from the same Winnipeg street who earned VCs in the 1914-18 war — was sold for $288,000 to officials from the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which oversees the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

The hammer price of $240,000 plus a buyer's premium to be paid to sale organizer Bonhams Canada pushes the total to $288,000.

The planned auction of the Victoria Cross, awarded to Shankland for "most conspicuous bravery" in leading an attack against the Germans at Passchendaele in 1917, had prompted the federal NDP — with backing from the Royal Canadian Legion — to introduce a bill last month that would outlaw such sales in the future.

The medal set included the "very scarce" combination of Shankland's Victoria Cross and his Distinguished Conduct Medal — won in 1916 for rescuing a team of Canadian stretcher-bearers under enemy fire.

Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson had already vowed to do "whatever it takes" to keep Shankland's VC in Canadian hands, and provisions under the federal Cultural Property Review Board would have compelled any foreign buyer of the medal to accept a matching offer from a Canadian collector or public institution within six months.

More at link.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Medal set including Victoria Cross sold to Canadian War Museum for $240,000
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | 12:12 AM ET
CBC News

Fears that a Victoria Cross medal belonging to a Canadian war hero would be auctioned off to a private collector were allayed Monday evening when the Canadian War Museum bought it and eight other medals for $240,000.

The set of nine medals includes the Victoria Cross awarded to Lt.-Col. Robert Shankland, a member of the 43rd Infantry Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders of Canada based in Winnipeg, after he led attacks against the Germans in Passchendaele, Belgium, during the First World War.

"The story of this great Canadian and his contribution to our history deserves to be preserved in our national military museum," Mark O'Neill, the museum's director general, said in a release.

Bonhams Canada, the Toronto auction house that was handling the sale, declined to name the seller, but it was likely Shankland's family, according to a report last month in the Winnipeg Free Press.

"The War Museum has done Canada a great service," Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore said in the release. "This medal, and the heroism that earned it, are part of our proud history of service and sacrifice."

With its successful purchase, the War Museum now holds in its collections 30 of the 94 Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadians. The eight other medals in the set that the museum bought were also awarded to Shankland at various times.

Shankland was one of three Canadians from the same street in Winnipeg — Pine Street, later renamed Valour Road — to win the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious British and Commonwealth medal for bravery. It is believed to be the only street in the world to have three Victoria Cross winners.

Shankland's story was featured in the Canadian film Passchendaele, and his portrait hangs in the Canadian War Museum.

Before Monday's auction, some people, including Canadian military historian Desmond Morton, were worried about the medal and what it has come to symbolize.

"He's going to be forgotten, because his medal will disappear into someone else's collection," he said.

Now that its owner is the War Museum, however, it will be available for all Canadians to see.

 

[Michael OLeary]

"He's going to be forgotten, because his medal will disappear into someone else's collection," [Desmond Morton] said.

How exactly does that happen?  Have we officially "forgotten" those VC recipients whose medals are in private collections?  What about the one in Lord Ashcroft's collection, have we forgotten Wallace Algie?

And if those in private hands are now forgotten, what label do we give those recipients whose medals are whereabouts unknown?  Shall we strike Milton Gregg from the record, because we just don't know what happened to his medals after they were stolen decades ago?

Sensationalism only serves to undermine the seriousness of the real issue, which is to honour the memory of these soldiers, and every other soldier, sailor and airman - whether or not their medals are held in a vault in the CWM or other Canadian museum. If we allow the focus to be solely on the location of their medals, we then forget that the medals are mere physical artifacts, and are not the sole legacy of the memory of the individual or the honour we bestow on them for their service and sacrifice.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Viewing the photo of LCol Shankland's medals and noting the year of his death (1968) brought to mind that the Canadian Centennial Medal was not among them.  As holders of the VC were automatic recipients of commemorative medals (note his two Coronation medals) he should have been one of the first to receive it; or was the distribution of the Centennial Medal delayed somewhat (perhaps a cluster like the $1.25 medal) and he passed away before it could be presented.

 

[Old Sweat]

As I recall it, the award of the Cenetennial Medals was announced in the Spring of 1967 and recipients put the ribbon up at that time. As far as I know, the medal was presented at the same time, but that is a guesstimate. Only a very, very few were awarded; in A Bty only the BQMS received it.

 

[Gunner98]

Many websites indicate that the Canadian Centennial Medals were presented in May 1967 with 27,000 handed out including 8,500 to "soldiers". Perhaps with LCol Shankland's death coming on 20 January 1968, there wasn't time to make the presentation.

Cpl Fred Topham, VC died in March 1974 and had a CCM in his medal bar.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Sensationalism only serves to undermine the seriousness of the real issue, which is to honour the memory of these soldiers, and every other soldier, sailor and airman - whether or not their medals are held in a vault in the CWM or other Canadian museum. If we allow the focus to be solely on the location of their medals, we then forget that the medals are mere physical artifacts, and are not the sole legacy of the memory of the individual or the honour we bestow on them for their service and sacrifice.

I'm impressed that the event caused so much controversy; it seems to signify that Canadians still care about this stuff. I dunno... as long as events like this keep the deeds of our past and present heroes in the public eye, I'm all for the sensationalism.