League of Mercy
.jpg) Badge of the Order of the League of Mercy, version awarded 1899-1946. The bow was for ladies' awards. | |
| Formation | 30 March 1899 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Edward, Prince of Wales |
| Founded at | London |
| Dissolved | 1947 |
| Purpose | To recruit volunteers for hospitals |
First President | Edward, Prince of Wales[1] |
Last President | Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester |
The League of Mercy was a British foundation established in 1899 by Royal Charter of Queen Victoria. The goal of the organisation was to recruit a large number of volunteers to aid the sick and suffering at charity hospitals. It was disbanded at the establishment of the National Health Service in 1947,[2] with its Royal Charter subsequently surrendered.[3]
In its lifetime it collected a total of £850,000, £600,000 for London Hospitals and £250,000 for rural 'cottage hospitals' with subscriptions being as little as a shilling (1d) a year for servants and tradespeople.[4]
In 1999, the League of Mercy Foundation, an unrelated organisation, was established to recognise and reward volunteers.[5] The foundation awards insignia and medals that look similar to the original League but are unofficial and not recognised by the Crown.[3]
History
In 1898, Sir Everard Hambro chaired a committee established to consider several submitted plans and proposals on devising a badly needed organisation.[6]
On 1 March 1899, the Edward, Prince of Wales chaired a meeting at Marlborough House[6] to establish a fundraising body to support voluntary hospitals and announce subsequent directives.[4] Sixty-five districts were established based on Parliamentary constituency divisions, each with a president (grandee) who coordinated the collection of donations through middle class volunteers.[4] Many notable contemporaries were in attendance at the meeting, including the Duke of Westminster, the Marquess of Lorne, the Marquess of Camden, Earl Carrington, Earl of Clarendon, Earl of Dartmouth, Sir W. Hart Dyke, Sir Whittaker Ellis, Sir Arthur Hayter, Sir Fitzroy D. Maclean, Weetman Pearson and Edmund Boulnois.[6]
The prince stated:[6]
The purpose for which the League of Mercy has been established is to promote the welfare and to further the objects of the Prince of Wales's Hospital Fund for London, and in every way, but especially by encouraging personal service on the part of large numbers of persons to further the interests and to promote the adequate maintenance of hospitals and other institutions for the relief of sickness and suffering, and especially those institutions which are supported by voluntary contributions.
After being active for nearly half a century, the League ceased its work in 1947 on the creation of the National Health Service,[2] its Royal Charter subsequently surrendered.[3]
Presidents
The presidents of the original League were:
- Edward, Prince of Wales[1]
- George, Prince of Wales
- Edward, Prince of Wales
- Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Badge of the Order of Mercy
The original badge of the order, awarded from 1899, was a red enamelled silver or silver gilt cross surmounted by the plumes of the Prince of Wales and with a central roundel bearing the crest of the League. The reverse is plain, save for the inscription “League of Mercy 1898” on the central roundel. It was awarded for at least five years distinguished and unpaid personal service to the League in support of charity hospitals, or in the relief of suffering, poverty or distress. A bar for a second award was introduced in 1917.[7] The Order ceased to be awarded after 1946, and the League itself closed in 1947.[2]
In the United Kingdom, the pre-1947 Badge comes after the Service Medal of the Order of St John and before the Voluntary Medical Service Medal in the order precedence.[8]
League of Mercy Foundation
The League of Mercy Foundation was established as a charity on 30 March 1999, exactly 100 years after the founding of the original League.[5]
The League of Mercy Foundation claims to be the legitimate successor of the original League,[5] however lacks official approval from the Monarch.[3] In the United Kingdom, where legitimacy of any particular order is determined by the Monarch – some societies have permission from the Monarch to award medals, but these are to be worn on the right side of the chest. No UK citizen may accept and wear a foreign award without the Sovereign's permission. Moreover, the government is explicit that permission for foreign awards conferred by private societies or institutions will not be granted.[9][10]
References
- ^ a b "The History of the League of Mercy". League of Mercy. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b c John Mussell (ed). Medal Yearbook 2015. p. 302. Published by Token Publishing Ltd. Honiton, Devon.
- ^ a b c d "No. 62529". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 2019. p. 329.
- ^ a b c Davenport-Hines, Richard (1 March 2016). Edward VII: The Cosmopolitan King (1st ed.). London: Allen Lane. ISBN 9780241014806. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "The League of Mercy Today". League of Mercy Foundation. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "The League of Mercy". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 2 March 1899. p. 12.
- ^ Captain H. Taprell Dorling. Ribbons and Medals. p. 129. Published A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London. 1956.
- ^ "No. 62529". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 2019. p. 327.
- ^ Rules Governing the Accepting and Wearing of Foreign Orders, Decorations and Medals by Citizens of the United Kingdom and Her Overseas Territories (Annex D of the document)
- ^ Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Nov 2005 (pt 24)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
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