George III 1817 Halfcrown engraved to commemorate events of the First Opium War in China.
The reverse has been smoothed and hand engraved with 'From The Forts of the Bocca Tigris, Feby 26th, 1841'.
The Bocca Tigris, also known as the Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta that separates Shiziyang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south near Humen Town in China's Guangdong Province. It is the site of the Pearl River's discharge into the South China Sea. The Battle of the Bogue was fought between British and Chinese forces on 23–26 February 1841 during the First Opium War. The British launched an amphibious attack at the Humen strait (Bogue), capturing the forts on the islands of Anunghoy and North Wangtong. This allowed the fleet to proceed further up the Pearl River towards the city of Canton (Guangzhou), which they captured the following month.
The engraved Halfcrown is accompanied by a second medallion which also bears the armorial arm of the McGregor clan, surrounded by the clan motto 'Ein Doe And Spair Not' (In what you do, spare nothing). The reverse of this medallion is engraved 'Wm Thompson Clarkson, In Remembrance Of 24 Years Faithful Service' and the edge is inscribed 'John Greg. 1854'.
These two medals accompanied one another upon receipt although the exact connection between the two (if any), beyond the armorial arm, is unclear and worthy of further research.
The Halfcrown has a small trace of having been mounted to the top edge and the medallion has previously been mounted, now smoothed, on the reverse.