A beautiful Pour Le Merite, with manufacturing characteristics of Godet, in silver gilt featuring a blue enamelled Maltese cross with hand-etched eagles in each quadrant, the obverse presents the inscription F POUR LE MERITE across the arms, suspended from a double looped ring marked SILBER, attached via a pie-shaped eyelet extension in the knee of the 12 o’clock arm, degassing holes present in the knee of each arm and on the left side of the pie-shaped eyelet extension, measures 56.06mm (w) x 54.60mm (h – inclusive of pie shaped eyelet extension), weighs 22.7 grams, small minor chip to blue enamel near center of obverse, minor contact marks to reverse, scattered gilt wear, enamelling quality indicative of late wartime manufacture, in overall very fine condition.
Footnote: This fine award was brought back from Europe following the First War by Myron Clark Williams.
Born on May 2, 1870 in Canandaigua, New York to George N Williams (a banker) and Abigail (Clark) Williams. During the First World War, Williams served as a Red Cross representative with the First American Infantry Division. He was present at the Battle of Cantigny in March 1918, the first American involvement in the war. He also served on the field during the Battle of Chateau-Thierry, which occurred in May-July 1918. The American Red Cross Headquarters was located in this French town. Later, Williams became the field director of the Bureau of Army Field Services, putting him in charge of all Red Cross service during the Argonne Campaign, the battle that began in September 1918 until the end of the War in November. By the end of the war, he had been appointed Major and in 1922 was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross for his involvement. Williams died on December 18, 1946 in Greenwich Connecticut.