Albert Von Le Coq

How he won the Gold Medal of the Order of St John

Albert Von Le Coq was a German archaeologist and explorer who trekked across the vast wastelands of Chinese Turkestan investigating sites across the fearsome Taklamakan and Lop deserts. He played a pivotal role in uncovering information about the lost Buddhist kingdoms that straddled the Silk Road during its golden age.

In this post I will focus on the herculean feat of strength he performed that earnt him the Medal of the Order of St John, struck in Gold. In the middle of the 1906, during the third German expedition into Central Asia Le Coq was beginning to suffer from dysentery and decided to leave for home, along with a cart loaded with ancient manuscripts. Upon reaching the Kashgar it was arranged that a British officer, Captain Sherer, who would accompany the German and his caravan over the Karakoram Pass into India.

While 19,000 feet high and deep in to the Karakoram, Captain Sherer was struck down by enteric fever and pneumonia and was barely holding on to his life. In order to save this man he hardly knew Le Coq set off alone on the trail to Ladakh to secure medicine for Sherer, a journey which took 9 days. Upon his arrival he sent for a European doctor who would be able to meet them at Ladakh as Le Coq with life saving medicine. After this Le Coq then set off to return to the deteriorating Sherer with a make shift stretcher so he could carried off the mountain. In order to restore his strength and fortify himself for the challenge Le Coq ate 19 raw eggs, an adequate number to ward off any exhaustion and which sustained his arduous journey. Over the course of the weeks long ordeal Le Coq crossed the Sassar and Murghi passes three times, crossing three miles of glaciers and fought blinding snow storms but successfully saved Sherer, all without losing a single artefact.