Crimea 1854-56, 2 clasps, Inkermann, Sebastopol (Wm. Perkins A.B. H.M.S. Albion) officially engraved naming in the correct style for this ship, light contact marks, very fine £240-£280

William Perkins was born in Milton, Devon, on 5 November 1823. He joined the Royal Navy on 11 January 1842 and witnessed extensive service aboard Iris, Caledonia, Tweed, and the 90-gun second rate ship of the line, H.M.S. Albion. Deployed to the Black Sea during the Crimean War, Perkins fought as part of the Naval Brigade under the command of Captain Stephen Lushington. Tasked with providing vital heavy artillery support for the Allied forces besieging Sebastopol, the sailors proved invaluable in their ground combat role.

Perkins received one of the officially engraved medals issued to H.M.S. Albion, with his medal delivered on board on 30 December 1855. Transferred to Impregnable and Eagle, Perkins was discharged from H.M.S. Princess Royal on 31 July 1867, his final four years of service being spent aboard her on the East Indies and China Station.