Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Serjt. Thos. Wm. Clapham. 46th. Regt.) officially impressed naming, clasp loose on riband, edge bruise, very fine £240-£280

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the 46th Foot and its Successor Units.

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Thomas William Clapham was born in Cirencester. A labourer, he enlisted in the 46th Regiment on 30 October 1841 and sailed for the Crimea with the main body of the regiment, landing at Balaklava on 8 November 1854. He died of dysentery on 10 March 1855.

Sergeant Clapham appears in Eyewitness in the Crimea in the following letters:

Letter 29 of 16 February 1855:
‘I am sorry to say that my poor old Sergeant [Hampson] of whom I told you once, went away to Scutari, very ill, and died there. How few ever seem to recover, either wounded or ill, in any way here! My other patient tho', who lost his leg [Brummell] is doing well, & will I hope soon be able to get home. He is one of the few who ever have recovered from an amputation here... I shall be quite sorry to part with him, when he goes, & he asked me if he might write to me when he goes away. I have now only about one Sergeant [Clapham] & seven men doing duty in Company. Sad work, isn't it?’

Letter 35 of 8 March 1855:
‘I have, I am sorry to say, my only remaining Sergeant [Clapham], a very good man, now ill, & very ill. He was merely complaining of a headache a day or two ago, & yesterday he went into the Hospital, & on my going to see him in the evening, I found him struck down by the worst form of Typhus fever. Of course nothing but a miracle can save any man in a Camp Hospital with such a disorder. Such occurrences every day as these would make the most zealous soldier shudder at his horrid employment.’

Letter 36 of 11 March 1855:
‘This fine weather has done us all good. When I say that, I mean that the men who are well are more cheery, & even clean their arms, & have their clothes dry. Their work is much lighter than it was, & if we were beginning with healthy men, I think we could get on capitally. As it is the numbers in hospital don't decrease, and the poor fellows have not stamina to get well.
Yesterday I read the service over my last Sergeant [Clapham]. I think I told you in my last that 1 had another Sergeant very ill. He died the day after, & yesterday I buried him. We have no clergymen to the Division, 3 have gone within two months, & we have always to read the service ourselves. He was a very good man and one I valued much.’

Letter 37 of 19 March 1855:
‘By the bye, as regards my poor Sergeants whom you were interested in, I am sorry to say I have come to the end of them. My nice old one [Hampson] died somewhere on board ship, my next [Clapham] I buried a week or so ago, & my third [Brummell], I am happy to say, has escaped home, tho' with only one leg, & now I have the Sergeant of the Band to assist me, his own occupation being gone - two boys left of all our band!’

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