The Collection of Medals formed by the late John Darwent

Pair: Private J. Buckley, 5th Dragoon Guards
Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Balaklava, Inkermann, Sebastopol (... James Buckley, 5th D...), contemporary engraved naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue (No. 637 Pt., 5th Dragoon Gds.), regimentally impressed naming, last two clasps on the first loose on riband due to broken carriage, suspension refixed, severe edge bruising and contact marks, with resultant loss of some naming detail, fair to fine (2) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late John Darwent.

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James Buckley was born at Kinderton, near Chester and enlisted in the 5th Dragoon Guards at Warrington in April 1839, aged 24 years. In his subsequent career of nearly 25 years with the Colours, he served for two years out in the Crimea and was entitled to the Medal with clasps for ‘Balaklava’, ‘Inkermann’ and ‘Sebastopol’, in addition to the Turkish Medal.

At the time of his discharge in January 1864, Buckley’s conduct was assessed as ‘Good’, although his papers reveal a number of terms of imprisonment as a result of six appearances before a Court-Martial and 48 entries in the Regimental Defaulters Book. He next appears in the 1881 census as an unmarried, 65 year old ‘Government pensioner’, resident at the Workhouse in London Road, Leftwich, Chester. And he was still an inmate there at the tiime of his death in April 1882.