Orders, Decorations and Medals

Pair: Assistant Paymaster W. H. W. Markham, Royal Navy

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Alexandria 11th July (Asst. Paymr., R.N., H.M.S. Penelope); Khedive’s Star, 1882, the first with officially corrected initials, surname and rank, extremely fine (2) £200-250

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Offices and Ratings of H.M.S. Penelope.

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William Hogg Wolseley Markham was born in Co. Antrim, Ireland in March 1852 and entered the Royal Navy as an Assistant Clerk in March 1869. An Assistant Paymaster by the time of his service in H.M.S. Penelope (September 1882 to January 1883), a despatch of the period notes that he was ‘lent to assist Commander Campbell, Transport Officer, Port Said’. Sadly, however, Markham’s career came to a sorry end in April 1886 when he “ran” from H.M.S. Espoir at Nagasaki - his record states that he was sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour on 22 October 1887; sold with a file of research, including copied service record and details regarding his desertion (TNA ADM 12/1150 & 1165).