Six: Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, 1 clasp, The Nile 1884-85 (J. R. Williams, E.R.A. 4Cl.); Queen’s Sudan 1896 (123663 C.E.R. Artifr. J. R. Williams, R.N.); Coronation 1902, bronze, the reverse inscribed ‘Presented to J. R. Williams, R.Y. Alberta’; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (J. R. Williams, E.R.A. 2nd Cl., H.M.S. Victory) impressed naming; Khedive’s Star 1884-6; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 1 clasp, Khartoum (J. R. Williams) some pitting and contact marks but generally very fine and very rare (6)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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Only 17 Queen’s Sudan medals were awarded to the Royal Navy.

John Williams was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, on 29 June 1861, and was a fitter before joining the Royal Navy as an Acting E.R.A.4th Class aboard H.M.S. ASIA on 18 June 1883. He served in this rate aboard SERAPIS (September 1883), ASIA (January 1884), TEMERAIRE (April 1884), and MONARCH (September 1884) from which he was landed for service ashore with the Nile Flotilla.

He served next aboard HIBERNIA (March 1885), and TEMERAIRE (April 1885) being advanced to E.R.A. 3rd Class on 18 June 1886, HIBERNIA (February 1887), ASIA (July 1887), VERNON (October 1887), ASIA (September 1888), and INVINCIBLE (January 1889). He was advanced to E.R.A.2nd Class on 18 June 1890 and joined ASIA (October 1890), DREADNOUGHT (December 1890), VICTORY II (September 1894), and VERNON (November 1894). Whilst in the latter shore establishment he was advanced to Chief E.R.A. 2nd Class on 13 November 1894 and served in this rate aboard VICTORY II (November 1894). From the latter ship he was seconded in 1896 for service with the River Nile Gunboats during the reconquest of the Sudan. His service record carries the note that he was to be paid by the Egyptian Government from 14 March 1898.

During this time Williams served on the gunboats ZAFIR and EL HAFIR with such distinction that his name was put forward by Lieutenant Cecil M. Staveley, R.N., for some form of decoration or promotion. In a lengthy letter to Captain Colin R. Keppel, C.B., D.S.O., R.N., subsequently forwarded to the Admiralty for their consideration, he wrote:

‘I am afraid that, as far as I know, Williams does not come within the qualifications required by Article 121 for the Naval Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. However, I hope that the peculiar circumstances under which Officers and Men of the Navy were serving up the Nile in 1898 will make him eligible for whichever of the two he may be qualified. There is no book onboard which gives the qualifications necessary for these two Army Medals, but I imagine the “Distinguished Conduct in the Field” must be the Military equivalent to the Naval “Conspicuous Gallantry Medal”. This leaves the “Meritorious Service Medal” only to be considered - it is I believe the Medal the Marine Artillery Sergeants received - and for this I cannot say more than that Williams is a very good man, and gave the best of his services for the time he was under my Command.

John Richard Williams, Chief E.R.A., joined me in the EL HAFIR from the ZAFIR, after she sank, about the 29 August (within a day or two) at the camp opposite Gebel Royan, and remained with me until the 10 November, when we both left Rosaires for Cairo hospital with fever. During this time he was not in charge of the engines of HAFIR, although he did occasionally do the duty when the Civilian Engineer in Charge (Mr Allam) was sick with fever and dysentery, about 19 October - and remained so until we came downstream.

All this time from 18 October until another gunboat (NASIR - Lieutenant Sparks) came up to Karkoj on the 4 November was a very trying time, as in addition to the 25 men of the 10th Soudanese under Nason (forming the ‘post’ at Rosaires) practically the whole crew of sailors, firemen, native artillerymen and Europeans (these were Colonel Nason Commanding the 10th and senior Officer at Rosaires, Mr Allam Civil Engineer, Williams C.E.R.A. and Sergeant Mathieson R.M.A.) except Captain Smyth V.C. (Intelligence Officer who remained in Command at Rosaires during our patrols to Karkoj) and myself were laid up with fever - no doctor, the hospital orderly was ill as remainder and our small stock of medicines soon exhausted.

It was with great difficulty that we were able to work the HAFIR at all with an impressed crew of 5 or 6 deserters from Ahmed Fedil's force then marching towards Rosaires to cross the river, and, thanks to the personal exertions of Nason, Mathieson, Allam and Williams, the three latter being really quite unfit through sickness for work of any sort, in fact ought to have been in bed - but always willing and ready to help if they possibly could. This state of affairs continued until I came away with Williams on 10 November.’

Further letters and correspondence (full details sold with the group) proved ineffectual in obtaining a medallic reward for Williams in spite of his name being included in a list of five men who “had performed excellent service during the late Nile Expedition, of which a number were recommended for some special reward”. The Admiralty finally concluded that Williams and two others were to have notations placed on their parchment certificates to the effect that they “had performed excellent service during the late Nile Expedition”, although in Williams’ case even this ‘reward’ does not appear to have been implemented.

He subsequently joined RAMILLES (March 1898), VICTORY II (December 1898), VICTORY III (January 1899), VICTORY II (February 1899), and DUKE OF WELLINGTON (November 1900). He was advanced to Chief Engineroom Artificer 1st Class on 12 November 1900 and joined the Royal Yacht VICTORIA & ALBERT (April 1901) and continued to serve in Royal Yachts until pensioned ashore on 6 November 1907 after nearly 25 years service. His service in VICTORIA & ALBERT, which included secondment to the Royal Yacht ALBERTA, gained him entitlement to the 1902 Coronation Medal. He became entitled to his L.S. & G.C. medal in 1894 whilst serving aboard H.M.S. VERNON, but his medal, however, is named to his previous ship VICTORY. After retirement he continued to serve as a Pensioner Instructor at the Royal Naval College Osborne.