The Upfill-Brown Collection

Five: Milhem Bey Shakoor, Secretary to the Sirdar of Egypt

Turkey, ORDER OF THE MEDJIDIE, 3rd class neck badge in silver, gold and enamel; Turkey, ORDER OF OSMANIEH, 4th class breast badge in silver, gilt and enamel; KHEDIVE'S STAR 1884-6, clasp, Tokar; EGYPT 1882-89, undated, 3 clasps, The Nile 1884-85, Gemaizah 1888, Toski 1889, naming erased; Austria, ORDER OF FRANZ JOSEPH, 4th class breast badge in gold and enamel, with the exception of the last piece, the group is mounted in the Egyptian order of precedence and is contained in a fitted, velvet lined leather case, together with an old copy of the Franz Joseph bestowal document.

GENERAL GORDON'S STAR FOR THE SIEGE OF KHARTOUM 1884, silver-gilt with ring suspension, star and crescent lacking, awarded to Musa-El-Bordeini, Muawin of Zabtiah, together with an original letter written by Milbem Shakoor to Captain Whitaker, 1891, offering the above star for sale at £25 (Details of this letter and other related correspondence are in the catalogue of Captain Whitaker's medal collection1897). Some enamel damage to the Osmanieh, otherwise very fine or better and extremely rare (8)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The AA Upfill-Brown Collection.

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Milhem Bey Shakoor was a Syrian official, born of a Lebanese Protestant family and was educated in the National College, Beirut. He went to Egypt in 1881 in connection with Miss Wharley's Anglican mission and schools. He later entered the Egyptian Civil Service and was posted to the war office, rising ultimately to the post of Arabic Secretary to the Sirdar, Kitchener. He served in the Intelligence Department in the Nile campaign, 1884-5, and was present at the battles of Giniss, 1885, and Toski, 1887. He was Arabic Secretary in the Eastern Sudan Field Force and accompanied the troops at the battles of Gemaizah, 1888, and Tokar, 1891. Musa-El-Bordeini held the position of Muawin of the Zabtiah, Chief of Police, at Khartoum, where he was killed during the fighting. His decoration was sold to Milbem Bey Shakoor by his brother, Ibrahim Bey El Bordeini, who was a merchant at Khartoum. The silver-gilt stars were awarded to all officers of the rank of Bimb and above and to prominent merchants, notables and civilian employees. Of approximately 40 silver-gilt decorations awarded, the Bordeini Star is probably the only confirmed, and the most documented piece of its type in private ownership. Milhem Shakoor's group was united with the star in recent years.