Orders, Decorations and Medals Including five Special Collections

An Army of India and Crimea group of three awarded to Paymaster W. P. O’Brien, Royal Navy

Army of India 1799-1826, 1 clasp, Ava (W. P. O’Brien, Clerk, Tamar) short hyphen reverse, officially impressed naming; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Payr. W. P. O’Brien, H.M.S. Sanspareil) contemporary engraved naming, the clasp loose as issued; Turkish Crimea, Sardinian issue, unnamed, minor contact marks, otherwise extremely fine (3) £1000-1200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval and Indian Marine Medals from the Collection of John Tamplin.

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William Poole O’Brien served in the Royal Navy for over 40 years. As a Clerk on board the Tamar, he saw service in the Burmese war of 1824-26. He was promoted to Paymaster and Purser on 19 December 1844, and in the Havannah he saw service in the East Indies, in New Zealand, and on the Australian stations between 1848 and 1851. In December 1852 he was appointed to the Simoom, and fifteen months later to the Sans Pareil, a 70-gun screw steam ship in the Mediterranean. In this vessel he served for just under one year, during which time he took part in the Crimean campaign. He continued his service in the Royal Navy until his death, his final appointment being to the Formidable, Flag-ship at Sheerness, on 10 August 1863. Paymaster William O’Brien died at Lewisham, Kent, on 5 June 1865.