The Collection of Medals formed by the late John Darwent

Pair: Sergeant R. Stops, 13th Light Dragoons

Crimea 1854-56, 4 clasps, Alma, Balaklava, Inkermann, Sebastopol (Corpl., 13th Lt. Dragoons), officially impressed naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue (Serjt., 13 Lt. Dragns.), engraved naming, the first with surname spelling ‘Stopps’, edge bruising and contact wear, about very fine (2) £400-500

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

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Reuben Stops enlisted in the 13th Light Dragoons at Hounslow in February 1854, aged 19 years. The muster rolls for the period October to December 1854 show no reason why he was anywhere else than on duty with his regiment on 25 October, but the actual medal rollls credit him with only the ‘Alma’, ‘Inkermann’ and ‘Sebastopol’ clasps; however, a nominal roll signed by Major Henry Holden, of some 30 plus men of the regiment who were issued with their Medals on 7 October 1855, also records Stops as receiving the ‘Balaklava’ clasp - this information was contained in a file of documentation entitled Medals, Cavalry Division, Crimea 1854-56, retained by Colonel Charles Shute, A.A.G. of the Cavalry Division.

Whatever Stops’ true entitlement for the Crimea, more certain is his subsequent award of the Indian Mutiny Medal with ‘Lucknow’ clasp, for services with the 7th Hussars, to which regiment he had transferred as a Private in September 1857, even though he was then a Sergeant in the 13th Light Dragoons. Happily he rapidly regained his Sergeant’s stripes with his new regiment, but less happily lost them to a Court-Martial verdict in October 1860.

Stops was discharged at Canterbury in June 1865. The above described Crimea Medal was offered as a single award at auction as recently as March 1999; the Turkish Crimea Medal came to light at a separate London event later in the same year.