The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals

Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, no clasp (H. Green. Ldg. Sto. 1Cl. H.M.S. Scout. 1896) impressed naming, very fine

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

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For the Military operations in connection with the reconquest of the Sudan, only two of Her Majesty's Ships - SCOUT and MELITA - were ordered into the operational zone. Their ships' companies earned the Khedive's Sudan Medal, without clasp, after at first being refused it.

The award of the Khedive's Sudan medal to the two ships' companies was only obtained when, after the initial submission had been negated by the Admiralty, the Queen assented on 30 January 1897 to “the proposal, made by His Highness the Khedive of Egypt, to confer a Medal upon all ranks of her Army and Navy, including Royal Marines and Indian Forces, employed in operations connected with the recent Expedition to Dongola.” Possibly because of the use of this final expression official Admiralty classification of this reward was accorded the contemporary title of the ‘Dongola Medal’.

On 5 August 1897 the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, was sent the list of Officers and men of the SCOUT and MELITA entitled to receive the ‘Dongola Medal’, which he would receive in bulk at Malta from the Egyptian Government. These unnamed medals were finally received aboard the two vessels in January 1898, being distributed in this anonymous form to the crew of MELITA. However, a more personalised approach was adopted by the Commanding Officer of SCOUT, who had the awards named by hand letter-punch. Two naming styles and size of punch are known, and the naming may well have been carried out by the artificers aboard SCOUT, or perhaps in Malta Dockyard.

Henry Green was born on 23 July 1867 in Liverpool, Lancashire, and was a fisherman before joining the Royal Navy a 2nd Class Stoker aboard H.M.S. ASIA on 23 July 1887. He was transferred to TEMERAIRE (June 1890) and advanced to Stoker on 1 March 1888, next serving aboard ASIA (June 1891), NELSON (September 1891), VICTORY II (January 1893), RESOLUTION (December 1893) and VICTORY II (May 1895). Whilst in the latter ship he was advanced to Leading Stoker 2nd Class on 25 June 1895 and joined SCOUT (October 1895). In this vessel during service off the Sudan coast he earned the Khedive's Sudan medal without clasp, and was advanced to Leading Stoker 1st Class on 25 November 1896, and to Acting Chief Stoker on 3 August 1897. He was confirmed as a Chief Stoker on 31 October 1898, a remarkable achievement to reach this status after only 11 years of service.

He subsequently served as a Chief Stoker aboard the following ships: VICTORY II (December 1898), VICTORY III (February 1899), VICTORY II (March 1899), DUKE OF WELLINGTON (April 1899), EXCELLENT (July 1901), PEMBROKE II (January 1902), DUKE OF WELLINGTON (November 1902), INDEFATIGABLE (January 1903), FIRE QUEEN (January 1905), EXCELLENT (February 1905), PRINCE OF WALES (September 1906), VICTORY II (December 1908), and EXCELLENT (April 1909).

He was pensioned ashore on 2 July 1909 with 22 years service. He joined the Royal Fleet Reserve in Portsmouth on 17 July 1909 and was mobilised on 2 August 1914 aboard VICTORY II, joining VERNON in December 1914, VICTORY November 1918, and VICTORY II in February 1919, and was demobilised on 22 April 1919. He was awarded the L.S. & G.C. medal in 1917, his war service being added to his previous reconable service from 1896, and he also earned the British War Medal.