British Groups

Lot 5691    Session 18 (2.30pm Friday)    British Groups

Estimate $10,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $12,500

FAMILY GROUP; Father: Abyssinian War Medal 1869, with buckle type brooch suspender. Lieut W.F.Prideaux Bombay Staff.C. Embossed on reverse. Extremely fine. Son: Group of Seven: The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (Companion) (CSI) neck badge in gold, diamonds and enamel; The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (Companion) (CIE) neck badge in gold and enamel; 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19 (MID); Delhi Durbar Medal in silver 1911; Iran, Bombardment of Majibs silver medal (48.5mm), AH1326 (1908), neck ribbon suspension loop. First two medals unnamed, Maj. F.B.Prideaux. I.A. on third medal, Maj. F.B.Prideaux. on fourth and fifth medals, last two medals unnamed. All named medals impressed. The first medal and its neck ribbon are in the original case by Garrard & Co Ltd, 24 Albermarle St London & Dalhousie Sq Calcutta, the second medal is with its neck ribbon, the next four medals are swing mounted and the last medal is loose without neck ribbon; the first two medals virtually uncirculated, the next four are extremely fine and the last medal is about very fine for the issue.

Together with miniature for the Abyssinian War Medal 1869 and a swing mounted set of miniatures for the group of the first six medals with the two miniature orders (CSI and CIE) both stamped '18ct' gold. There is also a matching set of ribands for the first six medals set on two bars (4 + 2), a single 1914-15 Star riband bar and a mounting bar of five miniatures CIE - Delhi Durbar Medal with medals removed from ribbons, a spare CIS neck ribbon which is torn at one join and a neck ribbon, barathea blue in colour, 38mm wide. There is also a book with the lot, 'The Thackerays in India' by Sir William Hunter, first edition, January 1897, 5,000 copies, hard cover with gold blocked titles, pp 191. This bears the bookplate of Wilfred Partington and also that of Colonel William Francis Prideaux CSI, Indian Staff Corps 1895 and features the Prideaux family arms with a CSI attached below. At the front of the book is pasted a newspaper clipping of a letter from W.F.Prideaux that was published in the Athenaeum and which casts doubts on the birth details of an individual in the book. Additionally affixed into the book there is an eight-page letter from Dr. H.E.Busteed to his former colleague, Prideaux, on this subject and other reminiscences. Colonel William Francis Prideaux, born London 30 April 1840; served in India Office 1859; joined Bombay Staff Corps as Ensign 1860; entered Staff Corps 1860; attached to Mr. Rassam's Mission to King Theodore of Abyssinia March 1864, and was confined as a prisoner at Magdala from July 1866 to April 1868; served in various capacities under the Foreign Dept of the Government of India; acting Agent and Consul-General at Zanzibar from December 1873 to March 1875, and in the Persian Gulf, March 1876 to August 1877; then became resident in Jeypore, Oodeypore and Kashmir; promoted to Colonel 1890; CSI 1895, decorated in recognition of services in Political Dept of Indian Government; Author of several publications including: The Lay of the Himyarites, Notes for a Bibliography of Robert Louis Stevenson, Notes for a Bibliography of Edward Fitzgerald, Abyssinia, the Country and People; and numerous papers and articles on numismatics and archaeology. There is also a paper, A biographical sketch of Britain's first Sabaeologist Colonel W.F.Prideaux CSI by Carl Phillips and St.J.Simpson. Colonel Prideaux knew Rudyard Kipling's father from his time in Lahore and proposed to publish a bibliography of Kipling however this was never published and the research material is now held at Harvard University (ref; The Kent Conference Sept 7-8, 2007, Kipling & the Bibliographers by David Richards). Lieutenant Colonel Francis Beville Prideaux CSI LG 18/5/1920; CIE 1911; MID LG 31/10/1917; born 26 November 1871; joined Army as 2Lt Middlesex Regt 3 May 1890; Captain in Indian Army 3 May 1901; Major 3 May 1908; Lt Col 1916; Indian Political Dept. 1895; First Assistant Resident, Persian Gulf 1897; Political Agent Bundelkhund 1900, Harsoti and Tonk 1901, Bahrain 1904, Southern Rajputana States 1911, Eastern Rajputana States 1912; Consul, Sistan and Kain 1912-18; Consul-General at Meshed, Khorassan 1920-24; Poltical Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire 1924-27; retired 1927; died 6 September 1938. Iran, Bombardment of Majlis Medal. There is no documentation to verify this award. However, LT Col F B Prideaux was in the area at the time and was involved in affairs at a diplomatic level so it is feasible that he received the medal in recognition of Britain's support of Ghajar Mohammed Ali Shah's bombardment of Majlis (Iranian parliament). One of these medals was sold at Morton & Eden Auction 26, Collection of the American Numismatic Society, 26 April 2007, lot 1326. It realised ú300. With research.