Orders, Decorations and Medals

A ‘Tel-el-Kebir’ D.C.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant-Major Samuel Skelley, Gordon Highlanders, latterly a Captain in the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry - the first gallantry medal to be awarded to the Gordon Highlanders after the re-organisation of regiments in 1881

Distinguished Conduct Medal, V.R. (2018 Cr. Sgt. S. Skelly, 1/Gord. Highrs., Septr. 1882); Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 4 clasps, Tel-El-Kebir, Suakin 1884, El-Teb-Tamaai, The Nile 1884-85 (2018 Cr. Sergt. S. Skelly, 1/Gord. Highrs.); India General Service 1895-1902, 1 clasp, Relief of Chitral 1895 (Sergt. Major S. Skelley, 1st Bn. Gord. Highrs.) note different spelling of surname; Khedive’s Star 1882, reverse impressed, ‘GH 2018’, some edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise very fine and better (4) £7000-8000

The award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal was submitted for approval by Queen Victoria on 4 January 1883, and was in respect of the recipient’s services at Tel-el-Kebir on 13 September, 1882.

Samuel Skelley enlisted in to the 39th Dorset Regiment, aged 18 years. He was then drafted into the 75th Stirlingshire Foot, in which he served when that regiment was linked with the 92nd Gordon Highlanders in 1881. He served in South Africa, September 1873-March 1875; Malta, March 1881-August 1882; Egypt, August 1882-February 1884; East Sudan, February-March 1884; Egypt, April 1884-June 1885; Malta, June 1885-November 1888; Ceylon, November 1888-January 1892, and India, January 1892-July 1895. With the Gordon Highlanders he served in the Egypt Campaign of 1882 and was awarded the D.C.M. for his services at the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, 13 September 1882. At Tel-el-Kebir the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders lost 6 killed, 30 wounded and 4 missing - the total British casualties being an estimated 469 'All Ranks'. Only 2 D.C.M.'s were won by men of the Gordon Highlanders during the Egypt and Sudan campaigns of 1882-1885 - see lot 1591 for the other one. Later, as the Regimental Sergeant Major, Skelley was with the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders throughout the Relief of Chitral campaign of 1895 - during which the battalion incurred losses amongst 'All Ranks' of 3 killed and 14 wounded; he was also listed as having taken part in the storming of the Malakand Pass.

Samuel Skelley was evidently a much respected and admired R.S.M. of the regiment, reference Volume II of the Regimental History: ‘In June, Sergeant-Major Skelly (sic) bade a sorrowful farewell to the battalion, in which he had served as man and boy twenty-two years. The Pipers played him out of the camp to the tune of "Happy we've been a'thegither," officers and men lining the sangars to see the last of him’.

Skelley was commissioned on 5 June 1895 and was later promoted to Lieutenant and Quartermaster, serving with the 4th Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry. He left with the rank of Captain to take up a civil appointment at Oxford University. Listed as being on Retired Pay, 3 January 1906. With copied record of service and original portrait photograph of the recipient in full dress uniform, wearing his Egypt Medal; Distinguished Conduct Medal and Khedive’s Star. The portrait was ‘sat’ at Colombo Apothecaries Co, Colombo, and so can be dated to the period, 1889-1891.