Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Crimea medal to Lieutenant W. H. Dowling, 20th Foot, killed in action at the Sandbag Battery during the battle of Inkermann, the only officer of the regiment to be killed in the war

Crimea 1854-56, 3 clasps, Balaklava, Inkermann, Sebastopol (Lieut. W. H. Dowling, 20th Foot) contemporary engraved naming in the style of Hunt & Roskell, the last clasp loose on ribbon as issued, together with a fine portrait miniature of the recipient in uniform of the 20th Foot, believed to be painted by Sarah Carpenter, contained in an oval glazed frame, the reverse containing locks of his hair attractively set with his initials 'W.H.D.', last initial detached, the medal and portrait contained in a contemporary fitted case for display, and sold with an original newspaper cutting, the medal dark toned, extremely fine and attractive £2000-2500

William Henry Dowling was born in 1824, the third son of Captain Joseph Dowling, Barrack Master at St James’s Barracks, London, who had fought at the battle of Waterloo and who had seen much service in the Peninsula, including the sanguinary battle of Albuhera. He joined his regiment in the Crimea on 22 September 1854, a couple of days after the battle of the Alma, in which the 20th had been in attendance, guarding the left flank of the attacking allied army but had not been brought into action.

The following information was taken from the accompanying cutting, the origins of which are unknown:

‘We deeply regret to observe in the list of killed at the battle of Inkermann, the name of Lieutenant W. Dowling of the 20th Regiment. This young officer will be remembered as having been resident here during last winter and summer, when he won the esteem of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance by his kind and gentlemanly manner. Lieutenant Dowling left only in the month of May last to join his regiment, then about to embark for the East. In a letter written to his brother two days before he was killed, he said, ‘If I survive, I will write to you directly after the action; but if not, know, my dearest brother, that I fell as I should, at the head of my company.’ By the following extract from the letter of a fellow officer, dated Nov. 6, to Mr. Dowling's brother it will be seen that the gallant Lieutenant met his death where he most desired - ‘You will see by the papers the day was a most fearful one. Your poor brother was killed while most gallantly leading and cheering on his company in a desperate charge. He was buried today within a few yards of Generals Cathcart and Goldie. His loss is most bitterly felt by every one in his regiment. It must be some satisfaction to you, though a sad one, to know how nobly he died. Poor William! he can have suffered little, for it was found that he had been shot through the head, and his death must have been almost instantaneous.’

Lieutenant Dowling is buried in the Cathcart Hill Cemetery, in the Crimea, where his grave is marked with a stone cross, bearing the inscription ‘

sacred to the memory of
w. h. dowling esq.
lieut. xx regt.
who was killed at inkermann
5th november 1854

William Dowling was the only officer of the 20th (East Devonshire) Regiment killed at Inkermann and, indeed, throughout the whole war, although a good many were wounded.