Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Brevet Major W. H. Goldfinch, Manchester Regiment, late North Staffordshire Regiment, onetime attached Egyptian Army, who qualified for a regimentally unique ‘Firket’ clasp in consequence of his command of a Maxim detachment

Queen’s Sudan 1896-98 (Lt. W. H. Goldfinch, 1/N. Staff. R.); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Transvaal, Wittebergen (Major W. H. Goldfinch, Manch. Rgt.): King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Maj. W. H. Goldfinch, Manch. Rgt.); Turkey, Order of the Medjidie, 4th Class breast badge, silver, gold and enamel; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 2 clasps, Firket, Hafir (Lieut. W. H. Goldfinch, North Stafford Regt. 1896), mounted as worn on frayed ribands, good very fine (5) £1800-2200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the North Staffordshire Regiment.

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William Horsman Goldfinch was born at Hillingdon, Uxbridge in January 1867, the son of a barrister and, having passed for the Militia in 1890, was commissioned in the North Staffordshire Regiment. Embarked for South Africa in the same year, and thence for Mauritius in 1891 and Malta in March 1893, he was advanced to Captain during the course of the latter appointment.

Goldfinch was next embarked for Egypt, where he served from October 1895 to December 1896 on attachment to the Egyptian Army. He consequently participated in the Dongola Expedition in the Desert Column under Burn-Murdoch and was present in the actions at Firket and Hafir (Queen’s Medal; Khedive’s Medal & 2 clasps). At Firket, where he was the only officer of the North Staffordshire Regiment engaged, he commanded a Maxim section, and, as recounted in Alford’s and Sword’s The Egyptian Soudan, Its Loss and Recovery, was seen pulling his gun over rough ground in order to get closer to the enemy.

He was mentioned in despatches by Kitchener (London Gazette 3 November 1896, refers), awarded the 4th Class of the Order of Medjidie and given the Brevet of Major.

Having then transferred to the Manchester Regiment, Goldfinch saw further action in the South Africa, where he was actively engaged in the operations in Cape Colony, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, including the action at Wittebergen (Queen’s Medal & 3 clasp; King’s medal & 2 clasps). He was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 10 September 1901, refers), and placed on the Retired List in the rank of Brevet Major; sold with copied research.