Orders, Decorations and Medals

An important Soudan Campaign medal to Lieutenant M.H. Seymour, Royal Navy, killed in action at Tofrek whilst commanding the Gardner guns at the Berkshire's redoubt

EGYPT 1882-89, undated reverse, 2 clasps, Suakin 1885, Tofrek (Lieut. M.H. Seymour R.N., H.M.S. Dolphin) officially impressed naming, extremely fine and rare

Montague Hamilton March Seymour entered the Royal Navy as a Naval Cadet, 12th December 1867; Midshipman, 20th January 1870; Sub-Lieutenant, 19th July 1874; Lieutenant, 14th August 1878.

General McNeil's zeriba at Tofrek

Having broken up the enemy's concentration at Hashin and established a post there, the next step was to crush Osman Digna at Tamai. Before doing so, however, it was necessary for reasons of supply, to establish an intermediate post in the desert, and for this purpose Sir George Graham despatched a force on the 22nd March, 1885, under the command of Sir John McNeill. Attached to his force, in addition to a Battalion of Royal Marines, was a small Naval Brigade detachment with four Gardner guns. The column was encumbered by a huge transport, and its advance was impeded by dense bush. At 10.30 am on 23rd March it halted at Tofrek, about six miles out from Suakin. The zeriba was to take the shape of three squares en echelon, the centre square being the largest, and at the outward corner of each of the small squares was to be a redoubt with two Gardner guns manned by the Naval Contingent. The command of the north redoubt, protecting the square entrusted to the Berkshire Regiment, was given to Lieutenant Seymour, H.M.S.Dolphin. Construction of the defences began in ernest but shortly after 2.30 pm, an orderly arrived to report 'the enemy collecting in front, ‘followed immediately by another with the news that they were ‘advancing rapidy.’’ Sir John McNeill immediately gave orders to call in the working parties and in the next instant saw the cavalry come galloping in, close behind them the enemy, in the usual small groups. The working party of the Berkshire Regiment rushed back into their zeriba, and stood to their arms. The main attack was directed at the zeriba of the Berkshire's where General McNeill was lucky to escape with his life. The enemy swarmed over the low bush fence and over the unfinished sand-bag parapet at the south-west salient, into the Berkshire zeriba, stabbing and cutting everywhere with their long razor-sharp swords. It was here that Lieutenant Seymour and 6 of his bluejackets, in charge of the Gardner guns, were killed; and here also that the Berkshire's had their greatest loss. The Gardner guns were being placed in position at the time and could not be got into action, so that their detachments, who stood their ground gallantly, suffered severely. The twenty minutes that the battle lasted were crowded with instances of cool bravery, wild bewilderment and fanatical desperation. As the smoke and dust cleared away, a shambles of bodies of men and animals was revealed. The British lost over 150 men killed including Lieutenant Seymour and his six bluejackets from the Naval Brigade; while at least 1,000 of the enemy lay dead around and within the zeribas. Approximately 50 medals for Tofrek were issued to the Royal Navy, of these only 12 were to H.M.S. Dolphin. Lieutenant Seymour and the six men under him were the only losses of the Naval Brigade at the battle of Toftek.