Orders, Decorations and Medals

The important C.B. group of four awarded to Sir William Thomson, Honorary Surgeon to the King in Ireland, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Chief Surgeon in charge of Lord Iveagh’s Irish Hospital in South Africa

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, C.B. (Civil) breast badge in 18 carat gold, hallmarked London 1877, complete with gold ribbon buckle; Jubilee 1897, silver (From the Queen to Sir Wm. Thomson, President R.C.S.I. 1897); Coronation 1902; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg (Sir W. Thomson, C.B.) mounted as worn, generally good very fine (4) £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of the late Mike Leahy.

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Sir William Thomson was born in Downpatrick on 29 June 1843. In 1867 he graduated in Arts at the Queen’s University, having previously obtained Scholarship and numerous other valuable prizes. In 1872 he obtained the degrees of M.D. and M.Ch. from the Queen’s University. Shortly afterwards he was appointed House Surgeon to the Richmond Hospital, and Demonstrator of Anatomy in the Carmichael School of Medicine. In the following year he was promoted to the position of Lecturer on Anatomy in this School, and a year afterwards he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1873 he was elected an Examiner in Anatomy and Surgery. In 1881 the Queen’s University conferred the Degree of M.A. on him, and in 1886 he was elected a Representative of Convocation in the Senate of the Royal University. He filled the post of President of the R.C.S.I. for the years 1896-98, and was Knighted in 1897. He was Surgeon-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria and also to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. As head of the Ambulance Corps, which was sent to South Africa, through the munificence of Viscount Iveagh, Sir William Thomson won further honours. He was awarded a medal and clasps for his services, received mention in several despatches, and was created a Companion of the Bath. In all philanthropic schemes he took an active part, and he was treasurer of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund in Ireland. He died in Dublin on 13 November 1910.

The Irish Hospital was offered to the Central Committee of the British Red Cross, in December 1899, by Lord Iveagh, who generously offered to pay for equipping the hospital for service in South Africa. He proposed that ‘it should be as far as possible a mobile unit and that the management should be left to whatever civilian medical gentleman he should select. The hospital was formally established on 28 December 1899, and the first personnel and equipment sailed for the Cape in the following February. On arrival at Cape Town the staff went into camp at Green Point and then moved by rail to Naauwport, arriving there on 10 March. The following day two surgeons, two dressers and eighteen orderlies, with stores, were sent by rail to De Aar. The remainder of the unit, being under orders to move to Bloemfontein, were unable to operate at Naauwport. The final move was made between 10th and 12th April and the De Aar detachment joined the main body on 21 April at Bloemfontein.

On 10 May 1900 a section under Sir William Thomson marched out to join Lord Roberts’ force at Kroonstadt, were attached to the 11th Division on the advance which commenced on 22 May, and reached Pretoria on 6 June. On 14 June the Irish Hospital commenced operations in the Palace of Justice and by 19 June had had 93 admissions. The original capacity of 100 beds was soon extended to 250 beds and by 10 July there were 500 beds, the staff being supplemented by military personnel. No patients were admitted after 30 September 1900 and the unit left South Africa on 15 October, handing over its last 180 patients to the Royal Army Medical Corps.

The medal roll for the Irish Hospital shows a total of 67 members entitled to the medal with various clasps. Also included in the roll are three members of the R.A.M.C. and 25 Nursing Sisters of the Army Nursing Service Reserve.