Egypt War Medal 1882-89

Obverse: Head of Queen Victoria in a diadem and veil (left) Legend: 'VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIX'. Reverse: the sphinx on an ornamental platform. Legend: 'EGYPT'. Exergue: "1882". Bars: 'THE NILE 1884-5, 'ABU KLEA'. Inscription on edge: 'S. MAKER ORD. H.M.S. INVINCIBLE'. Suspended from a clasp and blue ribbon with two white stripes.

Samuel Maker (1863-1909) entered the Navy on 22nd October 1881. After training, he served in HMS ‘Invincible’ from 1 April 1882. ‘Invincible’ was the flagship of Admiral Frederick Seymour at the bombardment of Alexandria on 11 July 1882 at the start of the Anglo-Egyptian War. After a couple of months on the training ship ‘Cruiser’, he returned to ‘Invincible’ at the start of 1883 and was a member of Lord Charles Beresford’s fifty-five strong naval brigade, part of the unsuccessful expedition to relieve General Gordon, at that time besieged by Mahdist forces in Khartoum. Part of the force was sent on a short cut across the desert avoiding a bend in the Nile. The clasp for ‘Abu Klea’ was awarded for an action to take a well on the route in January 1885. From 1 June 1885 Maker was promoted Able Seaman. He spent the next few years in home waters on training ships or the reserve fleet. ‘Britomart’, in which he served from 29 March 1890, was involved in a controversial seizure of rent arrears on Great Blasket Island, Ireland. On 22 April 1892, he joined the new cruiser ‘Sirius’ on the South-East coast of America station. He was stationed in the UK from 26 July 1895 and was promoted Leading Seaman on 26 Jan 1897. He ended his career in ‘Devastation’ - port guardship at Devonport on 9 May 1897 before being discharged to work as a rigger in Devonport Dockyard. He died in Devonport in 1909. He had married Edith Annie Henwood in 1896 at nearby Stoke Damerel and the couple had four children.