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'. Inscription on edge: 'LIEUT: A.W.J. PORTAL, R.N. H.M.S. MINOTAUR'. Mounted on a brooch bar with Khedives Star (MED1084), in fitted box of issue (numbered ZBA8018) by E.E.Emanuel, The Hard, Portsmouth.

Alaric William John Portal (1861-1906) was born at Laverstoke, Hampshire. His parents were Melville Portal, a Justice of the Peace, Member of Parliament and major landowner. His mother was Lady Charlotte Mary, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Minto, who from 1835 was First Lord of the Admiralty. After school at Brighton, Alaric joined the Royal Navy as a ‘Britannia’ naval cadet on 15 July 1874. He was a midshipman in ‘Shah’ and would have been present during the engagement between ‘Shah’, ‘Amethyst’ and the Peruvian monitor ‘Huascar’ (the latter in rebel hands). This action saw the first use in action of a self-propelled torpedo although this missed its intended target. During Portal’s service, this vessel was the flagship on the Pacific Station. On 2 December 1878, he moved to ‘Triumph’, the ship that replaced her. Portal remained in the Pacific in ‘Thetis’, as a Sub Lieutenant from 21 July 1880. He returned to England for further training in 1881, at Greenwich and in ‘Vernon’ and ‘Excellent’. He did well, as his service record states ‘…excels in all branches of his profession - one of the most promising officers I have ever met with.’ A Lieutenant from 21 January 1882, Portal served in ‘Minotaur’ during the Anglo-Egyptian War, then was in ‘Agincourt’ from May 1883 to 12 May 1884. He subsequently underwent torpedo training in HMS ‘Vernon’. After the commissioning of ‘Lizard’, Portal commanded her on her outward voyage to the Australia station - the ship surviving a brief grounding on a wrongly charted coral reef off Queensland. Portal remained on the Australia station in ‘Nelson’ and ‘Orlando’. He then returned to the United Kingdom, retiring due to ill health in 1893 and was promoted to the rank of Commander on the retired list. He died unmarried while resident at Havant.