BOMBARDIER WILLIAM HARRIS, NO. 3 MOUNTAIN BATTERY, ROYAL ARTILLERY. India General Service Medal 1849-95, 2 clasps, Burma 1885-7, Sikkim 1888 (officially named, engraved in plain block capitals: No. 47066. BOMBR. WILLIAM HARRIS. No. 3 MOUNTAIN BATTERY R.A.). Attractive old dark tone, Almost Extremely Fine to Extremely Fine.
Medal accompanied by 7 pages copied service papers and copied medal rolls, confirming medal and clasps.
William Harris was born in Plymouth, Devon, in 1857. He enlisted into the Royal Artillery at Sunderland in 1885. At the time of enlistment he was 28 years and 8 months old and gave his trade as clerk. Harris purchased his discharge on payment of £18 on 19/2/1890. Interestingly, medal roll for the Sikkim 1888 clasp gives a forwarding address Harris after discharge of Hotel Zien, Stadt Bremen, Hamburg (Germany).
When I purchased this medal (Noonans 10/4/2024, lot 736, part) it was described by the auctioneer as being "renamed". This is not the case. There is no sign of the medal ever having been "skimmed", the planchet measuring correctly, 36mm in diameter, in an electronic gauge and the medal has definitely not been renamed, the naming being entirely original and as described above.
