The impressively thorough catalogue compiled for a sale of Irish collectables and militaria at the James Adam salerooms on Sunday, 17th September makes for fascinating reading, since many of the 770-plus lots have extremely interesting stories attached to them.
Among the most curious is that attached to lot 153, a Queen's South Africa Medal presented to a member of the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1901. The recipient was Lieutenant Frank Shackleton, brother of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, but a somewhat less reputable character. Described in the catalogue as "an avaricious, unscrupulous rogue", he was one of the chief suspects after the theft of the Irish crown jewels in early July 1907.
Shackleton was an associate of Sir Arthur Vicars, Ulster King-at-Arms who promoted him to the position of Gold Staff Officer and later Dublin Herald. Although no one was ever charged with the theft from Dublin Castle, even after a Viceregal Commission had been appointed to examine the whole affair, Shackleton was certainly widely believed to have been involved in the crime.
Forced to flee to Africa because of the scale of debts he had run up, he was eventually brought back to England, convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to 15 months in prison. On his release, he changed his name to Mellor and eventually settled in Chicester working as an antiques dealer. This medal from an earlier stage in his life comes with a 20-page transcript of Shackleton's evidence to the Viceregal Commission into the Crown Jewels theft and is expected to make £300-£350.
This is the same figure as that carried by lot 252, an odd souvenir from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; an early 19th century plated snuff box, its lid is inset with a George II farthing and inscribed "Capt. John Browne, 4th Regt., bullets from my wounds received at BADAJOZ and WATERLOO." Inside the box are two lead musket balls.
Browne was born in 1790, the third son of Andrew Nicholas Browne of Breaghwy, Castlebar, Co Mayo and first joined the army at the age of 15, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel before his retirement in 1837. He was wounded at both the above-mentioned battles, particularly severely at the latter when a bullet entered his skull just above the ear. Browne fell senseless and was left for dead. However, when the corpses were being cleared, he was found to be still alive and underwent a particularly difficult operation in order to remove the musket ball embedded in his head. He lived a further 34 years. A much larger pre-sale estimate is carried by lot 232, an official 1916 medal in the name of Thomas O'Reilly, who served in "F" Company, 2nd Dublin Battalion, Irish Volunteers in the GPO. O'Reilly was mortally wounded on Thursday, 25th April 1916 and died of gunshot wounds in the Jervis Street Hospital two days later. His medal is expected to fetch £2,000-£2,500.
Another medal, lot 119, carries the even higher estimate of £3,000-£3,500. This is the gold medal awarded to Jim Stapleton of Thurles and Tipperary, captain of the winning team at the very first All-Ireland Hurling Final Championships on Easter Sunday, 1st May 1887 in Birr, Co Offaly. Tipperary played Galway that day. . Born in 1863 and a farmer by profession, Jim Stapleton was a dominant figure in hurling during the early years of the GAA's existence.
