PRIVATE J. NEILL, 1ST AND 2ND BATTALION ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT. Egypt Medal 1882-89, dated r

PRIVATE J. NEILL, 1ST AND 2ND BATTALION ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT. Egypt Medal 1882-89, dated reverse, 2 clasps, Tel-el-Kebir, Suakin 1885 (officially engraved: 2480 PTE. J. NEILL. 2/R. IR. R.). Attractively toned, Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine, and a rare clasp combination to the Royal Irish Regiment, only 15 medals with these two clasps being awarded to the regiment.

With photocopied medal roll extracts, confirming medal and clasps.

Private Neill saw service with the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment during the Egyptian campaign of 1882 (awarded and Tel-el-Kebir clasp). He subsequently saw service with the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment at Suakin in 1885 (awarded Suakin 1885 clasp).

A rare clasp combination to the Royal Irish Regiment, medal rolls confirm only 15 men from the regiment being awarded this clasp combination (plus one man whose clasp was forfeited).

Note: British Battles and Medals states 42 Suakin 1885 clasps to the Royal Irish Regiment. The original roll, however, lists 54 Royal Irish recipients of this clasp, 16 of which recipients had already been awarded the Egypt Medal with Tel-el-Kebir clasp. One of these dual clasp recipients, Private Samuel M’Crory, subsequently forfeited his Suakin 1885 clasp (returned to mint 31/8/1887), leaving just 15 men from the regiment with this clasp combination to their Egypt Medal.

The medal roll for the 1885 Suakin campaign confirms that all of the 16 men from the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment who were awarded the Suakin 1885 clasp, and who had previously been awarded the Tel el Kebir clasp, had been serving with the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment when they earned the latter clasp, transferring from the 2nd to the 1st Battalion between campaigns (i.e., none of the sixteen Royal Irish Regiment Suakin 1885 recipients had transferred to the Royal Irish from other regiments, all the men being regimental inter-battalion transfers).