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Auction: 24002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 93

A remarkable and likely unique Naval Chaplain's group of three awarded to Reverend A. P. Hill, Royal Navy

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Alexandria 11th July (Rev: A. P. Hill, H.M.S. “Inflexible.”); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 1 clasp, Cape Colony (Rev: A. P. Hill. B.A., R.N.) engraved naming; Khedive’s Star 1882, reverse engraved ‘Rev. A. P. Hill.’, light pitting and contact marks, nearly very fine and believed to be a unique combination to a Royal Naval Chaplain (3)

8 Royal Naval Chaplains present at the Bombardment of Alexandria; 5 men on the roll of the Royal Naval Cape Hospital during the Boer War, of which he was the only Chaplain.

Arthur Price Hill was born at Ontario, Canada on 26 March 1854, the son of Arthur and Caroline Hill. Educated first at Trinity College, Cambridge he achieved his B.A. on 22 March 1877 and was ordained a Deacon on 22 December 1878. Finally becoming a Priest on 21 December 1879 Hill was confirmed by the Bishop of Salisbury and commissioned a Royal Naval Chaplain on 14 December 1880.

Posted first to Defence on 7 January 1881 before removing to Inflexible the same year on 31 December he was noted on both ships for his good knowledge of Latin and Greek. Hill was still serving on Inflexible when at 07:00 on 11 July 1882 Admiral Seymour ordered his squadron to commence the Bombardment of Alexandria.

Inflexible initially targeted the guns at Ras El-Tin before moving on to the remaining forts to the east. She was one of the two vessels to open fire the next day as well when the Hospital battery was partially rebuilt by the defenders. She fired 88 shells, suffered losses of two dead and one wounded along with some damage caused by the blast of her own guns.

Hill survived the action and served for several more years with Inflexible before joining Repluse in 1884 and Monarch in 1886. His next posting was to be his first to a Naval Hospital ashore, H.M.S. Flora the Naval Hospital Cape of Good Hope from 1887-1890. Further service with Alexandra from 1891 whilst she was serving as flagship of the Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves, Portsmouth.

He was not long afloat before returning to medical service, joining the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar on 18 August 1893. Remaining there for three years he later joined the Royal Dockyard, Cape of Good Hope in 1896. Hill was still there in 1899 on the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War, appearing on the roll of 'H.M.S. Cape Hospital', alongside four others.

He was not to remain there for the entire war however, joining the Royal Marine Artillery Division, Eastney in December 1901 a report on his work states: 'Excellent & has much influence on the men'. Hill served a final posting with the Royal Dockyards, Portsmouth from August 1905. Looking to retire he accepted a post as Chaplain to the British Embassy in Vienna and was placed upon the retired list on 1 August 1910.

This was not the end of his adventures, he remained in Austria-Hungary in the run up to the Great War, only leaving the city when the outbreak of war forced his hand. Hill even returned to Vienna after the war, in the Chaos of the Austria-Hungarian Empire's collapse. He died there on 28 November 1924 with his obituary in the times stating of his time in Vienna that 'He was greatly esteemed by the whole British colony there.'

Sold together with a copied photograph, newspaper extract and medal rolls along with service papers, navy list extracts and census data.

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Sold for
£800

Starting price
£650