EGYPT MEDAL 1882 with clasp ALEXANDRIA 11th JULY named: J O’NEILL, SH: CPL. 1 CL. H.M.S. PENELOPE..... NAVY LONG SERVICE & GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL QVR named: JOHN O’NEILL, BOS. MATE H.M.S. EXCELLENT..... KHEDIVES STAR, EGYPT 1882, unnamed as issued.............HMS Penelope was a central-battery ironclad built for the Royal Navy in the late 1860s and was rated as an armoured corvette. In 1882, she was at Gibraltar under command of Captain St George Caulfield D'Arcy-Irvine when the Anglo-Egyptian War began, and her shallow draught caused her to be sent to Egypt. Upon arrival in Alexandria, she assisted with the evacuation of European refugees for several days before the bombardment of the city began on 11 July. Penelope was the ship closest to the Egyptian forts and fired 231 rounds during the battle. The ship was only lightly damaged by Egyptian shells, with eight men wounded, one eight-inch gun damaged and one main yard needing to be replaced. She became Rear-Admiral Anthony Hoskins's flagship when the British seized the Suez Canal to allow their troop transports to land at Ismailia. Very Fine condition.
