Art News

Swords and medals of Royal Navy commander who lost his ship to the French for sale at Bonhams

LONDON.- A Lloyds Patriotic Fund sword awarded to Arthur Farquhar will be offered by Bonhams Knightsbridge on 30 November with an estimate £60,000 to £80,000. Farquhar, Commander of HMS Acheron, survived the ultimate Royal Navy catastrophe of losing his ship to a French man of war, but in the subsequent court martial he was acquitted of any wrongdoing and complimented for his actions which were described as ‘highly meritorious and deserving imitation’. In a naval action off Malta while on convoy duty to 35 ships, he took on a much larger French adversary and after a stiff fight was overcome by a ship with many times the firepower of his own. David Williams, Director the Antique Arms and Armour Department at Bonhams, comments: “Farquhar is the living embodiment of the plucky naval officer who helped Britain to rule the waves by his willingness to take on overwhelming