Nelson's HMS Victory medal could fetch £15,000 at auction

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A silver medal awarded to the master of Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship HMS Victory is set to fetch up to £15,000 at auction.

The officer class Davison's Nile Medal belonged to Thomas Atkinson who was at the ship's helm throughout the Battle of Trafalgar.

HMS Victory is now a museum and is based at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

The medal will be auctioned with two other naval medals by Peter Wilson Auctioneers, Cheshire on Thursday.

The three medals have been sent for sale by a past archivist and librarian of The Nelson Society.

Admiral Lord Nelson described Atkinson as "one of the best masters I have seen in the Royal Navy", according to auctioneer Chris Large.

Atkinson served with Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars and is reputed to have held Nelson while his arm was amputated following an attack at Santa Cruz, Tenerife.