Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole sculpture to be auctioned

A terracotta sculpture of Crimean War heroine Mary Seacole who nursed dying and wounded soldiers is to go under the hammer.

Ms Seacole had self-funded her way to the Crimea from England in the 1850s in order to help the fighting forces.

She was born in 1805 and was the daughter of a Scottish soldier and Jamaican mother.

Auctioneer Henry Meadows said: "We all think of Florence Nightingale but Mary Seacole's efforts are often forgotten."

The 30cm (12ins) half bust is set to be sold at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney next Thursday.

When she moved to England, she heard of the plight of the soldiers in the Crimea and volunteered to help but was turned down.

Undeterred, Ms Seacole funded her journey and remained in the Crimea until 1856.

She was destitute by the time she returned to England, but commanders in the Crimea raised money for the nurse, who was awarded the British Crimean medal, the Turkish Medjidie and the French Legion of Honour.

She died in 1881 and was voted Greatest Black Briton in a BBC online poll in 2004.

The bust, which features Ms Seacole wearing her war medals and a row of pearls, was modelled by the Victorian artist Count Gleichen, in 1871.

It was was part of the Collection of Jack Webb and is expected to fetch between £700 and £1,000.

"I think there is likely to be bidders from institutions, museums and private buyers who appreciate the significance of this bust," Mr Meadows continued.

"I like this bust because we should all remember Mary Seacole as a selfless individual, that even though she was rejected in the medical profession in the UK, financed out of her own pocket her way to the Crimea to help wounded and dying soldiers.

"I really do believe this bust should be in a museum for all to appreciate."