Three: Indian Mutiny 1857-58, no clasp (John Hudson, Ord. Pearl); China 1857-60, 1 clasp, Taku Forts 1860, unnamed as issued, suspension loose at the claw on this; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (Capt. Hold. H.M.S. Duke of Wellington) engraved naming, the first two with contact marks, nearly very fine, otherwise good very fine and a unique group to the Pearl (3)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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John Hudson was born in Clapham, Surrey, on 7 December 1837. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 1st Class aboard H.M.S. PEARL on 1st April 1856, being advanced to Ordinary Seaman in January 1858, and paid off on 16 June 1859. He joined PEARL again a fortnight after she was re-commissioned on 12 August 1859, soon to be sailed for Far Eastern waters, in time to participate in the final bombardment action of the Second China War, whilst on loan to H.M.S. BUSTARD. Hudson was the only man to serve these two commissions of PEARL covering the Indian Mutiny and the Second China War. Indeed, it would appear that only 13 R.N. sailors earned medals for these two campaigns and only five of them earned a clasp to their China medal. Hudson served two more full commissions aboard H.M. Ships ENDYMION (1866-69) and ROYAL ALFRED (1869-72), before completing his time in DUKE OF WELLINGTON and receiving his L.S. & G.C. medal in April 1875.