Four: Captain G. M. Marston, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 3 clasps, Gambia 1894, Benin River 1894, Brass River 1895 (Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Widgeon), single initial ‘G.’; British War and Victory Medals (Capt., R.N.); Coronation 1911, the first with edge nicks, otherwise generally extremely fine and extremely rare (4) £1800-2200

Guy Montagu Marston, who was born in December 1871, entered Britannia as a cadet in January 1885 and was appointed a Midshipman in August 1887. No doubt as a result of youthful high spirits, he incurred the ‘serious displeasure’ of Their Lordships on the night of 3 February 1892, for ‘refusing to give his name to the Dockyard Police and failing to obey the order of Lieutenant Phillipps to attend on the middle deck of the Marlborough after creating a disturbance in the dockyard.’

But happier times prevailed, and Marston, clearly a gifted officer, was frequently praised by his seagoing C.Os, ‘Skilful navigator, excellent pilot ... does not know what nerves are’, being fairly typical of the endorsements on his service record following his promotion to Lieutenant in December 1893. It was in September of the latter year that he joined H.M.S. Widgeon, aboard which ship he remained employed until November 1896 and witnessed extensive active service with assorted punitive expeditions in West Africa:

‘Lieutenant of Widgeon; served in the Naval Brigade landed by Rear-Admiral Bedford, C.B., at Bathurst, on the River Gambia, on the West Coast of Africa, in February 1894, in co-operation with two companies of the 1st West India Regiment, for the punishment of Fodi Silah, a rebellious slave-trading chief (Medal and Gambia 1894 clasp); served in the Naval Brigade landed under the command of Rear-Admiral Bedford, C.B., Commander-in-Chief, for the punitive expedition against Chief Nanna of Brohemie, in the Benin River, resulting in the capture of his stronghold at Brohemie, 25 September 1894 (Benin River 1894 clasp); served in the Naval Brigade under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir F. Bedford, K.C.B., Commander-in-Chief, for the punitive expedition against King Koko of Nimby, the chief town of Brass, on the River Niger, February 1895 (Brass River 1895 clasp); landed from 5 to 25 February 1896, at Vanga, in charge of rocket tube party in the punitive expedition against Mburuk, a rebellious Arab chief’ (Lean’s Naval Lists refer).

This last named expedition qualified Marston for the ‘M’wele 1895-6’ inscription on his East and West Africa Medal, the roll stating ‘Medal to be engraved’, but, as with other recipients, he does not appear to have returned his award for said inscription: notwithstanding this, his was one of just five such 3 clasp Medals to be awarded to R.N. officers - 28 others of like clasp combination being issued to ratings and marines.

Advanced to Commander in June 1905, Marston was appointed Admiralty Representative on the Board of Trade Committee for Pilotage in 1909, in which capacity he was subsequently commended by Their Lordships for his devotion and ‘safeguarding of Admiralty interests’, in addition to receiving equal approbation from the Postmaster-General ‘for valuable services on the committee for injuries to submarine cables by trawlers’ . In 1911, however, having taken command of the Blanche, he was lightly admonished for ‘hazarding’ his ship.

Marston, who was employed for much of the Great War as Admiralty Director of Navigation, retired in the rank of Captain in August 1921 and died at Rempstone Hall, Corfe Castle, Dorset in May 1928.