New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal, E.VII.R. (No.678 Regt. Serg. Major George J. Parrell, Royal N.Z. Engineers. (1907)) minor contact marks, very fine, rare £800-1000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An Extensive Collection of Medals for Long and Meritorious Service.

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This is one of the rarest New Zealand awards, with sources variously quoting 6 or 15 as the number of New Zealand Meritorious Service Medals E.VII.R. issues awarded.

George John Parrell was born in the Parish of St. Mary's, London on 16 February 1857. By occupation a Clerk, he enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Westminster on 4 October 1873 and was assigned the service number 12261. He was first posted to Chatham, Kent to carry out his initial training. He received his first Good Conduct Badge after two years service, and was promoted to Lance-Corporal on 29 December 1874, reverting to the rank of Sapper on 20 January 1877. He was posted to Bermuda on 1 November 1877 where he was to spend the next eight years of service, was promoted again to Lance-Corporal on 25 March 1878, gained his second Good Conduct Badge on 6 October 1879, and was promoted to Corporal on 1 July 1880 and Sergeant on 1 March 1885. He also re-engaged while in Bermuda to complete 21 years of service. In December 1885 he and his family took passage to England where he was on home service for about 15 months before returning to Bermuda on 7 April 1887, continuing to serve there for just over a further five years. He was promoted to Company Sergeant-Major, Foreman of Works, and Sergeant-Major, Storekeeper on 26 April 1887. George Parrell was again promoted, to Quarter Master Sergeant, on 1 April 1892 and in June the same year, he and his family returned to England where he was awarded his British Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Also in 1892 Q.M.S. Parrell passed a Submarine Mining Course with a ‘superior’ pass.

His last appointment in the British Army appears to have been as a Stores Accountant with the rank of Company Sergeant-Major, Foreman of Works and on 5 October 1893 he was discharged from the Coastal Battalion, Royal Engineers at the expiry of his term of service. As a Pensioner he completed a Submarine Mining Instructor's Course at H.M.S. Vernon on 31 May 1895 and almost immediately took passage with his family to New Zealand on the S.S. Tainui, which left London on 13 June 1895. Sergeant-Major Parrell was enlisted in the New Zealand Permanent Militia as a Submarine Instructor with effect from 13 July 1895, signing his attestation papers at the Permanent Force Depot at Wellington on 10 September 1895. He joined the Torpedo Corps but a few months later transferred to No. 2 Service Company as by then the Torpedo Corps had been disbanded. He was promoted to Regimental Sergeant-Major on 14 October 1898. In 1903, General Orders reported the re-engagement of No. 678 Regimental Sergeant-Major George John Parrell (late Royal Engineers) as Submarine Mining Instructor to the Royal New Zealand Engineers for a period of one year from 1 August 1903. The application for the award of his Meritorious Service Medal was dated 29 May 1907 and the approval dated 14 June and recorded in General Orders 212 of 6th July of the same year. In October 1907, R.S.M. Parrell was transferred to the Royal New Zealand Army Artillery as the R.N.Z.E. had been absorbed in to the Electric Section of the R.N.Z.A. He was appointed Engineer Store Accountant on 17 June 1913 and granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant. This was regularised by the gazetting of the commissioned rank. He was further promoted Quartermaster and Honorary Lieutenant on 17 June 1917. In the meantime he transferred to the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps on 1 April 1917 on the establishment of that Corps, and was graded Ordnance Officer 3rd Class with rank of Captain and held the appointment of Inspector of Engineers, Electric Light and Defence Vessels Stores. Captain Parrell retired on 30 September 1919 and died in Auckland on 22 July 1936.

His British Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is known to exist and is named to ‘C.S.M. (F. of W.), R. E.’ [Company Sergeant Major (Foreman of Works) Royal Engineers].

With about 30 pages of records from his Defence Force File, New Zealand Gazettes, and General Orders including correspondence concerning his recruitment from England.