Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (Thos. Howell. Boatmn. HM Coast Gd.) engraved naming, very fine £100-£120

Thomas Howell was born in Brighton on 28 September 1840, and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 18 October 1855. He served aboard H.M.S. Amethyst from October 1856 to December 1860, including operations off the coast of China (Medal without clasp). He continued to become Captain’s Coxswain in H.M.S. Cambridge until January 1867, when he transferred to the Coast Guard as a Boatman, becoming a Commissioned Boatman in April 1870, and Chief Officer in August 1877 until his retirement in September 1895.