Four: Leading Seaman T. Lear, Royal Navy

China 1900, no clasp (T. Lear, Ord. H.M.S. Phoenix.); 1914-15 Star (203599 T. Lear. A.B. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (203599 T. Lear. L.S. R.N.) very fine or better (4) £260-£300

Thomas Lear was born at Torquay, Devon, on 24 April 1882, and was a sailmaker before joining the Navy on 6 March 1899. He joined Phoenix whilst still a Boy 1st Class, and it was in her that he advanced to Ordinary Seaman and Able Seaman, while the ship was taking part in the Third China War. He was advanced to Able Seaman on 21 March 1901, a rate in which he remained throughout his engagement which expired in April 1912, when he joined the Royal Fleet Reserve. He was mobilised on 2 August 1914, serving in the battleship Prince George until 14 March 1916. In February 1918 he was advanced to Leading Seaman, and was demobilised on 11 June 1919.

He sub-specialised as a Quarter Gunner and shortly afterwards as a Seaman Torpedo Man (ST) in June 1904. In February 1918, shortly after advancement to Leading Seaman, his non-sub rating is shown as ‘LTO’, or Leading Torpedo Man, so it seems that his ‘trade’ throughout the Great War was torpedoes, although LTOs also looked after the general electrical systems in a ship. There is no mention on his record of service of a L.S. & G.C. medal.