Orders, Decorations and Medals

A rare smuggler’s Syria operations Naval General Service Medal awarded to Able Seaman John Snell, Royal Navy, who was impressed into the Service as a result of his apprehension off Devon in the ‘Mary of Beer’, which vessel was found to be carrying ‘94 caskets of spirits’

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (John Snell) edge bruise and minor contact marks, otherwise very fine £1200-1500

John Snell was born in Axminster, Devon circa 1790, and first entered the Royal Navy as an Able Seaman aboard H.M.S. President in July 1813, using the alias ‘John Love’. Discharged from the same ship in March 1814, after having been present at the capture of St. Sebastian in September 1813 (the published Naval General Service Medal rolls refer), he next appears on the ship’s muster of the Mersey in July 1823, this time in his correct name and having been “impressed” into service as a result of his arrest off Devon for his part in smuggling 94 caskets of spirits in ‘the Mary of Beer’ - in common with other local smugglers (and poachers), on being found fit for Naval service, he was sent to Dorchester Gaol until arrangements could be made for him to join one of H.M’s ships (Admiralty correspondence refers - copies included).

As discussed by Captain K. J. Douglas-Morris, R.N., in a special feature about smugglers in impressed service (see Naval Medals 1793-1856, pp. 167-171), Snell would have been allocated a sentence of five years’ service in foreign waters, following which he would have been given the option of returning to civilian life back home. However, immediately following the entry on his service record that confirms his completion of time as an impressed smuggler in the summer of 1828, he is shown as joining the Atholl - albeit with a nine month interlude - an entry that suggests he had elected to remain in the Navy’s employment following leave ashore. But this latter contention is weakened by the fact he is shown as having ‘run’ in July 1829, a puzzle further compounded by the musters of the period which contain the ambiguous statement, ‘per order Commander-in-Chief’ - possibly this suggests that he innocently missed his ship’s departure from port, and was subsequently reprieved at the C-in-C’s behest. But whatever the background to this somewhat confusing episode in his career, Snell joined the Melville one month after his apparent desertion, enjoyed regular employment until October 1848, and was present in the Syria operations of 1840 as an Able Seaman aboard the Ganges.