Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Richard ‘Bob’ Brenchley, Coxswain of the Launch, Royal Navy, whose part in the capture of the Maori chief Te Rauparaha became the subject of an amusing anecdote

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (Richard Brenchly); New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1846 to 1847 (R. Brenchley, Coxn. of Launch, H.M.S. Calliope); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (Richd. Brenchley, Cox. of Launch H.M.S. Arrogant 23 Yrs.) nearly extremely fine (3) £3000-3500

Ex Sotheby May 1896, Dalrymple White Collection 1946 and Elson Collection 1963.

Only 69 New Zealand medals with these dates were issued to the Royal Navy, all to H.M.S. Calliope.

Richard ‘Bob’ Brenchley was born at Sittingbourne, Kent. He joined the Navy on 19 October 1825 as an Ordinary Seaman aboard Dryad (October 1825 to June 1829), and subsequently served aboard Lightening as Able Seaman (June 1829 to September 1832); Comus as Captain of the Main Top (December 1832 to August 1836); Fly as Master at Arms (September 1836 to August 1840); Medea as Captain’s Coxswain, including the Syria operations (September 1840 to May 1845); Calliope as Coxswain of Launch, including operations in New Zealand (July 1845 to January 1849); and in Arrogant as Coxswain of Launch, receiving his L.S. & G.C. aboard this ship on 18 September 1852.

Brenchley is mentioned for his part in the capture of the Maori chief Te Rauparaha in The Strangest War (Edgar Holt, London, 1962) p 101:

‘The leader of the detachment sent to the chief’s house to arrest him [Te Rauparaha] was Midshipman McKillop (later an admiral in the service of the Khedive of Egypt), and though Te Rauparaha made vigorous efforts to evade arrest he was seized by four of McKillop’s men, one of whom was an old coxswain, Bob Brenchley. When Te Rauparaha tried to bite his arm Brenchley shook himself free and complained: “Why, ye damned old cannibal, d’ye want to eat a fellow alive?” After his arrest Te Rauparaha was taken with other chiefs to the frigate H.M.S. Calliope, where they were all detained as prisoners of war, though no formal charge was brought against them. Later Te Rauparaha was transferred to Auckland, where he was virtually at liberty except that he was not allowed to leave the town. He was well treated there, and was particularly delighted to go about the streets dressed in the uniform of a British naval captain.’

See also James Cowan’s The New Zealand Wars, for an earlier version of this anecdote. Sold with copy records of service.