Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: The rare group to Sergeant Michael Westacott, Royal Engineers, one of 16 Sappers who accompanied the Naval ‘Danube’ party in 1854 and were awarded the Turkish Medal for Glory for their part in bridging the Danube at Giurgevo

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Mi--ael Westacott, R.S. & Miners) depot impressed naming, two letters of Christian name lost through edge bruising; Turkish Crimea, British issue, unnamed; Turkish Danube Medal (Michael Westacot, R.S. & Miners) depot impressed naming; Army L.S. & G.C., V.R., small letter reverse (265 Sergt. Michael Westacott, R.E.) officially impressed naming, the Turkish awards with silver ribbon brooches, all mounted on an old display together with bullion Sergeant’s stripes and marksman’s badge, the first three with edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine, the last extremely fine (4) £1800-2200

The Turkish Medal for Glory, or ‘Danube’ medal, was awarded in gold to Colonel (later Field Marshal Sir) J. L. A. Simmons, R.E., and in silver to Captain G. Bent, R.E., and to 16 men of No. 10 Co. Royal Sappers & Miners, for their part in bridging the Danube at Giurgevo. It was also awarded in gold to Lieutenant H. C. Glyn, R.N., and Midshipman Prince Ernest of Leiningen, and in silver to approximately 30 seamen for participating in bridge construction and in manning Turkish gunboats in the vicinity.

The full story of the Naval Danube Expedition and the Turkish General Service Medal, or ‘Danube’ medal as it was known by members of that expedition, is told in Naval Medals 1793-1856 by Captain K. J. Douglas-Morris. Thirty-two Royal Navy personnel and sixteen sappers were awarded this medal but, as both these and the Crimean awards were generally issued unnamed, confirmed groups are extremely rare. Three groups are known with privately named medals or known attributions but no fully attributable group is yet known to the Royal Navy and the above group to Westacott is the only fully verified one known to the Sappers, according to Douglas-Morris.

Michael Westacott was born in the Parish of Hatherton, near Barnstaple, Devon, and attested for the Royal Sappers & Miners at Devonport on 15 January 1851, aged 23 years 9 months, himself a miner by profession. He was promoted to 2nd Corporal in October 1855; Corporal, February 1857; Sergeant, January 1861. He re-engaged at Rochester in April 1861 and was promoted to Colour-Sergeant in February 1867, reverting to Sergeant in March 1870. He was finally discharged at Chatham on 13 March 1872, having served abroad in Turkey, the Danube and Crimea for 2 years 3 months, and in the Mediterranean for 8 years 9 months. According to his discharge papers he had ‘the Danube, Turkish and Crimean War Medals with clasp for Sebastopol.’