Orders, Decorations and Medals

Four: Rear-Admiral M. S. L. Peile, Royal Navy

Baltic 1854-55, unnamed but with erasure at 6 o’clock; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (M. S. L. Peile, Lieut. R.N.) contemporary engraved naming; Ashantee 1873-74, no clasp (Capt. M. S. L. Peile, R.N. H.M.S. Simoom. 73-74); Turkish Crimea, British issue, unnamed, very fine or better (4) £700-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals for the Ashantee War 1873-74.

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Mountford Stephen Lovick Peile was born on 27 August 1824. He joined the Royal Navy sometime in 1843 and served aboard H.M.S. Gladiator in the Baltic in 1854-55 and in H.M.S. Sphinx at Sebastopol during the Crimean war. Promoted to Commander in April 1862 he had command of the steam gun vessel Espoir, for service on the west coast of Africa, from November 1864 until December 1867. In May 1866 he received the thanks of the Administrator of the Gold Coast for services rendered. He was promoted to Captain in September 1867 but, after paying off Espoir the following December, spent the next five years ashore on half pay for lack of a command. During this period he underwent a course of instruction at the Royal Naval College and obtained a 3rd Class Certificate in Steam.

In May 1873 Peile was appointed to the command of the troopship Simoom and in this vessel took part in the Ashantee war of 1873-74. He was twice mentioned in despatches, firstly when he landed in command of 40 bluejackets from Simoom to defend the denuded Cape Coast Forts; and when he landed in charge of 66 men from Simoom to protect posts at Dunquah, Akraful and at Abrakrampa in December 1873. He was one of a small number of officers who were landed and saw active service, but who did not cross the Prah River and therefore did not qualify for the Coomassie clasp to their Ashantee war medal.

On paying off from Simoom in August 1876 he once again went on half pay until he was placed on the Retired List in August 1879, having reached the age limit of 55 years. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral on the Retired List in April 1885 but died shortly afterwards at Stonehouse, Devon, on 23 September 1885. Sold with full research.