Auction Catalogue

4 April 2001

Starting at 1:00 PM

.

Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Regus Conference Centre  12 St James Square  London  SW1Y 4RB

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Lot

№ 898

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4 April 2001

Hammer Price:
£680

Four: Private J. H. Dean, Royal Marine Light Infantry, wounded during the Defence of the British Legation at Pekin, and killed in action aboard the Goliath in the Dardanelles 1915

China 1900, 1 clasp, Defence of Legations (8665 Pte., R.M.L.I.) renamed in a contemporary style and fitted with a contemporary copy clasp; 1914-15 Star (Ply.8665 Pte., R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Ply.8665 Pte., R.M.L.I.) together with Bronze Memorial Plaque (John Harrison Dean) and a fine painting on silk of Private Dean with his father, 520x350 mm., circa 1900, the first very fine, otherwise extremely fine (5) £600-800

John Harrison Dean was born at Wallesley, Liverpool, on 26 June 1878, and enlisted for the Royal Marine Light Infantry in June 1897. He joined Centurion (for Wei-hai-Wei) in March 1899 and was one of the Royal Marine Legation Guard at Peking. He served throughout the defence of the Legations and was wounded by a bullet in his left side on the 1st July 1900 (London Gazette 11 December 1900). His service record also states that he was also ‘Commended by the Admiralty, 6 December 1900’. He was ‘discharged “Free” as a Special Case’ in May 1908, and enrolled into the Royal Fleet Reserve in October 1909, remaining under training with the Plymouth Division until October 1913, when he re-enrolled into the R.M.L.I.

He was mobilised in August 1914 and posted to H.M.S.
Goliath. This battleship was engaged in the early months of the war on the East African coast blockading the German light cruiser Konigsberg. With the destruction of that ship she was ordered to the Dardanelles, where she arrived in the middle of April 1915. On 13 May 1915, whilst at anchor in company with Cornwallis in Morto Bay, Goliath was attacked by the Turkish destroyer Mouavenet-Millieh, which fired three torpedoes in quick succession. The first hit Goliath abreast the fore turret, the second abreast the foremost funnel and a third abreast the after turret. So swiftly did the battleship sink that many of those below were drowned before they could reach the upper deck. Of the 750 on board Goliath about 570, including Captain Shelford, were drowned.