Orders, Decorations and Medals

Three: Petty Officer Henry Bardens, Royal Navy

China 1857-60, 2 clasps, Fatshan 1857, Canton 1857, unnamed as issued; New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1860 to 1861 (Hy Bardens A.B HMS Niger); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (Henry Bardens Capt. F Top. H.M.S. Roy. Adelaide 22 Yrs.) engraved naming, scarce variety with years on edge, suspension re-fixed on the first, edge bruise and light contact marks to both campaign medals, nearly very fine, the last extremely fine (3) £800-1000

Henry Bardens was born at Burgh Island, near Kingsbridge, Devon, in April 1837. He entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 1st Class aboard H.M.S. Implacable on 15 December 1856. His next ship was the Niger, which he joined on 10 June 1856, being rated successively Ordinary Seaman and Able Seaman. In this ship he took part in the operations at Fatshan and Canton in 1857, and afterwards in New Zealand in 1860-61. He received his L.S. & G.C. medal on 1 December 1876 as Captain of the Fore Top in H.M.S. Royal Adelaide, the medal bearing his 22 Years of service on the edge, one of about 40 known examples of this scarce variety. Henry Bardens was finally ‘Shore Pensioned’ from Royal Adelaide as a Petty Officer 1st Class on 21 December 1876. Sold with copied service records.