Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine and rare group of awards to Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice FitzMaurice, K.C.V.O., C.B., C.M.G., Royal Navy, late Director of Naval Intelligence at the Admiralty

ROYAL VICTORIAN ORDER, K.C.V.O., neck badge and breast star in silver, gilt and enamels, the set officially numbered 'K 464' and contained in its Collingwood & Co. case of issue; ORDER OF THE BATH, C.B. (Military) neck badge officially converted from a breast badge, in silver, gilt and enamels, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE, C.M.G., neck badge officially converted from a breast badge, in its damaged Garrard & Co. case of issue; EAST AND WEST AFRICA 1887-1900, 2 clasps, Witu August 1893, Gambia 1894 (Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Blanche); QUEEN'S SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, S.A. 1901 (Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Doris); 1914-15 STAR (Commre. 2nd Cl., C.M.G., R.N.); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (Capt., R.N.); France, LEGION OF HONOUR, 4th class breast badge in gold and enamels, slight chipping to central motto on obverse, Greece, WAR CROSS 1916-1917, with bronze star, the last seven mounted as worn and contained in a glass fronteddisplay case, Greece, ORDER OF THE REDEEMER, 3rd class neck badge in silver, gilt and enamels, contained in its C. Lemaitre case of issue; Japan, ORDER OF THE SACRED TREASURE, 2nd class breast star in silver, gilt and enamels by Spink & Son in its case of issue, hairline cracks to the enamel, unless otherwise stated good very fine and better and a rare group, the East and West Africa medal being a unique combination of clasps (13)

Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice, as Lieutenant of Blanche, landed with the Naval Brigade from Blanche, Swallow and Sparrow, assisted by Soudanese and Zanzibar troops, at Witu, East Africa, 9th August, 1893, to punish the robber chief Fumo Oman, who had indulged in various acts of treachery. His fortified strongholds at Pumwani and Jongeni were stormed and captured with great gallantry. Lieutenant Fitzmaurice who commanded the rocket party and field gun received a deep flesh gunshot wound of the left forearm at the storming of Pumwani, and was mentioned in despatches for his services on that occasion. Had he not been convalescing from his wound, Fitzmaurice would no doubt have accompanied the Juba River expedition some two weeks later, but sadly he missed his chance to earn this rare clasp.He next served as Flag Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral F.G.D. Bedford in Raleigh in the Naval Brigade landed at Bathurst, on the river Gambia, West Coast of Africa, in February 1894, in co-operation with two companies of the 1st West India regiment, for the punishment of Fodi Silah, a rebellious slave-trading chief, and was again mentioned in despatches for his services. As Gunnery Lieutenant of the Flagship Doris, he served during the Boer War 1899-1901.

Fitzmaurice was appointed Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence 9 November, 1910, and Assistant Director, Intelligence Division, Admiralty War Staff, 8 January, 1912, to 14 February, 1914, when he was appointed Senior Officer on the Yangtze. On the outbreak of war in August, 1914, he was given command of H.M.S. Triumph which saw much service in the Dardanelles, where she took part in the preliminary shelling of the forts by the British and French squadrons and was also present at the landing on Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915. The Triumph however was torpedoed on May 25th off Gaba Tepe by a German submarine and within ten minutes had sunk, going down by the bows with her stern high in the air. Of her ship's company over 500 were rescued by the Chelmer and other vessels, but three officers and 70 men lost their lives.

Fitzmaurice was appointed Principal Naval Transport Officer in the Dardanelles and Salonika 1915-16; Chief of Staff in the Eastern Mediterranean 1916-17; Captain of H.M.S. Dreadnought 1918; Senior Naval Officer, Coast of Palestine 1918; Commodore Commanding the British Aegean Squadron 1919. From 1921 till 1924 he was Director of Naval Intelligence at the Admiralty before taking up his final appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Africa Station. Honoured in 1916 with a C.M.G., he was created C.B. in 1921 and K.C.V.O. in 1925. Promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1926, Fitzmaurice died on 23 January, 1927, at the relatively young age of 56 years.