Orders, Decorations and Medals Including five Special Collections

A good Boxer Rebellion and Great War group awarded to Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Field, G.C.B., K.C.M.G., Captain of H.M.S. King George V at the battle of Jutland

The Order of St. Michael and St. George, K.C.M.G., neck badge and breast star, silver, gilt and enamels, in its Garrard & Co case of issue; China 1900, 1 clasp, Relief of Pekin (Lieut., R.N. H.M.S.Barfleur); 1914-15 Star (Capt., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Commre., R.N.); Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; France, Legion of Honour, Officer, gold and enamels; U.S.A., Navy Distinguished Service Medal; Russia, Order of St Anne, 2nd class neck badge with swords, by Edouard, gold and enamels; Rumania, Order of the Crown, Commander’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels, this lacking suspension loop and worn as a breast badge, generally extremely fine (12) £2500-3000

Frederick Laurence Field was born on 19 April 1871, second son of Colonel Spencer Field, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He joined the Royal Navy in 1884, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1893. As Lieutenant of Barfleur, he was landed with the Naval Brigade in the Boxer Rebellion, China 1900, and was wounded in the scalp on 13 July, 1900, at the taking of Tientsin City. He was mentioned in Vice-Admiral Seymour’s despatch, dated Tientsin 8th July, 1900: ‘18th June - A train under Lieutenant Field (Barfleur) started with a Russian Force to bring back the 200 Russians from Chun Liang Cheng, but found the line badly damaged and failed to reach that place. They were heavily engaged by the enemy and returned in the afternoon in time to help, by a flank attack, to repulse the Chinese troops then attacking the railway station... Lieutenant Frederick L. Field, of H.M.S. Barfleur, deserves mention for his very excellent and arduous services with the repairing and other armed trains, having been hard at work for almost 48 hours continuously on one occasion.’ Lieutenant Field was presented with his China medal by the King.

Promoted to Commander in 1902, and to Captain in 1907, Field was Flag Captain of Duncan in the Mediterranean from August 1910 until July 1912, when he was appointed Superintendent of Signal Schools. He was in command of H.M.S. King George V at the battle of Jutland, for which he was mentioned in despatches, made a Companion of the Bath, and awarded the 2nd Class of the Russian Order of St Anne with Swords. Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Jerram reported that Captain Field ‘handled King George V as leader of the line of battle with great skill under very difficult conditions. His previous good work in the Signal School and Vernon are well known.’

Field served throughout the remainder of the Great War, first as Chief of Staff to Admiral Sir Charles Madden, 2nd in Command of the Grand Fleet, 1916-18, and latterly as Director of Torpedoes and Mining, Admiralty, 1918-20. He was made a Companion of St Michael and St George in 1919, was promoted to Rear Admiral, and also received the Order of the Crown of Rumania, the Legion of Honour, and the American D.S.M. He was 3rd Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy from 1920-23 (awarded K.C.B.), and Rear-Admiral commanding Battle Cruiser Squadron in the latter year. As Vice-Admiral he commanded the Special Service Squadron during the World Cruise of 1923-24 (awarded K.C.M.G.), and was Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff from 1925 to 1928. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1928, and, in 1930, he returned to the Admiralty as First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, thus achieving the zenith of a naval officer’s career. Field relinquished this appointment in 1933, when he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet and advanced to G.C.B. Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Field died on 24 October 1945.