The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals (Part 1)

New Zealand 1845-66, reverse undated (W. Jago. Sailrs. Mate, H.M.S. “North Star” 1845-46) officially engraved naming, very fine and scarce

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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William Jago first entered the service as an ‘Ord’ aboard NORTH STAR at Portsmouth aged 20 years in September 1841, and advanced to Sailmaker’s Mate on 1 April 1845. He was paid off on 8 September 1846, noticeably with an unbecoming character assessment of ‘fair’. Prior to his service in New Zealand, Jago was present during the operations in China but his medal is not known to have survived.

Since insufficient ‘dated’ medals were struck to satisfy the full needs of the Admiralty some of the late applicants for Naval medals were issued with incorrectly dated reverses for the ship in question. Other late claimants were issued with the ‘undated’ variety with the correct dates engraved on the reverse or, as in this case, with the missing dates officially engraved on the edge of the medal immediately following the recipient’s details, though this latter precedent was followed more commonly for the 1860-66 War. Jago’s New Zealand medal was despatched on 22 October 1879.