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

Six: Baltic 1854-55; Crimea 1854-55, 1 clasp, Sebastopol; China 1857-60, 3 clasps, Fatshan 1857, Canton 1857, Taku Forts 1860, these first three all unnamed as issued; Canada General Service 1866-70, 1 clasp, Fenian Raid 1866 (Gunr’s Mate W. Johns, H.M.S. Aurora); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (W. Johns, Chf. Bo. Mate, H.M.S. Cambridge 20 Yrs.); Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue, unnamed and fitted with Crimea suspension, light contact marks to the earlier medals, otherwise good very fine and a superb campaign group (6)

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

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See colour plate III

Born Millbrook, Devon on 25 February 1837. First entered the service as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. IMPREGNABLE on 30 October 1851, and was transferred to H.M.S. VALOROUS on 18 December 1852, receiving advancement to Boy 1st Class in February 1855 but left the service from this ship in August 1856. Rejoined the Navy as an "Ord" aboard H.M.S. RALEIGH on 4 October 1856, whose commanding officer was Commodore Hon. Henry Keppel, designated Second in Command of the Fleet on the China Station. On 26 October 1856 Keppel sailed RALEIGH from Portsmouth Harbour disdaining the use of tugs, said to be the last sailing frigate so to leave that harbour under canvas, setting course down the channel for a passage via Madeira, South America, The Cape, Singapore to Hong Kong and the war.

On 14 April 1857, some thirty miles distance from Hong Kong the RALEIGH struck an uncharted pinnacle of rock only nine feet under the water - with not unexpected results. Although all the pumps were worked as hard as possible the vessel was slowly sinking, but fortunately the wind freshened from the right quarter for her to be beached on some shelving mud shoals a few miles off Macao. With part of the lower deck still dry that evening it was possible to retrieve some personal effects - but to little avail, since the encampment ashore on a sandy beach lay below hills from which water then deluged for the next four days, covering with sand the landed equipment. Brass guns were mounted to resist pirates.

After passing through ALLIGATOR, SYBILLE and her tender MACAO FORT, he finished up aboard ACTAEON in December 1857, receiving advancement to A.B. in May 1858, to Leading Seaman in January 1862 and further to Captain’s Coxwain three months later. After two months aboard RUSSELL as Captain of the Forecastle, he subsequently served aboard AURORA (1863-67) as Captain of the Foretop and Gunner’s Mate, CHERUB (1867-70) as Acting Gunner 3rd Clarr R.N., and CAMBRIDGE (1870-73) as Gunner’s Mate and Chief Bosun’s Mate. In this vessel he received his L.S. & G.C. medal when pensioned with 20 years service on 22 April 1873.