The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals (Part 2)

The impressive group of Orders and Medals awarded to Admiral Sir Arthur Moore, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., C.M.G., Royal Navy, Commander-in-Chief, Cape Station, during the Boer War

The Most Honourable Order of The Bath, G.C.B. (Military) sash badge and breast star in silver-gilt and enamels; The Royal Victorian Order, G.C.V.O., sash badge and breast star in silver-gilt and enamels, both pieces officially numbered on the reverse ‘315’; The Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., breast badge in gold and enamels, complete with gold ribbon buckle, some enamel chipping to both centres; Jubilee 1897, silver; Coronation 1911; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Tel-El-Kebir (Comdr. A. W. Moore, R.N., H.M.S. Orion) impressed naming; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (Rear Adml. A. W. Moore, C.B., C.M.G., R.N. H.M.S. Gibraltar) impressed naming; Khedive’s Star 1882; Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class neck badge by Paul Stopin, Paris, silver, gold and enamels, enamel chipped on Crescent suspension; Royal Humane Society, small bronze medal (Successful) (Lieut. A. W. Moore R.N. H.M.S. “Glasgow” 7 Oct. 1874) generally very fine or better (12)

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

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See colour plate VI.

Arthur William Moore was one of the large number of ‘rectory admirals’, his father being the Rev. Edward Moore, honorary canon of Canterbury, and Rector of Frightened, Kent, while his great-grandfather was John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1783-1805. The Admiral’s mother was a daughter of the fourth Duke of Buccleuch. Born on 30 July 1847 Sir Arthur entered the Navy as a Cadet in December 1860, became a Lieutenant in May 1870 and a year later was appointed to the frigate GLASGOW, Flagship of the Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies. While in her he was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society for gallantry in rescuing an Ordinary Seaman of the ship who fell overboard. In February 1877 he became First Lieutenant of the corvette CHARYBDIS in China. Having ben transferred in January 1881 to the battleship INVINCIBLE, in the Mediterranean, he was promoted Commander out of her in December of the same year. Six months later he joined the ORION, armour plated corvette, of which he was Commander during the Egyptian war. He was present at the occupation of Ismailia, and was afterwards in Command of the Naval Flotilla on the Sweet Water Canal, which was organised for the transport of stores to the front and for the conveyance of sick and wounded to the base. He was also present at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. His Egyptian services, in addition to the medal and clasp for Tel-el-Kebir, the Khedive's bronze star, and the third Class of the Medjidie, brought him early promotion to Captain on 27 June 1884.

His first service after promotion was as Flag Captain in the BACCHANTE (the ship in which King George and his brother sailed round the world as Cadets) to Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Richards, Commander in Chief in the East Indies where he was for three years from April 1885. After Commanding the small cruiser MEDEA in the Naval manoeuvres of 1889 he was sent as one of the British representatives to the Anti-Slavery Congress which met in November of that year at Brussels. For this duty he was qualified by his experience of the slave traffic on the east coast of Africa. In 1890-91 he served as a member of the Australian Defence Commission, and on the completion of this duty was made a C.M.G. The rest of his Captain’s time was occupied by sea service in Command of the DREADNOUGHT in the Mediterranean, and by the Command of the Cadet’s training ship BRITANNIA at Dartmouth. His term in the latter was marked by some drastic reforms, chiefly disciplinary, and he inaugurated the system whereby each Lieutenant of the ship had special charge of a team of Cadets from the entry until they passed out, acting as their instructor, monitor, and ‘sea daddy’ during the whole period of their time on board. The plan worked so well that it was remarkable it was never thought of before.

After leaving the BRITANNIA Captain Moore went to the Admiralty as Fourth Sea Lord where he served from 1898 to 1901, being promoted meanwhile to Rear Admiral on 13 January 1899. He was afterwards selected to succeed Sir Robert Harris as Commander-in-Chief at the Cape, his appointment being dated 11 February 1901. He took out from England the cruiser GIBRALTAR as his flagship, and was actively concerned in the concluding phases of the South Africa War. Lord Kitchener wrote in his despatches: ‘I am greatly indebted to Admiral Moore for the kind manner in which he has always endeavoured to meet the requirements of the Army in the field’. At the Diamond Jubilee of 1897 he was made C.B.; he was promoted to K.C.B., with effect from 26 June 1902.

Having become a Vice Admiral, he was appointed in May 1905, as Second in Command to Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson in the Channel Fleet, with his Flag in the battleship CAESAR, and on the occasion of the visit to Portsmouth of the French squadron in August 1905 he was created a K.C.V.O., by King Edward VII. In March 1906 he became Commander-in-Chief in China, but after his promotion to Admiral on 10 October 1907, he was relieved. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, from March 1911 to July 1912, when he was retired for age. His period coincided with the Coronation festivities, and he hoisted his Flag in the battleship LORD NELSON as Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet assembled for review by King George V when there were 165 war vessels at Spithead, in addition to 18 foreign warships. In the Coronation Honours List Sir Arthur was promoted to G.C.B., and after the Review of the Fleet on 24 June 1911 King George V promoted him to G.C.V.O.

Sir Arthur Moore was a fine seaman, whole-hearted in his profession, and although he did not specialise in any particular branch, he was a gifted leader and a capable administrator. Had circumstances been other than they were he would have made a very good First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, for which office he was at one time mentioned as a likely successor to Lord Fisher. As it was he held some of the highest posts in the Navy, and of his four Commands as a Flag Officer, three were as Commander-in-Chief. He died on 3 April 1934, aged 85 years, and by his own wish the news of his death was not published until after the funeral.

Admiral Moore was awarded the following foreign Orders on the occasion of the Channel Fleet’s visit to the respective countries during 1905: Knight Grand Cross of the Norwegian Order of St Olaf, Knight Grand Cross of the Dutch Order of Orange of Nassau, and Knight Grand Cross of the Danish Order of Dannebrog. On the occasion of the Coronation Naval Review at Spithead in 1911 he was conferred by the President of Chile with the Medal ‘Al Merito’.