Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

A Great War C.M.G. group of ten to Engineer Rear Admiral A. R. Emdin, Royal Navy

Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, slight enamel damage; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (Ch. Eng., R.N., H.M.S. Pelorus); 1914-15 Star (Eng. Capt., R.N.); British War Medal (Eng. R. Adml., R.N.); Victory Medal, M.I.D. Oakleaf (Eng. R. Adml.); Coronation 1911; France, Legion of Honour, Officer’s breast badge, gold and enamel, rosette on ribbon, some enamel damage to centres, medals mounted for display; Japan, Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class set of insignia, neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, badge with minor enamel damage and replacement suspension pin; Star, silver, silver-gilt and enamel; Russia, Order of St. Anne, 2nd Class neck badge with swords, non-Russian manufacture, 50 x 50mm., silver-gilt and enamel, last with enamel damage to one obverse arm, generally very fine and better (10) £1400-1600

Engineer Rear Admiral Archie Russell Emdin was born in Bristol on 15.8.1865 and educated at the City of London School, King’s College and Royal Naval Colleges Keyham and Greenwich. He entered the Royal Navy as an Assistant Engineer in 1887 and on passing out from college was promoted to Engineer in 1889. In 1890 he was appointed to the troopship H.M.S. Malabar and in the following year to H.M.S. Trafalgar, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. During 1892-98 he served in the Engineer-in-Chief’s Department at the Admiralty. Promoted to Chief Engineer in 1899 he was appointed to H.M.S. Pelorus and served in coastal operations in the Boer War. He was again with the Engineer-in-Chief’s Department at the Admiralty during 1901-05 and was promoted Engineer Commander in 1903. He served as Senior Assistant to the Engineer Manager, Devenport Dockyard during 1906-09. In 1914 he was promoted Engineer Captain and appointed to the cruiser H.M.S. Shannon in February 1915. In October he was appointed a staff officer aboard the battleship H.M.S. Barham, flagship of Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas commanding the 5th Battle Squadron. He was present aboard during the battle of Jutland for which he was Mentioned in Despatches. In June 1916 he was appointed Senior Engineer Officer to H.M.S. Thalia, base ship at Cromarty and Peterhead. In May 1917 he was appointed the Chief Engineer of the Malta Dockyard and he remained in this post until the end of the war, being promoted Engineer Rear Admiral in October 1918. For his war services he was appointed a C.M.G. He retired from the service in 1923 and died in 1950.