Auction Catalogue

17 & 18 May 2016

Starting at 11:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Live Online Auction

Download Images

Lot

№ 830

.

18 May 2016

Hammer Price:
£300

Pair: Chief Stoker S. McLellan, Royal Navy

Royal Naval Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R. (303070 S. MvLellan, Ch. Sto., “Eglington” Orkneys & Shetlands); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (303070 Samuel McLellan, Ch. Sto., H.M.S. Woolwich) some edge bruising and contact marks, about very fine (2) £340-380

M.S.M. London Gazette 11 November 1919.

Samuel McLellan was born in Jarrow, Co. Durham, on 26 November 1881. He entered the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 2 January 1903. Was promoted to Stoker in April 1904 when on
Leander; Stoker 1st Class in July 1906 and Leading Stoker in August 1907 when on Tenedos. Promoted to Stoker Petty Officer in November 1908 when on Halcyon. Served on the 2nd class cruiser Astraea, April 1913-July 1916, being advanced to Acting Chief Stoker in February 1915 and to Chief Stoker in February 1916. The ship gained battle honours for East Africa 1914 and Cameroons 1915. For the former she bombarded Dar-es-Salaam, 8 August 1914, destroying the radio station. Fearing an imminent landing, the German authorities scuttled their floating dock to block the harbour. This had the effect of denying the harbour to its cruiser Konigsberg. Astraea was later one of the ships assigned to hunt and blockade the Konisberg in the Rufiji River. In 1915 the Astraea became the ship of the senior naval officer overseeing the invasion of the German colony of Kamerun. After service at Pembroke II, he served on the destroyer Osiris, based at Woolwich, December 1916-February 1918, and was awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal in February 1918. After which he was posted to Victory X and the patrol boats P23 and P30, March 1918-December 1918. He served on the paddle minesweeper Eglington, clearing mines around the Orkney and Shetland Islands, April-June 1919; for his services he was awarded the Royal Navy M.S.M. He was later ‘lent’ to the Royal New Zealand Navy and was pensioned from his last ship, Dunedin, on 1 January 1925. With copied service paper and other research.