Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

China 1857-60, no clasp (R. Shaddick, Cooper, H.M.S. Encounter.) an officially impressed later issue, suspension claw slack, good very fine £120-160

Provenance: Captain K. J. Douglas-Morris Collection, DNW, October 1996.

Richard Shaddick was born in Bristol in 1822 and joined the Royal Navy as a Cooper in H.M.S. Encounter on 219 January 1853, having been employed in a similar role in civilian life. He served in the Encounter in China, but, not unlike other tradesmen joining the Navy at a later age than seamen, one commission was enough and he was discharged in February 1858. He finally received his China Medal over 35 years later on 22 August 1894 (ADM 171/32 refers).

Note: Medal officially impressed in the style in use at the time (the same style as used for the East and West Africa Medal 1887-1900). Such later issues provide the only means of obtaining officially named medals to ships that otherwise received unnamed awards.