Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Norfolk Association for Saving Lives from Shipwreck Medal 1824, large silver medal, 48mm, the obverse featuring a young head of Queen Victoria, the reverse engraved ‘Presented to Captain Harmer. R.N. 26th. Jany. 1839’ within wreath, with outer silver band, outer silver band loose, edge bruising, good very fine £140-180

Samuel Fielding Harmer was born on 2 October 1793 and was commissioned Lieutenant, Royal Navy, on 6 August 1814. He served in H.M.S. Sparrowhawk, commanded by Charles Pearson, off the south-east coast of the Americas, ‘and suffered much hardship when wrecked in a whale-boat, when sent to rescue the crew of a merchant brig on East Falkland Island’.

Promoted Commander on 10 January 1837, Harmer served in charge of the Coast Guard at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, from that year, and was awarded the Norfolk Association for Saving Lives from Shipwreck Medal in January 1839 for having, on two occasions, gone out to sea to rescue fishermen in distress. In August 1841 he returned to the active list and was given the command of H.M.S. Driver, stationed in the East Indies. He died in service of fever at Chisan, China, on 16 April 1843.