Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension, impressed naming (John Smith, P.O. 1st. Cl., H.M.S. Hood.) contact marks, nearly very fine £100-£140

John Smith was born in Cardiff on 29 December 1864. He enlisted into the Royal Navy in August 1880 as a Boy Second Class originally joining H.M.S. Impregnable before transferring to H.M.S. Implacable and Lion. In March 1882 he was posted to the ironclad battleship H.M.S. Superb and was present when the ship took part in the bombardment of Alexandria, where she fired 310 shells at the Egyptian forts. She received ten hits in return, seven of them on her armour, with no casualties. For this service, Smith was awarded the Egypt Medal with ‘Alexandria 11 July’ clasp and Khedive’s Star. He went onto serve with a large number of other vessels including H.M.S. Implacable, Duncan, Cambridge, Valorous, Monarch and Imperieuse. Smith was posted to H.M.S. Hood in May 1893 and it was whilst he was serving with this ship that he was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. His later naval career included postings with the ships and shore establishments H.M.S. Vivid, Pembroke, Endymion, Wildfire, Vernon and Repulse.