Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A well documented N.G.S. 1793-1840 awarded to Commander S. F. Short, Royal Navy, who was officially noticed for his services in operations on and off the coast of Syria and promoted Lieutenant

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (Saml. F. Short, Mate.) light cabinet marks, good extremely fine £1,200-£1,600

Provenance: Buckland, Dix & Wood, June 1994.

Samuel Frederick Short was born in Yorkshire on 4 April 1804, and joined the Royal Navy as a Volunteer 1st Class for service in H.M.S. Brazen on 14 March 1823. He served as a Volunteer 1st Class in H.M.S. Beaver from 5 July to 18 October 1823; as a Midshipman in H.M.S. Cambridge from 25 December 1823 to 21 June 1826; in H.M.S. Gloucester from 26 June 1827 to 23 June 1828; and in H.M.S. Hyperion from 1 October 1828 to 19 July 1829, before being discharged to Haslar.

Short then attended the Royal Naval College and passed his examination in 1830. He was appointed Midshipman and Mate on H.M.S. Weazel in 7 April 1830, and subsequently served as a Mate in the Charybdis, Brisk, Revenge, Megaera, Talbot, and Barham, before being appointed Mate aboard the steam vessel H.M.S. Cyclops on 9 January 1840. He served in that ship during operations on and off the coast of Syria. The Cyclops, a six-gun paddle frigate, delivered the ultimatum to Mehemet Ali in Alexandria, 9 August 1840, and delivered the subsequent rejection to Admiral Stopford, 7 September 1840. The ship was involved in the bombardment of the fort at Djebel, 11 September 1840; the bombardment and capture of the fort at Batroun, 15 September 1840, the bombardment and capture of Sidon, 28 September 1840, and the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre, 3 November 1940. Short was officially noticed for his services and promoted Lieutenant on 5 November 1840.

Short transferred to the Coast Guard as a Lieutenant on 6 September 1844, based at Ramsgate, and was posted to Southampton on 2 February 1857. He retired with the rank of Commander on 4 December 1863.

Sold together with the recipient’s original ‘Passing Certificate’ for Lieutenant, and eight original ‘Appointing Letters’ from his first appointment as Mate of the steam vessel Cyclops in 1840, to the rank of retired Commander in 1863.