Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part I)

The mounted group of thirteen miniature dress medals attributed to Admiral G. A. Ballard, Royal Navy, Order of the Bath, Civil Division, gold, straight bar suspension, gold buckle on ribbon; Egypt & Sudan 1882-89, undated, 1 clasp, Tamaai; India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Burma 1885-7; China 1900, no clasp; 1914-15 Star; British War and Victory Medals; Jubilee 1897, silver; Coronation 1911; Japan, Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class, silver-gilt and enamel; France, Legion of Honour, 3rd Class, silver-gilt and enamel; Italy, Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, 4th Class, silver-gilt and enamel; Khedive’s Star 1884, mounted as worn, good very fine (13) £250-300

George Alexander Ballard was born on 7 March 1862, a son of General J. A. Ballard C.B. Educated on H.M.S. Britannia, he entered the Royal Navy in 1875. As a a Sub-Lieutenant (Acting Lieutenant) on H.M.S. Hecla he served in the Eastern Sudan 1884, including the battle of Tamaai, and for his services was specially promoted to Lieutenant. During the Burma campaign of 1885-7 he served as Naval A.D.C. to General Prendergast and was mentioned in despatches. He served under Captain Clutterbuck, R.N. in H.M.S. Irrawaddy at the capture of King Theebaw’s steamer, the occupation of his palace and all subsequent operations on the river.

During the Boxer Rebellion, he was Commander in H.M.S. Iris. Promoted Captain in 1903, he commanded the battleships Commonwealth in 1909 and Britannia in 1910. He was appointed Director of the Operations Division, Admiralty War Staff in 1912 and A.D.C. to the King in 1913 and was awarded the C.B. in the King’s 1913 Birthday Honours List. Appointed Commodore 1st Class, as Admiral of Patrols in May 1914 and Rear-Admiral in August 1914.In September 1916 he was appointed Senior Officewr in charge of the Naval Establishment at Malta. After the war, further promotions followed, being appointed Vice-Admiral in 1919 and Admiral in 1924. He was placed on the Retired List in 1921. He died on 16 September 1948.

He was winner of the Gold Medal of the Royal United Service Institution and the first French-Gascoigne prize for 1897 and 1898. Awarded the French Legion of Honour, Commander (London Gazette 21 June 1918); Italian Order of St. Maurice and Lazarus, 4th Class (London Gazette 17 October 1919) and Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd Class, then 1st Class (London Gazette 8 March 1920) .

Sold with a quantity of associated material, including a folder of copied research including copied service papers; the book The Black Battlefleet, by Admiral G. A. Ballard, 1980 edition, 261pp., illustrated, with dustcover; the books Britain and Malta, The Story of an Era, by Joseph Attard, 1995 reprint, ix, 222pp; British Malta, by A. V. Laferla, 1977 reprint; extracts from the Mariner’s Mirror - papers written by Ballard; The Mariner’s Mirror, Vol. 62, 1976, bound copy; The Mariner’s Mirror, Vol. 61, No.4, November 1975; a bound photocopy - H.M. Dockyard, Malta; The Mariner’s Mirror on CD-ROM - The Journal of the Society for Nautical Research from its inception in 1911 to the year 2000, five disks, cased (current selling price over $350); this latter an excellent resource.