Regimental Medal 1820, in bronze, 36mm, extremely fine and rare.

Unnamed as issued, 45mm, extremely fine.

Engraved in italic capitals (Robert Silvers 1823). Mounted on original ribbon. Soldered repair at the top of the suspension star and swivel (which is thereby fixed solid), otherwise good very fine. ROBERT SILVERS served as Boatswain aboard the Griper under Commander Douglas Clavering. The 1823 expedition to Spitzbergen and Eastern Greenland involved magnetic experiments and observations, a landing on Pendulum Island and exploration as far north as Shannon Island and Gael Hanke’s Bay. It is possible, though not confirmed, that the recipient is the same man as the Robert Silvers who received the Naval General Service Medal with a single clasp for Martinique (Boatswain’s Mate, H.M.S. Cleopatra). FURTHER INFO ON THIS MEDAL FROM: “Glenn M. Stein, FRGS”, Silvers’ Arctic Medal appeared in Spink’s The Numismatic Circular, Vol. 81, No. 3, lot 2867, March 1973, gdVF, £35 and Spink, Dec. 17,1997, lot 201, £480. Commander Clavering has specially asked for Robert Silvers, describing him as “a steady, active and desirable man.” (Commander D.C. Clavering’s Voyage to East Greenland, 1823, by A.G.E. Jones; Musk-Ox, 19, p. 16; 1976). Silvers’ NGS/Martinique was offered in J.B. Hayward’s June 1971 catalogue (lot 2, VF, £33). Silvers and HMS Cleopatra (Muster List; ADM 37/2517). From his earliest verified service of Acting Boatswain on Leda in 1815 the Muster List shows that he ‘appeared’ from Africaine on March 18, 1814. The Muster List for Africaine Sept. 1813-June 1814 (ADM 37/5205) shows his service therein as Boatswain’s Mate: ship’s no. 64; entry Aug. 20, 1811 (also appearance); from Cleopatra; born Stirling; age at entry 28. The preceding entry for Cleopatra is much more detailed; that information and that for “Africaine” are not entirely consistent, as his age seems to have stood still from 1806 to 1811 and his place of birth has altered as well. It was not unusual for dates and places of birth to be inconsistent with sailors of this time period, but there is no doubt that Boatswain Robert Silvers was entitled to and received the NGS/Martinique.

Conduct Medal, George V.R., impressed: 4586 GNR. B. O’REILLY, R.F.A., extremely fine.

Victoria 2nd. Type (swivel), large letters, officially engraved: 3299 PTE. A. STONE, 2Nd. Bn. Gr. Gds. Light contact marks, nearly extremely fine. Private Alfred Stone was born in 1818, South Petherton, Somerset, enlisted 30 January 1837. He served in Canada from 1838 to 1842, and was discharged on 26 June 1860, having completed 21 years. British census of 1881 indicates he lived at the time in England while his wife, Ann Stone, lived at Upper St. Marys, Canada. Sold with copies of service records.

Edward VII, impressed: 738 SJT. H. ANDREWS. SUFFOLK R.G.A. MIL. God very fine.

George V issue, extremely fine, in case of issue, named Thomas J. Woodward.

George V issue, extremely fine, in case of issue, un named.

Victoria, 1837-55, (engraved: SERGT. THOS. DILLON. 30TH REGT. 1849). Silver clip and hanger suspension, rim nicks, very fine.

In hallmarked Gold and enamels, 51x54mm, French hallmarks for 18Kt. Gold on suspension ring and top ribbon clasp, 26 grams (with ribbon), engraved on reverse “1908 European Gas Company decernee Lucien Bertin Pour 10 Annees De Services London”, of very fine quality make and very attractive, in French case of issue.

(reverse engraved: K(LT) P.F. DEANE 12860F 29/5/76), P & F initials re-engraved over lighter engraved letters. Incorrect ribbon.

Medal, Victoria, inverted impressed naming (A.T. ROBERTSON. SHIPS STEWD. H.M.S.D. OF WELLINGTON.), extremely fine.

Silver, light contact marks, about very fine.

V.R. Cypher, 1892, plated, good very fine.

Polar Medal, in bronze, awarded to Netman D. Kennedy, late Pilotage Service and afterwards Royal Navy: as a result of the hardships endured by such men - Kennedy spent six seasons in Antarctica - the international whale conservation programme was set in motion. Polar Medal 1904, G.VI.R., bronze, 1 clasp, Antarctic 1929-34 (Duncan Kennedy), in its case of issue, extremely fine. Ex J. B. Hayward (Gazette No. 2, July 1974, Item No. 283). Duncan Kennedy, who was born in Greenock, Scotland in January 1888, served in the Pilotage Service in the Great War and was awarded the British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals. Previous to joining the Royal Research Ship Discovery II in 1929, he was a fisherman, so it seems natural that he was rated as a Netman - a Petty Officer responsible for operating the various-sized nets used to collect marine specimens - and having served through six Antarctic seasons aboard the Discovery II, he became one of just two Netman awarded the Polar Medal in bronze - and the only man to receive the clasp dated 1929-34. Kennedy and the Antarctic 1929-34 “Discovery Investigations”. As early as 1917, it was recognized that whales were in danger of being hunted to extinction, as a result of which a British Government inter-departmental committee was set up to review the excesses of the whaling industry which then flourished in the Antarctic. However, it was not until 1923 that a committee with the required finances and authority was established to make ‘a serious attempt to place the whaling industry on a scientific basis’. The depletion of whale stocks could be avoided only by controlling the whaling industry, but effective control could not be planned for a painfully simple reason: not enough was known about the habits of whales, their distribution and migration, or of their main food - the shrimp known as krill. Kennedy thus became part of this historic scientific programme that spanned over a quarter of a century. Initially, Scott's old ship, the Discovery, was purchased by the newly named “Discovery Committee”. Then, in 1926, the steam vessel William Scoresby was added to the initiative, and was tasked with general oceanographic work, commercial scale trawling and whale marking experiments. However, later still, it was decided to build a new steel ship to carry out the indefinite and ambitious series of “Discovery Investigations” that beckoned, the Discovery II being the result. And in order to meet unknown conditions, her construction required careful planning and much original thought, in addition to the provision of an array of expensive scientific and other research equipment - given the international financial crisis of the early 1930s, evidence indeed of the vital importance of the project. In December 1929, as Discovery II stood ready at London's St. Katherine's Dock, she received a visit from the King of Norway, who possessed a keen knowledge of everything to do with whaling, while her actual departure for her three-year odyssey was captured by a reporter for the Oxford Mail: ‘Hundreds of People gathered to witness the departure of the vessel and after two hours' skilful manœuvring she was steered into the Thames, where much larger crowds were watching. As the ship glided from her berth girls crowded to the windows of the factories overlooking the dock and waved good-bye to the crew. One very pretty girl, more daring than the rest, climbed out on to a ledge and shouted "A Merry Christmas next week," and the sailors responded with a cheer.’ At 234 feet long, and displacing 2,100 tons, Discovery II was only a fraction of the size of the 10-12,000 ton whaling factory ships active in Antarctic waters. Yet she was the largest research ship ever to explore the Southern Ocean and both the scientists and crew had to take time to get used to a new ship under conditions of intense cold, storm and pack ice. In addition, working the instruments and winches required constant practice, and the surveys, biological collections and hydrographic work were more comprehensive that ever before attempted in southern waters. Kennedy's nets were used for collecting sea plants and animals and were of several different sizes and mesh. The mouth of one tow net was the size of a dinner plate, while another was believed to be the largest in the world, so big that a man could stand upright inside it. Indeed long hours were dedicated to the raising and lowering of such nets in all variety of weather and seas - hard and frequently painful labour on the part of Kennedy, given the prevailing climate and temperatures. Just such conditions that turned Discovery II into a Christmas tree by a combination of gale and freezing seas that sprayed the ship's deck, bulwarks and upper works, thickly encrusting them with ice. Torches of burning waste and paraffin were sometimes necessary to thaw the blocks and sheaves over which ran the wires used to lower nets and instruments into the sea. Under such difficult conditions, a sense of humour was a valuable asset and greatly appreciated by all, and Kennedy’s ways of speech certainly played their part in keeping his fellow crew amused, or certainly according to the expedition’s official photographer, Alfred Saunders, who noted: ‘He had a persistent but unwitting habit of mispronouncing names. One of his jobs was to look after chemical and other scientific stores in the hold. To him sulphuric acid became 'sulfricated acid', hydrochloric acid became 'hydraulic acid', and formalin became 'formamint'. Once when he met a sailor who had had a violent fall on deck still walking about, he said that he thought he had 'discolated' his leg.’ In the present context it is impossible to do justice to the many achievements and adventures of Discovery II and those who served aboard her, but the drama of one particular incident during the ship's second commission (1931-33) deserves the spotlight, for she became the fourth vessel to circumnavigate Antarctica - and the first to accomplish this feat in winter. In January 1932, Discovery II was on her first voyage deep into the Weddell Sea, the first steel ship to penetrate those waters, when, near the position Shackleton had first met ice back in 1916, she became entrapped, her hull and rudder sustaining damage, including a leak in her starboard fuel tank. At one point, on 26 January, her captain wrote, ‘Scientific staff and all spare hands employed this day poling ice floes clear of rudder and propeller’, and it was only with great difficultly that the ship was extricated from her perilous situation. In spite of such danger, the surroundings never failed to make a marked impression on the senses, one crewman recalling that it was ‘impossible to describe the stillness and the quietness in the Antarctic, not a sound to be heard.’ Another notable chapter in Discovery II’s Antarctic sojourn occurred during her third commission (1933-35), when she was able to lend vital assistance to Admiral Byrd's Second Antarctic Expedition. For, on 5 February 1934, the latter was faced with a severe crisis, his only doctor being taken ill with high blood pressure, a condition that necessitated his return home on the support ship Jacob Ruppert, leaving only a medical student with the expedition. Byrd, who could not even consider keeping 95 men in the Antarctic without a doctor, later wrote, ‘I determined then to get a doctor, or else cancel the expedition.’ The previous month, he had been surprised to hear Discovery II's radio operator tapping out morse messages on the airwaves - not that far from each other, the expeditions exchanged greetings. So he now sent a radiogram to the captain of Discovery II, then at Auckland replenishing her supplies, requesting assistance, as a direct result of which Dr. Louis Potaka, a New Zealander, sailed on the ship to rendezvous with Byrd's Bear of Oakland in the Ross Sea on 22 February - the American expedition was saved. After two more voyages, the onset of the Second World War prevented Discovery II from venturing into the Southern Ocean again - Kennedy had long since left the ship, and in October 1939, was the Boatswain of H.M.S. Alice, in which rate he was still serving at the time of the annoucement of the award of his Polar Medal in the London Gazette of 7 October 1941. Discovery II’s final Antarctic commission was in 1950-51, and in the context of ongoing international protest at Japanese and other whaling programmes, it is worth noting that without the detailed research of the “Discovery Committee”, its scientists and sailors, no whale conservation would have been possible at all. In fact, it was one of the greatest scientific efforts in the history of exploration, and by 1963, the relevant research filled 34 volumes. Sold with a quantity of research undertaken by Glenn Stein, F.R.G.S., including a copy of the report, The Work of the Discovery Committee.

In silver (J. Ogilvy Hay Consul Général de S.M. le Roi de Danemark) good very fine.

awarded to Dr. George Busk, a noted scientist and contemporary of Charles Darwin, who successfully nominated the latter for the Royal Society’s coveted Copley Medal. Medal for the Expedition of H.M.S. Challenger 1872-76 and the subsequent scientific reports 1886-95, Neptune, left hand holding a triangle and the right arm encircling a trident and resting on a wreath, below which, the helmeted bust of Britannia left, surrounded by dolphins and mermaids, with inscription on ribbon below, ‘Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger, 1872-76’, reverse, armoured medieval knight left with gauntlet at his feet, a ribbon in part entwined around a trident bears the inscription, ‘Report on the Scientific Results of the Challenger Expedition 1886-95’ (George Busk), 75mm., bronze, good very fine. Medallic References: B.H.M. 3487 and Eimer 1797; a total of 120 such awards were issued, The Challenger Medal Roll (1895), by Glenn M. Stein, F.R.G.S., recording only eight known examples, some of which are still in family hands, while others reside in institutions - Busk's example was issued posthumously on 23 December 1895. George Busk was born in St. Petersburg in August 1807, the second son of Robert Busk, a merchant in that city. After receiving his initial education at Dr. Hartley's School, Bingley, Yorkshire, Busk studied medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital, London. Thereafter, he spent six years as an articled student with George Beaman, under the aegis of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Appointed to the Seamen's Hospital Society (S.H.S.) in 1831, having served briefly as Apothecary on the Society's first hospital ship, the Grampus, Busk joined the 104-gun ship Dreadnought as an Assistant Surgeon in the following year, aboard which ship he ‘worked out the pathology of cholera, and made important observations on scurvy’: he was to remain a Surgeon with the S.H.S. for nearly 25 years, until retiring from surgical practice in 1855, though he held the post of Consulting Surgeon from 1866 until his death 20 years later. In December 1843, Busk became one of the original 300 Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons. Besides his eventual Presidency of the same body in 1871, he subsequently occupied many influential positions in several learned scientific institutions, among them the Microscopial Society, Linnean Society, Zoological Society, and the Anthropological Institute, while in 1850 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. The Darwin connection: Early in life he had established himself as a leading authority on Polyzoa, and as with all things he studied, was a patient and cautious investigator. The author of several works on varied scientific subjects, and a solid artist, he also wrote and drew about Polyzoa specimens brought back by Charles Darwin on the Beagle, the 1875-76 Arctic Expedition, and of course, Challenger. Indeed Busk was deeply involved in the debate on the theory of evolution and some sources state that he read the joint Darwin-Wallace paper at a meeting of the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858 - the paper was an important prelude to Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection (1859) - but more recent research suggests it was the Society’s Secretary who read out the paper. Be that as it may, Busk did translate into English Professor Schaaffhausen's detailed description of a cranium discovered in the Neander Valley in 1857, two years before publication of Darwin's Origin, a translation that duly appeared in The Natural History Review for April 1861. In his related publication, The Neander Valley, Robert Silverberg states: ‘[Busk] addressed a group of English scientists that same month, displaying a plaster cast of the Neanderthal skull and a skull of a chimpanzee. He said he had "no doubt of the enormous antiquity" of the Neanderthal bones, and called attention to the way the shape of the skull approached "that of some of the higher apes." Neither Darwin nor his chief popularizer, Huxley, attended Busk's lecture, but the geologist David Lyell did, and he saw to it that the Neanderthal skull cast got to Huxley. Huxley reported, in 1863, that the skull was that of a primitive variety of man, ‘different from Homo Sapiens but not wholly distinct anatomically’, though he admitted it was the most apelike human skull yet found - Huxley added cautiously that ‘in no sense can the Neanderthal bones be regarded as the remains of a human being intermediate between men and apes’. ’ In addition, in 1863, Busk came forward with a fossilized skull found in Gibraltar in 1848, and since preserved at the Natural History Museum, London. He realized it had Neanderthal characteristics, and on the basis of the two skulls, an assistant of Lyell's christened a new species of man in 1864, Homo neanderthalensis. As a result, along with Darwin's Origin, "Neanderthal man" rapidly became the centrepiece in the contemporary evolution controversy. In fact, Darwin and Busk had a close medical, as well as scientific, relationship. Darwin was plagued nearly all his adult life with stomach problems, and on his way to Malvern Wells in 1863, he stopped in London overnight to consult Busk, whom Hooker had recommended as having ‘the most fertile brain of any man I know in regard of all such matters as your stomach’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, dated 27 August 1863, refers). Moreover, following Darwin’s failure to gain the Royal Society’s coveted Copley Medal in 1862-63, as a result of the contentious nature of his Origin, it was Busk who nominated him again in 1864, this time for his researches in geology, zoology and botanical physiology, and the ploy worked, the membership present at a meeting held that November resolving by ballot that Darwin receive said Medal. Darwin did not attend the meeting at which the award was announced, fearing the excitement would make him seriously ill, and in his absence the Medal was received on his behalf by Busk, who handed it over to Darwin's brother - a few days later the great man wrote to Busk, thanking him for proposing him for the award (Darwin’s letter, dated 4 December 1864, refers). It was around this same time that a social club was formed by eminent scientists and called the “X Club”, in order to prevent the members from drifting apart due to their various duties, and to further the cause of science. Much of the discussion at X Club meetings revolved around the affairs of the Royal Society, and in the year of the Club's founding, all except one member were Fellows, Thomas Huxley and Busk among them. Both of them were also involved in the Philosophical Club, a "think tank" within the Royal Society. Busk was awarded the Royal Medal of the Royal Society in 1871 ‘for his researches in Zoology, Physiology and Comparative Anatomy’, followed by the Lyell Medal in 1878 and the Geological Society’s Wollaston Medal in 1885. As stated above, the award of his Challenger Medal was made posthumously in December 1895 - prior to the voyage of the Challenger in 1872, a Royal Society scientific party went aboard the "floating laboratory" anchored at Sheerness, and on deck had their photograph taken, among them Busk. His ‘last labours’ were devoted to the preparation of a report on the Polyzoa collected during the expedition, the first part of the work being completed in 1884, and he was in the process of finishing the second part at the time of his death in London in August 1886 - the proofs were later corrected by his elder daughter. During his lifetime, Busk donated mainly Bryozoan material to the Natural History Museum, London, and after his death, his daughters bequeathed the rest of his collection to the Museum - which amounted to several thousand specimens - as well as some books and drawings. The Museum also holds a proof copy of Busk's Challenger work, with his corrections and annotations, and his original drawings. Dr. G. C. Cook's words perhaps best sum up George Busk the man: ‘In retrospect, Busk must surely have been one of the most accomplished polymaths of the nineteenth century. It seems likely that his quiet, self-effacing (and perhaps even diffident) manner prevented his achieving a higher profile.’ The “Challenger” Expedition 1872-76 and the “Challenger Medal”. The Challenger Expedition of 1872-76 was an oceanographic research cruise which marked the beginning of the modern science of oceanography. A three-masted steam corvette, Challenger was refitted at Sheerness in late 1872, with all but two of her 17 guns being removed, laboratories and workrooms being built in their place - a photographic workroom was also set out on the main deck. Under the command of Captain George S. Nares, she departed Plymouth on 7 December 1872, with 25 naval officers, 243 crew, and six scientists, led by Dr. Wyville Thomson, Chief Naturalist. During her subsequent around-the-world cruise, Challenger became the first steamship to cross the Antarctic Circle, although on one occasion, in frigid waters, she struck an iceberg during a snow blizzard, but fortunately only her jib-boom was carried away. Interestingly, photographs were obtained of icebergs during this period of the cruise - probably the first ever taken - and, as the voyage proceeded, the ship’s scientists established 862 observing stations, gathered data on the weather, and examined the physical, chemical, biological and geological nature of the oceans and ocean floors: resultant discoveries included the driving force of the oceanic currents, 4,714 new species of marine life and a new understanding of oceanic topography, ranging from the heights of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the depths of the Marianas Trench. In fact, due to the huge amount of specimens and data gathered by her scientists, Challenger’s return to Spithead in May 1876, after a voyage of 69,000 nautical miles, marked but the beginning of a remarkable fact-gathering project: a group of 100 specialists, under Sir John Murray, would spend years describing and drawing the specimens that filled storehouses and laboratories, their combined effort finally resulting in the 50-volume Report of the Scientific Results of the Exploring Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-76, a report described as ‘the greatest advance in the knowledge of our planet since the celebrated geographical discoveries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.’ In appreciation of this monumental achievement, it was resolved that a “Challenger Medal” be issued. Needless to say, the Treasury refused to pay for it, and Sir John had the award designed and executed at his own expense, and himself sent replicas to those who had shared in the expedition or in the preparation of the Report. Contemporary writings in the journal Nature stated the Medal was ‘presented by Dr. John Murray to the naval officers of the expedition, the contributors of memoirs to the report on the scientific results of the expedition, and to members of the civilian scientific staff, as a souvenir of Challenger’s work.’ The above information has been based on research by Glenn M. Stein, F.R.G.S., who acknowledges the kind assistance of Charles H. Smith, Heather Smithson and Mary Spencer Jones.

Service Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (5433 Sgt. W. J. Stewart, ARA) extremely fine. Sergeant James Stewart, Royal Australian Army Service Corps, was awarded the M.S.M. ref. Commonwealth Gazette 8 June 1961.

E.VII.R., 1st issue (Capt. E. C. W. Powell, Blenheim Rifle Vols. (1903)) edge bruising, very fine. Colonial Auxiliary Force Officers’ Decoration New Zealand Gazette 14 December 1916. ‘Rev., C.F. 3rd Cl., N.Z. Chap. Dept.’ Colonial Auxiliary Force Long Service Medal New Zealand Gazette 17 July 1911. Approximately 100 of the first type medal were produced. The Reverend Edward Charles Woolridge Powell attained the the rank of Chaplain 3rd Class on 11 November 1917. He was attached to the New Zealand Base in France and to No.1 New Zealand Field Ambulance. He was struck off the strength on 22 March 1919. In addition to the above two Colonial Auxiliary Force awards and the New Zealand Volunteer Service Medal (awarded in 1903), he was awarded the New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal in 1907 and the British War and Victory Medals. Sold with some copied research.

George VIR, un named, marked “Sterling”, extremely fine.

E.VII.R., unnamed specimen, extremely fine.

E.VII.R. (No. 71 Gunner N. Davey, No.1 Co. Canty. Div. of N.Z.G.A. Vols. (1909)) mounted as worn, good very fine. Only 136 Edward VII awards were made to New Zealand volunteer and territorial units between May 1910 and October 1917. Nicholas Davey enrolled into the Canterbury Divison of the Lyttleton Naval Artillery Volunteers on 8 February 1884. Sold with some copied service papers. He also appears to have applied for the New Zealand and Efficient Service medal. Rare.

awarded to Gunner J. F. Chapple, Royal Australian Garrison Artillery Commonwealth of Australia: Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (78 Gnr. J. F. Chapple, R.A.G.A. 2nd M.D. 29.9.21) nearly extremely fine and scarce. Acting Bombardier J. F. Chapple, 2nd Military District, R.A.G.A. was awarded the Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas L.S.& G.C. (Commonwealth Gazette 4 July 1914) and, as a Gunner, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (Commonwealth Gazette 22 September 1921).

Victoria, narrow suspender, impressed: J. BEACHAM, BOATMAN, H.M. COAST GUARD. Very fine.

Elizabeth II, 1955- issue, un named, plated, fine.

Edward VII, impressed: 144545 E.E. KENDALL CH. YEO. SIGS. H.M.S. PEMBROKE. Very fine.

Victoria, small reverse lettering 1874-1901, engraved:15281 DRIV. W. ILOTT. B/DEPOT. R.H.A. Very fine. Extremely fine.

Victoria, narrow suspender, officially engraved: WILLM. FRANCIS CHF. BOATMN. IN CHGE. H. M COAST GD. Good very fine.

George VI (B), Crowned profile, INDIAE:IMP: 1937-18. Unnamed. Extremely fine and very rare (approximately 55 issued).

George V.R., issue, non swiveling bar, impressed: 236879 B. SCHOLEY Y.S. H.M.S. REVENGE. Very fine.

Elizabeth II, Regular Army bar, impressed: 22512433 SGT. A.C.E. WHITBREAD R.A.M.C. Very fine.

Extremely fine.

George VI (GVIR), reverse dated “1950”, with bar (dated 1950), in Royal Mint case of issue. Extremely fine.