Description
Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, VR, Wide Suspender, Henry Seldon, Quartermaster S.G. H.M.S. Sultan, 20 years. Rare Wide Suspension engraved with years on edge.
Officially engraved: “Hy Seldon. Qr Mr S.G. H.M.S. Sultan 20 Yrs”
Rank is Quarter Master Seaman Gunner, being an experienced gunnery man.
Henry Seldon was born in Newton Abbott, Devon on 15th September 1836.
He first entered the Royal Navy on 11th August 1855 at HMS Crocodile as Boy 1st Class.
At which point he already had 2 years of experience “in the Royal Navy or the Merchant Service”.
Over an extensive career spanning 2 decades, he rose form Boy 1st Class up the ranks to that of Quarter Master, retiring as Petty Officer 1st Class, seeing the following postings:
“HMS Arrow, 11th August 1855 – 1st June 1857, Boy 1st Class then Ordinary Seaman from 1st March 1856.
HMS Royal Albert, 2nd June 1857 – 2nd November 1858, promoted from Ord to Able Seaman on 26th Aug 1858.
HMS Excellent, 3rd November 1858 – 19th July 1859
HMS Sidon, 20th July 1859 – 1st March 1862, Advanced from AB to Leading Seaman on 28th January 1860.
HMS Excellent, 2nd March 1862 – 31st December 1862, Leading Seaman
HMS Castor, 1st Jan 1862 – 14th May 1866, Leading Seaman, promoted Gunners Mate, 1st Jan 1866.
HMS Excellent, 15th May 1866 – 21st January 1867, as Gunners Mate
HMS Havoc, 22nd Jan 1867 – 30th September 1870, as Quartermaster
HMS Excellent, 1st Oct 1870 – 17th April 1871, as Quartermaster
HMS Vanguard, 18th April 1871 – 3rd July 1871, as Quartermaster
HMS Excellent, 4th July 1871 – 4th September 1871, as Quartermaster
HMS Sultan, 12th September 1871 – 6th December 1872, as Quartermaster
HMS Sultan, 1st Jan 1873 – 17th Jan 1873, as Petty Officer 1st Class.
Discharged to shore pension, after 20 years of service on 17th January 1873, including his almost 2 years prior to “Continuous Service” enlistment, these years of service engraved on the medal rim.
Notably during his sea service, he served as Leading Seaman of HMS Sidon from 1859-1862.
The ship was stationed off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, where his ship managed to capture 11 Slave Dhows operating in the region.
“20 Feb 1861 detained in lat. 16� 42′ S., long. 44� 45′ E., the slave dhow Buswahi.
17 Apr 1861 detained off Port Durnford a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
18 Apr 1861 detained off Port Durnford a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
19 Apr 1861 detained in the River Durnford a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
20 Apr 1861 detained in the River Durnford a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
21 Apr 1861 detained in the River Durnford a slave dhow, Name Unknown, which case was sent for adjudication to Cape of Good Hope and was sentenced to be condemned.
22 Apr 1861 detained in lat. 1� 13′ S., long. 41� 54′ E., the Arab slave dhow Bashaw, which case was sent for adjudication to the Cape of Good Hope and sentenced to be condemned.
22 Apr 1861 detained in lat. 1� 13′ S., long. 41� 54′ E., the Arab slave dhow Mutsahil, which was sent for adjudication to the Cape of Good Hope and sentenced to be condemned.
13 Aug 1861 detained a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
10 Sep 1861 detained a slave dhow, Name Unknown.
11 Sep 1861 detained a slave dhow, Name Unknown.”
One of these events was reported in Saunder’s Newsletter on 19th August 1861:
“MAURITIUS, the Ceracen states that the agents or owners of a Turkish vessel captured by the frigate Sidon, on suspicion of being engaged in the slave trade, have arrived there in order to obtain some explanations on the subject of the capture of the vessel and the merchandise, said by them to be of great value, which composed the cargo.
The Sidon had on board 167 Africans and 3 Arabs, which there is every reason to suppose have been taken out of some slave trader. If such be the case, it is a fresh act of philanthropy, from which the Government will derive as much profit as honor.”
The impressive record of the ship is also recounts in the Kilmarnock Weekly Post on 30th November 1861:
“HMS Sidon arrived at Simon’s Bay on the 13th October from Mozambique. She had captured 12 slave dhows.”
He would see similar service in China and Japan, on HMS Havoc from 1867 to 1870, serving as the Quartermaster.
During 1867 HMS Havoc captured a Piratical Junk, name unknown and later received the prize money for the capture on 27th May 1870.
On 27th June 1867, HMS Havoc, with the Bouncer in company, captured a piratical junk, proceeds from the cargo were later paid on 7th June 1870.
The event was recounted in the news at home in detail as:
“DESTRUCTION OF A FLEET OF CHINESE PIRATES
The Overland China Mail of July 12 says:—
After five p.m. on June 25th, Her Majesty’s gunboats Bouncer and Havoc proceeded to Kowloon Pass, for a mandarin and to accompany an expedition for the suppression of piracy, in order that the captures might be lawful.
When off the Lyceemop pass in the vicinity came alongside with two Chinamen, belonging to and a junk which had been captured in the pass at 12 p.m. Both these unfortunate creatures were severely wounded from the effect of stink-pots having been thrown on board of their junk, which carried a cargo of one hundred pigs and some piculs of rice.
They reported that junk, cargo, and crew had been captured. On this information the gunboats proceeded on down the coast, and at 4.20 p.m. on 26th June succeeded in finding both vessels snugly anchored in Starling Inlet.
The boats of the gunboat were immediately got ready for service, and proceeding under command of Captains Mainwaring and O’Keefe, to attack the piratical vessels, were very soon destroyed, and the trading junk restored to its owners.
On searching the latter a sad scene presented itself, one man was found in the forecastle burnt to death, and three more in the after part in a dying condition, also from the effects of the stinkpots.
The captain’s sister-in-law, being a pretty young lady of about two and twenty, had been carried away by one of the pirates who information received was supposed to be hidden in a village close to. The crews and marines of both vessels were immediately landed, but no tidings of the missing fair one were obtained, so of course the Head Men of the village were made responsible and taken as hostages.
This closed the first act. The gunboats then proceeded about fifty miles further along the coast, and at 4.20 p.m. on the 28th, again fell fell in with a fleet of pirates, which like the first were also attacked, captured, and destroyed, with one exception which it was deemed necessary to bring into port.
Captain Mainwaring accordingly handed over the charge of her to the captain of the Havoc, who towed her safely into Hong Kong on 29th instant.”
Another capture was reported in the China Mail during May 1867 as:
“HM Gunboat Havoc reports that in consequence of information received, she proceeded up the Broadway and West River on the morning of the 8th.
At 40 miles from the sea, off a creek leading to the town of Kongmun, the piratical junk of which she was in search of was seen at Anchor, but directly the gunboat have in sight she made sail and tried to escape up the creek.
Finding, however, that she would be overtaken, the crew ran her on shore and deserted her.
A party was landed from the gunboat, but the pirates, about 20 in number, dispersed and escaped into the country. The Junk was identified by the master of the fishing boat Kingho No 496, as the one that had robbed him on the 25th ult, and the four men taken by this gunboat on the 5th in Rocky Harbour are probably a part of her crew. The Havoc brought in the junk (which has a partial cargo onboard) for adjudication.”
