Seven: Petty Officer H. C. Paul, Royal Navy

East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Gambia 1894 (Ord., H.M.S. Raleigh); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (161933 P.O., H.M.S. Redbreast); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 (A.B., H.M.S. Highflyer); 1914-15 Star (161933 P.O., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (161933 P.O., R.N.); Royal Fleet Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., Admiral’s bust (161933 (DEV. A. 6236) P.O., R.F.R.), a few edge bruises, generally very fine and a scarce combination of awards (7) £500-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Barrett J. Carr Collection of Boer War Medals.

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Just 83 Queen’s South Africa Medals were awarded to the ship’s company of H.M.S. Redbreast, all of them without clasp.

Henry Clarence Paul was born in Ballyhalbert, Co. Down in February 1876 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in July 1891. Advanced to Ordinary Seaman on his appointment to H.M.S. Raleigh in April 1893, he went on to serve ashore in the Gambia punitive expedition in the following year, when he was also advanced to Able Seaman, and off South Africa in the gunboat Redbreast in early 1901. During this latter commission he attained the rate of Petty Officer 1st Class but in December 1902, for reasons unknown, he was deprived of two Good Conduct Badges and demoted to Able Seaman. He did, however, add another riband to his uniform shortly afterwards, for services in the Highflyer in the Somaliland operations of 1902-04.

By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Paul was back in his old rate of Petty Officer and serving in the cruiser Leander, and he remained similarly employed for the duration of the War. Demobilised in July 1919, he enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve, was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in March 1922 and was discharged for a final time in February 1926; sold with the recipient’s original parchment Certificate of Service.