Pair: Colour-Sergeant James White, Royal Marines

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Navarino (James White.); New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1845 to 1846 (J. White. C[r]. [Serj]t. R.M., H.M.S. Osprey) officially impressed naming, rank mostly erased on the second with consequent rubbing to remaining naming, contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine or better and a very rare pair (2)
£3,000-£3,600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals formed by the late Ron Wright.

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Provenance: W. E. Gray collection 1898, sold by Glendining’s in May 1920, when incorrectly catalogued as a Syria clasp, with incorrect reverse dates of 1846 to 1847, and initial incorrectly given as ‘C’. The studious notes compiled by Mr E. E. Needes at this period confirm the correct description given above; Kuriheka Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, June 2006

James White served as a Private, Royal Marines, aboard H.M.S. Dartmouth at Navarino. He was a Colour-Sergeant, Royal Marines, serving on board H.M.S. Osprey and was one of 7 naval ratings and 4 royal marines from that ship who were lent to H.M.S. North Star for service in New Zealand; thus, only 11 New Zealand medals issued to this ship. The only known combination of a Navarino clasp with a First Maori War Medal.