Family Group:

Pair: Skilled Chief Carpenter’s Mate W. H. Algar, Royal Navy
Ashantee 1873-74, no clasp (W. H. Algar. Car: Mate. H.M.S. Amethyst. 73-74); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension (W. H. Algar, Chf. Car’s Mte. Skd. H.M.S. Reindeer.) impressed naming, good very fine and better

Four: Warrant Writer F. Algar, Royal Navy, who served in H.M.S. Lion at the Battle of Heligoland Bight
1914-15 Star (Ch. Wtr. F. Algar, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Wt. Wr. F. Algar. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (340062 Frank Algar, Ch. Writer. H.M.S. Pomone:); together with the recipient’s Silver War Badge, the reverse officially numbered ‘RN 36304’, minor verdigris to VM, otherwise good very fine (6) £400-£500

William Henry Algar was born in Stoke, Devon, on 19 April 1845. A painter by trade, he joined the Royal Navy on 18 August 1868 and was posted to Indus as Caulker’s Mate on 1 January 1873. Advanced Skilled Carpenter’s Mate on 27 August 1878, and promoted Skilled Chief Carpenter’s Mate on 10 January 1884, he transferred to the composite screw gunvessel H.M.S. Reindeer on 4 December 1884 and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 17 March 1887.

Frank Algar was born in Stoke, Devon, around 1876, and joined the Royal Navy on 22 March 1894. Initially sent to the Seamanship, Signalling and Telegraphy School at Devonport as Boy Writer, he was raised 2nd Class Writer aboard Magnificent and 1st Class Writer aboard Britannia on 12 March 1905. Further advanced Chief Writer aboard the sloop Espiegle, Algar witnessed early service during the Great War from 6 December 1913 to 16 June 1915 aboard the battlecruiser H.M.S. Lion; as flagship of the battlecruiser force under the command of Admiral Beatty, it fell to Lion to deliver the coup de grace to the crippled German light cruiser Coln during the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914. Transferred to Impregnable 20 October 1915, Algar was later promoted to Acting Warrant Writer on 13 September 1918.

Sold with a fine hallmarked silver medal from the Sloan-Duployan Shorthand Society, engraved to reverse ‘Awarded to Frank Algar, June 1905’; another of similar design, hallmarked silver with gold embellishment to obverse, engraved ‘Awarded to Frank Algar. Speed 100 W.P.M. 1918’.