Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Seven: Sailmaker J. Causley, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (158966 Slmr., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (158966 Slmr., R.N.); Defence Medal, unnamed; Imperial Service Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (James Causley); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (158966 Sailmr., H.M.S. Britannia); Russia, Medal for Zeal, Nicholas II, silver breast medal (158966 J. Causley, Sailr, H.M.S. Jupiter) on ‘St. Anne’ ribbon; with identity disk, ‘J. Causley, C.O.E., 158966 Sailr.’, some with contact marks, very fine and better (8) £550-650

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of British Groups with Foreign Awards.

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I.S.M. London Gazette 25 November 1960. ‘Skilled Labourer, Devonport.’

James Causley was born in Stonehouse, Devon on 25 December 1868. A Sailmaker by occupation, he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Sailmaker aboard Indus on 19 February 1891. His rating remained unchanged throughout his naval career. Almost his last posting was aboard the old battleship Jupiter, August 1914-May 1915, for which service he was awarded the Russian Medal for Zeal. He served for the remainder of the war at Vivid I, being demobilised on 11 April 1919.

In January 1915 the Admiralty received a request for assistance from the Russian Government, the latter’s icebreaker used to keep open the passage to Archangel in the White Sea having broken down. In response the Royal Navy sent out the Tyne Guard Ship H.M.S. Jupiter, an old Majestic-class battleship. She departed for Archangel in February 1915, freeing en route a number of vessels stuck in the ice, occasionally by using explosive charges. She, too, sometimes became icebound, but still managed to make a major impression on the problem, improving the safe passage of numerous vessels, many of them laden with highly important war materials, among them the S.S. Thracia. The latter was taken in tow after the use of explosive charges to free her. Throughout these operations it was not unusual for the temperature to fall as low as minus 20 degrees, a hard test indeed on the morale and well being of the Jupiter’s crew. Her mission completed by May 1915, the Tzar expressed his gratitude by the presentation of a variety of Russian Honours and Awards to her crew.

At the time of the award of his I.S.M. Causley was living at 9 Barton Avenue, Keyham Barton, Plymouth. With letter to accompany the I.S.M., two newspaper cuttings and copied service paper, gazette and roll extracts.

The I.S.M. in this lot was awarded to the son of Sailmaker James Causley, also called James, who was born in 1900