Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An M.V.O. group of five awarded to Commander F. A. Beasley, Royal Navy

The Royal Victorian Order, M.V.O., Member’s 4th Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially numbered, ‘809’; 1914-15 Star (Commr., M.V.O., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Commr., R.N.); Messina Earthquake Medal 1908, silver, unnamed, medals held in a case; together with a mounted set of five miniature dress medals, in a leather case, good very fine and better (10) £500-600

Francis Adams Beasley was born on 29 August 1881, the son of Robert St. John Beasley of Northwold, Lansdown, Cheltenham. He was educated at Cheltenham College and afterwards entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1897. He was raised to the rank of Lieutenant in 1903. As a Lieutenant on H.M.S. Exmouth he took part in the rescue operations following the Messina Earthquake of 1908. As a Lieutenant on the Naval Staff of the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth he was in charge of the Prince of Wales during his tenure there, 1909-11. For his services in that regard he was awarded the M.V.O. 4th Class on 12 April 1911. During the Great War he was Lieutenant Commander and Commander on the battleship Queen Elizabeth, 1914-17, and as such saw action in the Dardanelles. He then served as Commander aboard the battleship Hercules, 1917-19. He was on the C-in-C’s Staff at Devonport, 1921-22 and attained the rank of Captain on 31 December 1921. Captain Beasley retired from the Royal Navy in 1922. He died on 25 June 1935.

With copied research and copied photograph of the recipient as a Lieutenant at the Royal Naval College.