Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Private J. Gurnett, Royal Marines

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (John Gumett); China 1842, (John Gurnett, Royal Marines) replacement straight bar suspension, signs of brooch mounting to obverse; Crimea 1854-56, no clasp (John Gurnett, R.M.) officially impressed naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed, fitted with a straight bar suspension; St. Jean d’Acre 1840, bronze, unnamed, pierced with ring suspension, note variation in surname, mounted for display, contact marks, some edge bruising, good fine and better (5) £ 1200-1400

John Gurnett was born in Swanburn, near Winslow, Buckinghamshire. A Labourer by occupation, he enlisted in to the Royal Marines for a bounty of £3 on 18 October 1834, aged 19 years. Served on H.M.S. Asia, March 1836-April 1841, on which ship he served in operations on and off the coast of Syria, 1840 (listed as ‘John Gummett’ on N.G.S. rolls, see variation in naming above). He then served on H.M.S. Corwallis, June 1841-November 1844 - seeing service in the First China War; followed by service on H.M.S. Superb, June-December 1845 and then four years service on H.M.S. London. Discharged on 26 April 1856 when it is recorded he was in possession of four medals and four good conduct badges. With copied service papers and roll extracts.