Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria including the collection to Naval Artificers formed by JH Deacon

Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society, silver, with Dolphin suspension (Mr. Ellis 1872) in its original fitted case of issue, good very fine £200-250

The following extracts are taken from a letter to the Admiralty from Captain the Hon. W. C. Carpenter, of Her Majesty’s Ship Ariadne, Gibraltar, 11 March 1872:

‘It is my painful duty to report the very large and lamentable loss of life which occurred on the morning of Friday, the 8th inst., 130 miles distant from the coast of Portugal, between Oporto and Lisbon, when Mr Jukes, sub-lieutenant, and Mr Talbot, sub-lieutenant, and eight seamen perished in the gallant but unsuccessful attempt to save the life of a seaman who had fallen overboard, making the total loss two sub-lieutenants and nine seamen - in all, eleven lives... It is also my desire to especially report the gallant conduct of Mr Ellis, boatswain, second class, borne for the instruction of cadets (a survivor from the late Her Majesty’s Ship Captain), and George Loram, quartermaster, who, at great peril of their lives, went down with slip-ropes under the port-quarter of the ship to attempt rescuing a drowning man: but the heavy swell and rolling of the ship rendered it impossible, and Mr Ellis narrowly escaped with his life.’ Both James Ellis and George Loram were awarded the silver medal of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society.

James Ellis was born at Harsdon, Brixham, on 31 August 1841, and joined the Royal Navy on 3 February 1857. In October 1869 he joined H.M.S. Captain, a revolutionary turret ironclad, then being fitted out at Lairds Yard. Designed by Captain Cowper Phipps Coles, R.N., she was commissioned early in the following year, being accepted with some misgiving by many naval officers. The Controller of the Navy was one of the foremost critics, and the Admiralty made the unprecedented stipulation that Coles and Lairds would be held responsible for any untoward developments. On September 6th, 1870, when one of a squadron crossing the Bay of Biscay, the ship heeled over to an alarming extent during sailing exercises. The wind, which had been moderate at first increased to a full gale by 11 p.m., and the rolling of the vessel became much more pronounced. She was immediately astern of Lord Warden, flagship of Admiral Sir A. Milne, and this officer and his staff watched her during the intervals in the rain squalls.

At daylight the ironclad was not in sight, and a subsequent search by the squadron failed to find her. The gunner, Mr James May, and 17 ratings, including James Ellis, were the sole survivors. The number lost was 483, including Captain Coles who was on board as a passenger, and Captain Burgoyne. Sold with further research.