Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Petty Officer W. H. Morgan, Royal Navy, Sailmaker’s Crew attached to Shannon’s Naval Brigade during the Indian Mutiny, who later survived the destruction of H.M.S. Bombay by fire off Montevideo in December 1864

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol, unnamed as issued, clasp loose on ribbon; Indian Mutiny 1857-59, 1 clasp, Lucknow (W. H. Morgan, Sailmrs. Crew. Shannon.); Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed, the first cleaned, light contact marks, otherwise very fine (3) £1,200-£1,600

William Henry Morgan was born on 8 September 1837, and christened on 15 October following at St. Dunstan in the West, City of London, to William Morgan, a shop-man, and his wife Sarah. He joined the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class aged 14 and was placed on the books of H.M.S. Victory on 4 June 1851. He was transferred to Furious on 15 December 1852 until 20 August 1856. He was advanced to Boy 1st Class on 20 November 1854, and to Ordinary Seaman, 19 May 1856. The Furious was present in the Crimea from September 1854 to September 1855, earning Morgan his Crimean medals. He joined H.M.S. Shannon on 1 October 1856, as Sailmaker's Crew and was present as part of the Naval Brigade in the operations that resulted in the Capture of Lucknow. The Shannon returned to England on 1 January 1859, and after shore leave he briefly joined Cossack before transferring to Cumberland. He was promoted to Sailmaker's Mate on 23 November 1862, and joined H.M.S. Bombay on 25 February 1864, being appointed Ship's Corporal 2nd Class on the same date and rapidly raised to Ship's Corporal 1st Class on 29th April. or Petty Officer 1st Class.

On 14 December 1864 Ship's Corporal Henry Morgan experienced a mariner's worst nightmare when H.M.S. Bombay was totally destroyed by fire off Montevideo.

‘The following despatch, addressed to Lord Clarence Paget, was received at the Admiralty last night:-
Lisbon, Jan. 15, 2:30 P.M.
“Admiral Elliot reports the total loss of Her Majesty's ship Bombay by fire, at Montevideo, on the 14th December. Mr Smallhorn, Assistant-Surgeon, of the officers, alone is missing; but 93 of the crew are supposed to be lost. Lieutenant Stirling, bearer of the despatches, proceeds by French packet to Bordeaux today.”

H.M.S. Bombay a 2nd Rate 84 gun ship of the line was flagship to Rear Admiral Charles G. J. B. Elliot, under the command of Captain Colin Alan Campbell. Originally built as a teak wood sailing ship in Bombay in 1828, she had been lengthened and converted in April 1864 to a Line-of-battle screw steamer of 400 horsepower at Chatham. She had a complement of 619 officers and men.

Captain Campbell's report states that the Bombay was ordered to leave Montevideo for gunnery operations at 6:15 a.m. on 14 December 1864. The ship's company had been exercising the guns at general quarters until forenoon close to Flores Island and English Bank. “At 1:45 p.m. we again went to quarters keeping the foremost lower deck guns exercising at targets until nearly 3:00 p.m. At 3:35 p.m. the fire bell was rung and a fire reported to me in the after magazine. A good supply of water was raised and I ordered the after magazine flooded. Both main and lower decks were full of smoke. No man could stand on the orlop deck and flames started coming out of the after hold. I directed the quarter-boats to be lowered and the sick to be placed in them. At 3:52 p.m. I ordered the boom-boats to be got out and the cutter, pinnace and 1st launch were hoisted out the starboard side. At 4:00 p.m. the boats were out with the exception of the 2nd launch. Flames started coming out of the hatchways igniting the awnings and sails rendering it impossible for the men to work. The sick were already in the boats and the crew followed. I instructed that all gratings, hammocks and anything that would float be thrown over the side to assist those already in the water. At 4:15 p.m. the mainmast went over the side quickly followed by the mizzenmast at 4:40 p.m. The foremast fell at 5:50 p.m. and the after magazine exploded at 8:25 p.m. The ship immediately sank in 8 fathoms of water.”

With no telegraph in Montevideo two officers from the Bombay travelled by the first available vessel to Lisbon, Portugal with the despatch outlining the disaster.
Admiral Elliot advised the Admiralty that he had found passage for 200 officers and men, including Morgan, on the Steam Vessel Herschel which arrived in Liverpool 6th February 1865 (the Herschel sank while navigating the River Plate almost exactly one year to the day in December 1865).

All the ship's officers and men were brought before a court-martial which was convened on H.M.S. Victory on 8 February 1865. For the duration of the court-martial the Ship's company were berthed on the Training Ship Duke of Wellington.

Captain Campbell, of H.M.S. Bombay stated in defence, “that the heroic conduct and steady discipline of both officers and men who remained on board the ship nobly doing their duty under the momentary expectation of explosion of the magazine, while large shells were bursting between decks, was only equalled by the devotion displayed by many of those in the boats, who, notwithstanding the fact that some of the guns were shotted, that some of the masts were falling over the side, that the whole ship was wrapped in flames, and that an explosion was imminent, pulled in and picked off those who, unable to swim, were still clinging to the ship, thus saving by means of the ship's boats alone 525 lives out of 619.”

On 20 February 1865, the court, having investigated the tragic loss of the Bombay, could find no evidence of the source of the fire and that the officers and crew were blameless, instead blaming the shipyard work which caused a complete state of ventilation that allowed the fire to spread so rapidly.

The crew were paid wages and granted leave with all passes being paid by the Admiralty. Before being dismissed, a letter from Lord Paget was read to the crew stating:
“Their Lordships cannot allow the ship's company to be broken up without expressing their admiration of the noble conduct of both officers and men under the trying circumstances in which they were placed.
My Lords are satisfied that if human efforts could have saved the Bombay from destruction they would not now have had to lament the loss of a ship, which, under any circumstances in which she might have been placed, would have reflected the highest credit on the British Navy.”

William Morgan does not appear in the transcripts of the court-martial although two Ship's Corporals died in the disaster. On 18 February 1865 he signed off H.M.S. Bombay and after shore leave joined H.M.S. Terrible, during which time, in conjunction with the S.S. Great Eastern, they laid the first successful Atlantic cable. He was discharged to shore on 15 February 1867, at which time he took the opportunity to get married, to Louisa Lockwood, at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, on 9 March.

He returned to sea in H.M.S. Nymph on 30 April 1867, and afterwards served aboard St. Vincent, 15 July 1867; Prince Consort, 1 July 1870; Caledonia, 18 September 1871; and St. Vincent, 25 September 1872, until 1 April 1876, when he retired to pension having served a total of 21 years 136 days. Throughout his latter service he retained the rank of Ship's Corporal 1st Class. The regulations existing at the time required that all Ship's Corporals should be at least 5 foot 7 inches or taller but Morgan's height is listed as 5 foot 3 inches. He does not appear to have been issued with his L.S.G.C. Medal.

Henry Morgan and Louisa had issue 7 children. In 1881 he is shown as being a Greenwich Pensioner and Greengrocer but the censuses of 1891 and 1901 show him as the Pier Master at Portsmouth docks and also the Dock Inspector, his wife Louisa being listed as blind. He died in the last quarter of 1912 at Portsmouth aged 75.

Sold with over 40 pages of transcripts of the findings of the Court-Martial together with eye witness statements. Also attached are the reports on the shipyard work carried out in converting and lengthening the Bombay from sail to steam power.