Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas (Part I)

A rare and important Victorian Naval group of seven awarded to Admiral Sir William Loring, K.C.B., Royal Navy, Commodore of the Naval Forces in Australia during the War in New Zealand 1860-61

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.), (Military) Knight Commander’s set of insignia, comprising neck badge in 18 carat gold and enamels, hallmarked London 1874, and breast star in silver with appliqué centre in gold and enamels, the reverse fitted with gold pin for wearing; Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (William Loring, Lieut. R.N.); Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol, unnamed as issued; New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1860 (Commodore W. Loring, C.B., H.M.S. Iris) officially impressed naming; St. Jean d’Acre 1840, silver, unnamed, fitted with straight bar suspension and ‘Syria’ clasp; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed; Ottoman Empire, Order of the Medjidie, 3rd Class neck badge, silver, gold and enamels, small chip to Crescent suspension on this, the K.C.B. set with some chips to green enamel stalk on the star, otherwise generally with light contact marks, good very fine or better (8) £7,000-£9,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas.

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Collection

Alan Hall Collection, June 2000.

Only 6 medals issued to the Royal Navy with the reverse date ‘1860’, Commodore Loring being the senior officer to receive one.

William Loring, the second son of Admiral Sir John Loring K.C.B., K.C.H., entered the Royal Navy in 1826 as a First-class Volunteer aboard the Undaunted. He afterwards served in the Mediterranean, at Home and in the East Indies aboard the Alligator, Britannia, Melville and Wolf. He passed his examination in 1832 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1836. He saw service off the Coast of Syria in 1840 aboard Carysfort, and received the medal with clasp 'Syria' and the St Jean D'Acre Silver medal. He was promoted Commander in 1841 and Captain in 1848.

In the Crimean War he served in Command of Furious, and was present at the bombardment of Odessa and Fort Constantine in 1854, and Sebastopol and Kinburn in 1855. He received the Turkish and British Crimea Medals, the latter with Clasp 'Sebastopol' and was also awarded the Order of Medjidie 3rd Class. His services in the Crimea were further recognised by the award of the C.B. in 1855.

On promotion to Commodore 1st Class in 1860, Loring commanded the Naval Brigade in New Zealand during the 2nd Maori War. He was promoted Rear Admiral in 1866, Vice Admiral in 1871, Admiral in 1877, and Admiral of the Fleet in 1881. Having been created a K.C.B. in 1875, he died in 1895 aged 81.

His obituary in The Times, 7 January 1895, states:

‘The death is announced at Ryde, Isle of Wight, of Admiral Sir W. Loring, in his 82nd year. He was the second son of Admiral Sir J. Wentworth Loring, was born at Fareham in 1813, and educated at Twyford and at the Naval College, Portsmouth. Entering the Navy he proceeded on active service in June 1827. He served on the coast of Syria in 1840-1, being present at the bombardment of St Jean D'Acre and the blockade of Alexandria, and was made Commander, R.N. by “special promotion” for his services under Sir Charles Napier and received the English and Turkish Medals. Again he received special promotions for the successful pursuit and capture of the notorious pirate Lin Gahn, on the coast of China. Subsequently he served at the siege of Sebastopol, Eupatoria, Kertch, Kinburn etc. He was Commodore on the Australian Station from 1856 to 1860, and at the same time in Command of the Naval Brigade at Taranaki during the New Zealand war, for which he received a Medal. From 1862 to 1866 he was Captain Superintendent at Pembroke Dockyard, and Rear Admiral Superintendent at Portsmouth Dockyard 1870-1. About this time he was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral and in 1877 rose to that of Admiral. He was made K.C.B. in 1875.’