Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas

Pair: Chief Petty Officer Harry Morris, Royal Navy, who was landed in charge of the small Naval Brigade from H.M.S. Heron on the expedition to Illah in October 1898 and received one of only ten ‘1898’ clasps awarded to the Royal Navy

East & West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, 1898 (H. Morris, C.P.O., H.M.S. Heron); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R. (Harry Morris C.P.O. H.M.S. Heron) impressed naming, light contact marks, otherwise good very fine and extremely rare (2) £3,000-£4,000

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 10 medals with this clasp awarded to the Royal Navy. Chief Petty Officer Morris was the senior non-commissioned officer landed and had charge of the small Naval Brigade.

Henry ‘Harry’ Morris was born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, on 9 July 1863. He was employed as a Labourer prior to entering the service as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. St Vincent on 14 October 1879, aged 16 years. He was advanced to Boy 1 Class on 20 October 1880, and in this rate he joined Hannibal in July 1881 and Boadicea in August 1881. In the latter vessel he was advanced to Ordinary Seaman in September 1881. In this rate he subsequently joined Rambler, September 1881, Duncan, March 1884, and Wanderer, May 1884. During his service in the last named vessel he was advanced to Able Seaman in August 1884.

As an Able Seaman he subsequently served aboard the Duke of Wellington, February 1888, Duncan, April 1886, Wildfire, April 1889, Pembroke, June 1902 and Daphne, October 1892. During a three year commission in the latter vessel he was advanced to Leading Seaman on the 24 October 1892, Petty Officer 2nd Class, 24 July 1893 and to Petty Officer 1st Class on 1 February 1894. In this new elevated rate he joined Grafton, January 1896 and Pembroke, February 1896. In the latter shore establishment he was advanced to Acting Chief Petty Officer on 15 April 1896 and confirmed in this rate on the 27 April 1897.

In this senior rate he subsequently joined the small River Gunboat Heron in March 1898 for service on the West coast of Africa. He was landed in charge of the small Naval Brigade from Heron that formed part of a larger force under Lieutenant-Colonels Wilcocks and Pilcher who commanded respectively the expeditions to Bongu and Illah in June and October 1898, sent to punish the Enuos of Lapai and Argunga who had been slave raiding the towns along the Niger River. In an earlier Borgu expedition under Lieutenant Colonel Wilcocks the gunboats Heron and Jackdaw secured the base of operations at Badjibo, However, this service did not qualify the gunboats crews for the clasp ‘1898’, as they did not land. Four men from Heron were later landed in June 1898 and accompanied Lieutenant Colonel Wilcocks during the expedition to Borgu. A further six men under the command of Chief Petty Officer Morris were landed and accompanied the Illah expedition in October 1898. The ten men from Heron, who had taken part in the two expeditions, received the East and West Africa medal with clasp '1898'.

Whilst serving aboard Heron he was also awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct medal in February 1899, after 18 years; the lateness of the award was due to having received character assessments of 'fair' in 1881 and 1883, and 'good' in 1882. He was later transferred on the same station to the Jackdaw in January 1899 and served until 'paid off’ on 3 January 1899, when both the gunboats Heron and Jackdaw were transferred to the Nigerian Marine.

Morris subsequently joined Pembroke 1 in February 1899 and continue to serve aboard this vessel until pensioned ashore on 7 July 1906, having completed 25 years adult service. He joined the Royal Fleet Reserve at Chatham on 21 July 1906, and was mobilised aboard Pembroke I on 2 August 1914, but only served until 9 October 1914, when he was discharged ashore, medically unfit. His short service of less than 2 months appears not have qualified him for the British War Medal. His service record also states that he was not eligible to receive a war gratuity.

Sold with copied record of service.