The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals

India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Persia (J. W. Young, Capt. Semiramis, S.F.) very fine

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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John Wellington Young joined the Indian Navy as a ‘Volunteer’ on 25 May 1828, a date which became his seniority as a Midshipman. He served aboard ELPHINSTONE (1829-30), and PALINURUS (1831) on survey duties in the Red Sea, TERNATE (1832), CLIVE (l833-34), and ELPHINSTONE (1835). Promoted to Lieutenant on 22 May 1835, and during 1837 he served aboard PALINURUS and COOTE.

When in 1838 it was decided to undertake the occupation of Afghanistan, the naval portion of the expedition up the Indus included the CONSTANCE, commanded by Lieutenant Young (1838-42), sailing from Bombay on 17 November 1838. He was mentioned in Rear Admiral F. Maitland’s despatch dated 27 February 1839, during his command of CONSTANCE, for having “performed every service committed to his charge in a manner which merits my high approbation, particularly in his taking his schooner in shore on 2 February 1839, and placing her in a position for covering the landing of troops on the Manora Point.”

In 1856 he was appointed as Master Attendant at Bombay, where he attained command of SEMIRAMIS as she was being prepared to carry men of the Expeditionary Army to Persia. Upon the unfortunate death of Commodore R. Ethersey, nicknamed “Grim Dick”, command of the Indian Navy Squadron passed to Commodore J. W. Joung on 17 March 1857.

By 24 March 1857 the entire force had been assembled in the Shatt-Al-Arab River for the attack on Mohamra. Early on 26 March 1857 the naval squadron with Commodore J. W. Young in command, with his broad pennant at the main of FEROOZ (Commander James Rennie), proceeded to attack Mohamra.

Because of the unsuitability of the site chosen for a mortar battery which, although close enough to attack the forts at Mohamra, was in swamp land, Commander James Rennie (FEROOZ) ingeniously devised a mortar raft. A useful contrivance was constructed during the night of 25/26 March 1857, from casks and studding-sail booms securely lashed together. This seaworthy platform was armed with two eight-inch and two five and a half inch mortars manned by men of the Bombay Artillery under Captain J. H. WORGAN (see following lot).

In a graphic account of this action at Mohamra Lieutenant A. Stiffe recalled that ‘too much cannot be said in praise of Commodore Young’s admirable plan of protecting his vessels by a breastwork of screwed hay-bales, which were quite bullet proof . . . for without it the loss of life must have been ten-fold, indeed, I believe the men could never have stood to their guns under the close fire of grape and muskets, since there were no musket-proof bulwarks beyond thin plank and some hammock nettings.’ Elsewhere it is revealed that it was equally spiriting the way in which the squadron was led into action by the gallant Commodore, who, in the heat of the bombardment, received in his face the blood and brains of a seaman killed at his side by a round shot (Neither of these events appear in the Commodore's excellent despatch dated 27 March 1857).

Two days later, on 28 March 1857, Commodore Young’s health failed him, and after resigning his post and command of the squadron to Commander Rennie, he returned to Bombay and soon took passage to England for sick leave.

Captain John Wellington Young was gazetted on 24 February 1858 by special statute to be appointed a Companion of the most Honourable Order of the Bath, for his services in the Persian War 1856-57. It is worthy of note that the Indian Navy was a ‘seniority’ service, whereby offficers could not receive promotion for gallantry unlike the Army.