The AA Upfill-Brown Collection

An important group to Admiral Arthur Hayes-Sadler, C. S. I., Royal Navy, in charge of Naval operations in the Persian Gulf, 1914-15, for which he was awarded the C. S. I.

THE MOST EXALTED ORDER OF THE STAR OF INDIA, C. S. I., gold and enamel neck badge, the motto set with small diamond chips, surrounding the carved cameo bust of Queen Victoria; EGYPT 1882-89, 1 clasp, Alexandria 11th July (Midn., R.N., H. M. S. Sultan); 1914-15 STAR (R. Adml.); BRITISH WAR and VICTORY MEDALS, M.I.D. (R. Adml.); KHEDIVE'S STAR 1882; France, LEGION OF HONOUR, Commander's neckbadge in gold and enamels, 58 mm diameter, the five medals mounted as worn and all contained in a contemporary fitted carrying case, light pitting to Egypt medal, otherwisegood very fine or better (7)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The AA Upfill-Brown Collection.

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Collection

This group is accompanied by the following items:
i Two Midshipman's Logs covering the period 3 February 1879 to 20 June 1883. Both are profusely illustrated with maps, plans of ships, sketches and watercolours. The first volume starts with a superb frontispiece in ink and water colours, the second volume containing a detailed description of the battle of Alexandria with water colour illustrations of the forts being bombarded.
ii Personal diaries kept by Rear Admiral Hayes-Sadler for the years 1917 and 1918. Although his writing is at times difficult to read, these diaries contain much detail of historic importance of the last two years of the Great War.
iii Original warrant for the C. S. I. dated 4 May 1916 and bearing the signatures of the King and Austen Chamberlain.
iv Original parchment warrant for the Legion of Honour, dated Paris, 5 February, 1915.
v Three Masonic awards, two in silver-gilt and enamel, including the St. John Lodge, and one in silver, 1914-1918, this named (Bro. Rear-Admiral, No. 2612)

Admiral Arthur Hayes-Sadler was born 9 October, 1865, in Spa, Belgium, the son of Sir James Hayes-Sadler, K.C.M.G. He entered the Royal Navy via H. M. S. Britannia, 15 January 1877, and served in various ships until appointed Midshipman 21 June, 1879. In H. M. S. Sultan he witnessed the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882 and served ashore with the Naval Brigade shortly afterwards. He was thereafter promoted Sub-Lieutenant, 21 June, 1883; Lieutenant, 30 June 1886; Commander, 1 January 1890; Captain, 30 June 1904, Rear-Admiral, l9 July 1915; Vice-Admiral 3 November 1919 and Admiral (Rtd) 1 August 1924.

The Persian Gulf

In October 1914, he was ordered to the Persian Gulf in the battleship 'Ocean, ' to conduct operations against the Turks. The key to the Gulf then, as now, was Basra, the great emporium of Mesopotamian trade, situated seventy miles up the Shart-al-Arab. On 19 October, 'Ocean' made a rendezvous with 'Dufferin' and elements of the Gulf Expeditionary Force, under Brigadier-General W. S. Delmain, and reached Bahrein four days later. On the 31st the Admiralty sent authority to commence hostilities against Turkey. By 3 November, the convoy was off the outer bar of the Shart-al-Arab, which the 'Ocean 'could not cross. Next day, Hayes-Sadler armed various tugs and launches, and prepared to force a passage past the Turkish fort at Fao which guarded the entrance to the river. The following morning he set forth in the sloop 'Odin' with an armed tug, and silencing Fao's guns, landed a party of 'Ocean's' Marines and some 600 troops who threw the enemy's ordnance into the river. By 10 November the whole of General Delmain's force was ashore at Saniyeh awaiting reinforcements under Lieut-General A. A. Barrett. All in all a smart piece of work.

Under German influence, a Jihad had been declared and therefore prompt action was everything. On the 17th, the land forces advanced, supported by Hayes-Sadler's sloops, 'Odin' and 'Espiegle, ' and two armed launches, providing fire from the river. Having put flight to the enemy, an entrenched camp was established at Sahil, and the wounded evacuated, preparatory to a strike on Basra. It was then learned that the Turks had attempted to block the Shartal-Arab with a sunken Hamburg-Amerika liner and two smaller vessels. Accordingly, next day Hayes-Sadler went upstream to see what could be made of the obstacle. As he approached he was fired on by a 500-ton gunboat, the 'Marmariss, 'by an armed launch and by a battery of 15 pounder Krupp guns. 'Espiegle' replied with such effect that the launch was sunk, the battery silenced and the 'Marmariss' put to flight, without the sloop suffering a single hit. Having ascertained that the obstruction could be cleared to afford a passage, Hayes-Sadler returned to the scene the following day. However, the clearance work had hardly begun when a launch appeared with a deputation from Basra confirming the rumour that the garrison, evidently in awe of the 'Espiegle's' performance, had fled and pleading the British to come up and save the city from looting Arabs. To secure Basra, and capitalize on this success, it was proposed to proceed a further 45 miles to Kurnab on the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. During the early days of December, Hayes-Sadler spent much of his time in advance of the main force, conveying troops of the Kurnah detatchment, finding suitable landing places, negotiating the uncharted shallows of the river and giving supporting fire. Finally on 8 December, two battalions of the 110th Light Infantry and 104th Rifles, and a mountain battery, under Colonel Frazer, crossed the Tigris and made a concerted attack on Kurnah. However it was felt that it was too late in the day to engage in street fighting and the attack was halted. The river Flotilla continued to fire until sunset, and held their positions in readiness for the attack next day. Kurnah, though, had had enough, and early in the middle watch a steamer flying a flag of truce approached. Captain Hayes-Sadler, being unable to communicate with the Generals, then took the surrender of the Turks. Thus within a matter of weeks from the declaration of war on Turkey, Britain had a firm hold on the water gate of Mesopotamia.

On 13 December, he sailed, with the 'Ocean 'for Suez where he was to become Senior Naval Officer until further orders. In early 1915, Hayes-Sadler took part in the unsuccessful attempt to neutralize the forts that dominated the straits of the Dardanelles. On 4 March, the 'Ocean' was shelling Sedd el Bahr in support of survey and beach parties. At noon, Major Palmer, R. M. L. I., responded to a signal from the battleship to report on progress ashore, and communicated that he could not advance without 200 more men, which Hayes-Sadler at once made ready. However, this request was denied by General Totman viewing operations from 'Irresistible, 'with the end result that the troops were forced to retire to the destroyers from which they had started. On the 18th, a second attempt was made under a revised plan which gave Hayes-Sadler command of the Second Division, comprising the 3rd, 4th, and 5th sub-Divisions. At 1. 45, Admiral de Roebeck ordered the Second Division to relieve the French line which until then had been engaged in the hazardous close work. As Hayes-Sadler's ships took up their positions, the French ship 'Bouvet' was hit with the loss of some 600 men. Closing to a range of 10,600 yards from the shore positions, the ships of the Second Division engaged their respective forts and used their secondary armament against the guns firing on the boats rescuing survivors of the 'Bouvet. ' By 5.10, the 'Irresistible' was sinking and Captain Hayes-Sadler was standing by to tow her out of action, but the former's list, combined with the considerable cross fire made it quite impossible. And so under a heavy fire from Dardanos and Suandere, the 'Ocean' began to withdraw. At about five past six, a sudden heavy explosion announced that she had struck a mine. Almost simultaneously, a shell found its mark, causing the 'Ocean' to take a list of 15 degrees. Fortunately Captain Hayes-Sadler was able to signal three passing destroyers, the 'Colne, ' 'Jed and 'Chelmer, 'and evacuate the crew, albeit still under fire. However, after dark it was found that four men had accidentally been left aboard and Hayes-Sadler returned in the 'Jed' to take them off, leaving the abandoned 'Ocean' to her fate. From August 1916, Rear-Admiral Hayes-Sadler commanded the British detachment in the Aegean, with his flag in 'Exmouth' and then in the 'Implacable. ' He went onto the retired list in 1924 and died on 9 February 1952. For other family groups see lots 171 and 278.