Medals for the Boxer Rebellion 1900 to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines

A Great War ‘Serbian Retreat’ D.S.O. group of nine awarded to Commander M. E. Cochrane, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt, gold and enamel, complete with top bar; China 1900, 1 clasp, Relief of Pekin (Sub. Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Centurion); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 (Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Mohawk); 1914-15 Star (Lt. Commr., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Commr., R.N.); Jubilee 1897, silver, unnamed; Italy, Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, 5th Class breast badge, gold and enamel, enamel damage; Serbia, Order of the White Eagle, 2nd issue, 4th Class breast badge with swords, silver-gilt and enamel, slight enamel damage, mounted for wear, good very fine and better (9) £2500-3000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals for the Boxer Rebellion 1900 to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

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H.M.S. Centurion was a Battleship of 10,500 tons, built in Portsmouth Dockyard and launched in August 1892. A total of 390 officers and other ranks of the ship were entitled to the China Medal with single clasp ‘Relief of Pekin’.

D.S.O. London Gazette 14 July 1916. ‘... in recognition of their services in connection with the evacuation of the Serbian Army and Italian troops from Durazzo in Dec. 1915, and Jan. and Feb. 1916.’ Recommendation reads, ‘Second in Command of the British Adriatic drifters. Was in charge of the drifters covering the evacuation of the Italian troops from Durazzo, the operation taking place in bad weather & under fire from the shore’.

Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, Chevalier London Gazette 9 May 1916.

Order of the White Eagle, 4th Class London Gazette 1 March 1917.

Morris Edward Cochrane was born in 1879, the youngest son of J. H. Cochrane and Charlotte Newton. He entered the Royal Navy as a Naval Cadet on 15 January 1893. He was appointed a Midshipman in February 1895 and was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in August 1898. During the China War of 1900 he served in the Seymour Expedition to Pekin, and on 9 November 1900 he was promoted to Lieutenant for his services in China. He later served in Somaliland and was mentioned in despatches. He was advanced to Lieutenant-Commander in November 1908 and Commander in May 1919. For his services in the Great War he was awarded the D.S.O., the Italian Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus and the Serbian Order of the White Eagle. Sold with copied service papers and other research.