Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (J. Myers. Captn. Forecastle.) officially impressed naming, very fine £240-£280

James Myers joined the Royal Navy at Portsmouth as Boy on 19 May 1829. Sent to the Woolwich Dockyard training ship Winchester in the summer of 1830, he was appointed to the 18-gun Brig Sloop Ariadne as Ordinary Seaman on 12 May 1832. Sent initially to the West Indies, he transferred to Imogen as Seaman Gunner in August 1936 and was present two years later when she visited the Hawaiian Islands. Raised Captain of the Forecastle aboard Racer on 21 May 1843, he served off the West coast of Africa before anchoring with the fleet aboard Rodney at the mouth of the Alma River on 19 September 1854 as part of the Crimea Naval Brigade; witnessing the battle the following day, Myers also bore witness to the Bombardment of Sebastopol and Rodney’s collision with a hidden reef - suffering extensive damage aloft.

Returned to Spithead from the Crimea 18 January 1856, Myers was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal and later worked as ship’s cook and labourer aboard Hardy and Melville. Appointed to the Portsmouth guardship Asia 31 May 1858, he was discharged to shore as seaman pensioner in the spring of 1860.

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