Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas (Part I)

Six: Captain William Thorp, Royal Navy, who was Mentioned in Despatches and promoted to Commander for services at Sebastopol


Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (William Thorp, Lieut. R.N.); New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1846 (Lieut. Wm. Thorp, H.M.S. Calliope) officially impressed naming; Baltic 1854-55, unnamed as issued; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol, unnamed as issued; St Jean D’Acre 1840, silver, pierced with ring and fitted with additional bar suspension; Turkish Crimea, British issue, pierced with ring and fitted with additional bar suspension, mounted for display, good very fine (6) £5,000-£7,000

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.

William Thorpe was born on 29 August 1813, and joined the Royal Navy as a Naval Cadet on 2 April 1826. On promotion to Midshipman on 14 September 1830, he was appointed to H.M.S. Donegal, and whilst in this vessel he passed his examination and was promoted to Mate on 29 September 1832. In this rank he next served aboard Belvidera from January 1834, and in June 1838 he joined Gorgon, steamer, Captain William Honeyman Henderson, under whom he took part in the operations of 1840 on the coast of Syria, including those against Sidon and St Jean D'Acre.
Having been promoted to Lieutenant on 28 June 1838, his next appointment was as 1st Lieutenant of Orestes in August 1842, Captains Hon. Swynfen Thomas Carnegie and John James Robinson, serving in the Mediterranean. Next appointed to the steam sloop Medea in October 1844, Captain Frederick Warden, serving on the same station. He then joined Calliope in July 1845 as 1st Lieutenant, Captain Edward Stanley, on the East Indies Station, and whilst in this vessel he was landed in New Zealand for service on shore with the Naval Brigade. He was present at the capture of Bats Nest, Ruapekapeka, on 11 January 1846, and the action up river at Wanganui during May and June 1847.
On leaving the Calliope Thorpe was unemployed for six years until he joined the paddle wheel steam frigate Furious in November 1852, based at Portsmouth for service with the Channel Squadron. Next appointed 1st Lieutenant of the steam frigate Tribune, he saw action in the Baltic during 1854 and later in the Black Sea during 1854-55. He was Mentioned in Despatches and specially promoted to Commander on 13 November 1854 for his services at the bombardment of Sebastopol. On Tribune paying off, Thorpe was unemployed for three years until appointed Commander and second-in-command of Asia, guardship, Ordinary at Portsmouth, in December 1858. This was to be his last active appointment; in June 1861 he was placed ashore on half pay, and on 19 August 1868 he was retired, after having served 42 years. Promoted on the Retired List as Captain on 13 November 1869, William Thorpe died on 1 June 1890.