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

The rare Great War C.S.I. group of seven awarded to Admiral Arthur Hayes-Sadler, Royal Navy, Senior Naval Officer during the Persian Gulf operations 1914-15

The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, C.S.I., Companion’s, neck badge, gold and enamel, with central onyx cameo of a youthful Queen Victoria, the motto of the order set in rose diamonds, suspended from a five-pointed silver star and silver-gilt ring suspension, with neck cravat; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Alexandria 11th July (A. H. Sadler. Midn. R.N. H.M.S. “Sultan”); 1914-15 Star (R. Adml. A. Hayes-Sadler,); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (R. Adml. A. Hayes-Sadler.); Khedive’s Star, dated 1882; France, Third Republic, Legion of Honour, Commander’s neck badge, gold and enamels, 58mm, with neck cravat, the five campaign medals mounted as worn, the Egypt medal with light pitting, otherwise nearly extremely fine (7) £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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C.S.I. London Gazette 4 May 1916. One of only three operational awards of the Star of India given to Naval officers during the entire Great War.

M.I.D. London Gazette 5 April 1916.

Arthur Hayes-Sadler was born on 9 October 1865, at Spa, Belgium, son of Sir James Hayes-Sadler, K.C.M.G. He entered the Royal Navy via H.M.S. Britannia on 15 January 1877, and served in various ships until appointed Midshipman on 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 on 21 June 1883; Lieutenant on 30 June 1886; Commander on 1 January 1890; Captain on 30 June 1904; Rear-Admiral on 19 July 1915; Vice-Admiral on 3 November 1919; and Admiral (Retired) on 1 August 1924.

In October 1914, Hayes-Sadler 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 70 miles up the Shatt-al-Arab. On 19 October, Ocean made a rendezvous with Dufferin and elements of the Gulf Expeditionary Force under Brigadier-General W. S. Delamain, and reached Bahrain four days later. On the 31st, the Admiralty sent authority to begin hostilities against Turkey. By 3 November, the convoy was off the outer bar of the Shatt-al-Arab, which 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 having silenced 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 Delamain’s force was ashore at Saniyeh awaiting reinforcements under Lieutenant-General A. A. Barrett.

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 the enemy to flight, 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 Shatt-al-Arab with the sunken Hamburg-Amerika liner and two smaller vessels. Accordingly, the 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 Espeigle’s performance, had fled and pleading the British to come up and save the city from looting Arabs.

To secure Basra, and capitalise on this success, it was proposed to proceed a further 45 miles to Kurnah 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 detachment, 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 firing 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. 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 in 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 neutralise the forts that dominated the straits of the Dardanelles. On 4 March, 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 a further 200 men, which Hayes-Sadler at once made ready. However, this request was denied by General Totman viewing operations from Irresistable, with the end result that the troops were forced to retire to the destroyers from which they had started.

On the 18th of the same month, 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 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 which were rescuing survivors of the Bouvet. By 5.10, the Irresistable was sinking and 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 Saundere, the Ocean began to withdraw. At about five past six, a sudden heavy explosion announced that she had struck a mine, and almost simultaneously a shell found its mark, causing Ocean to take a list of 15°. Fortunately, 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 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 Implacable. He went onto the retired list in 1924 and died on 9 February 1952.

The 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 begins with a superb frontispiece in ink and watercolours, the second volume containing a detailed description of the battle of Alexandria with watercolour 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 final two years of the war.

iii Original Warrant for the C.S.I., dated 4 May 1916, and bearing the signatures of the King and Austen Chamberlain. This was one of only three operational awards of the Star of India given to Naval officers during the entire Great War.

iv Original parchment Warrant for the Legion of Honour, dated Paris 5 February 1915.

v Three Masonic awards, two in silver-gilt and enamels, including the St John Lodge, and one in silver, 1914-18, this named (Bro. Rear-Admiral, No. 2612).