Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Able Seaman J. H. Shambrook, Royal Navy, later Royal Fleet Reserve

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (J. H. Shambrook. A.B., H.M.S. Fearless) impressed naming; 1914-15 Star (176895, J. H. Shambrook, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (176895 J. H. Shambrook. A.B. R.N.); Royal Fleet Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (176895 Po. B. 1162 J. H. Shambrook. A.B. R.F.R.) good very fine (5) £240-£280

John Henry Shambrook was born in Sherborne, Dorset, on 26 October 1877, and joined the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class on 23 October 1893. Posted to H.M.S. Australia as Boy 1st Class and advanced Able Seaman in H.M.S. Active on 5 September 1896, Shamrock later served during the Boer War aboard the torpedo cruiser H.M.S. Fearless. Joining the Royal Fleet Reserve on 1 April 1905, he was posted to the protected cruiser H.M.S. Venus on 2 August 1914. Stationed in Ireland as part of the 11th Cruiser Squadron, Venus captured two German merchantmen in October 1914 but lost her foremast in a gale in November and spent months under repair. Sent to Egypt in 1916 and Singapore in March 1917, Shamrock transferred to the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Euralyus in October 1917, ending his Great War campaign detailed to the North America and West Indies Stations.

Returned to civilian employment, Shambrook obtained his Master’s qualification in seamanship and later became Captain of the paddle steamers Lymington and Freshwater which operated along the south coast of England; in 1935 he caught the attention of the local press when Freshwater successfully responded to the flag S.O.S. message of the pleasure cruiser Whippingham which had sprung a leak whilst enroute from Southsea to Bournemouth with 400 passengers. Retired to Lymington after 30 years of service with the Southern Railway Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, Shambrook died on 6 December 1964.

Sold with an original notebook belonging to the recipient, carefully detailing the tide and depth of water between the Needles and Southampton, buoy markers, leading lights and rock formations, and other shipping, all hand-annotated, with further entries relating to Jersey and the French shoreline; with 2 fine C.D.V.’s of Shamrock and his parents and a copied photograph of the paddle steamer Freshwater.