New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1863 to 1866 (George Loxley Ord H-M-S-Curacoa) officially impressed naming, very fine and probably unique to Naval forces with these dates £600-800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An Important Collection of Medals for the Maori Wars, 1845-1866.

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Collection

Ex Douglas-Morris Collection, DNW October 1996.

George Loxley's medal was issued on 4 August 1873. 187 medals were issued to H.M.S. Curacoa (24 to R.N. officers, 123 to R.N. ratings, 1 to R.M. officer, and 39 to R.M. N.C.Os. and men) of which 70 are known, mostly dated 1863-1864 but including one dated 1863-1866 and 3 undated to R.N. ratings. This medal is therefore probably unique to Naval Forces.

Douglas-Morris records in Naval Medals 1857-1880, p. 165, ‘George Loxley's medal was issued later than normal, 4th August 1873, with the incorrect dated Reverse of '1863 to 1866'. It is not without interest that a duplicate medal issued in 1879 to Able Seaman Martin Murphy, also from H.M.S. Curacoa, had included at the end of the engraved edge details the dates '1863-66'.

Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire on 1 March 1841, George Loxley first entered as a Boy 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Victory on 16 November 1857, and soon drafted as Boy 1st Class to H.M.S. Orion in April 1858 to serve there until November 1861, when drafted to H.M.S. Asia (1861-63). He later served aboard H.M.S. Curacoa as an 'Ord' from April 1863 until February 1867, followed by H.M. Ships Minotaur (1867-69) where he was advanced to A.B. in March 1869, then Northumberland (1869-73). In December 1873 he was placed on the books of H.M.S. Valiant as a boatman upon joining the Coast Guard Service, rising to Commissioned Boatman in December 1881, after earning his LS & GC medal on 14 June 1875 with 15 years service to his credit. He was pensioned on 7 November 1883.