Three: Paymaster-in-Chief J. C. Alldridge, Royal Navy

New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1847 (J. C. Alldridge, Paymr., H.M.S. Inflexible) officially impressed naming; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol; Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue, these last two unnamed as issued, very fine and rare (3) £1600-1800

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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Alldridge's New Zealand War medal was issued on 19 November 1870. Only 20 medals with this reverse date were awarded to the Royal Navy for the Fist New Zealand War (5 to R.N. officers, 9 to R.N. ratings, and 6 to R.M. N.C.Os. and men), all to H.M.S. Inflexible, of which 12 are known, all dated 1847 except for the medal issued to Willoughby Hayward, Sgt. R.M., which is undated but with 1845-47 engraved on the reverse.

James Cobbold Alldridge was born on 27 February 1815, and joined H.M.S. Pique as “Passed Clerk” on 18 June 1838. He was promoted Paymaster in May 1848, and Paymaster-in-Chief in June 1870. During his career he served on many ships including Pique, Magnificent, Cornwallis, Satellite, Forester, Malabar, Avon, San Josef, Inflexible, Megaera, Diamond (in the Black Sea), Implacable, Impregnable, Conqueror, Ajax, Formidable, Frederick William, and Valiant.