The outstanding mounted group of five miniature dress medals named to Admiral Sir Algernon C. F. Heneage, G.C.B., Royal Navy

Baltic 1854-55; India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Pegu; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol; Turkish Crimea, British issue, mounted as worn, each miniature with a ‘ribbon’ enamelled in proper colours, on a gold base, the reverse with a pin fitting; together with a Royal Humane Society Medal, silver, successful, reverse inscribed, ‘Commr. A. C. F. Heneage, R.N., H.M.S. Falcon, 12 Feb. 1861’, with a similar enamelled ‘ribbon’ complete with pin fitting, all in a fitted leather case by Hancocks, London, minor enamel damage, good very fine, rare (5) £1400-1600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Miniature Medals from the Collection of Mark Cline.

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Ex Spink 28 March 1995, lot 336.

Algernon Charles Fieche Heneage was born in 1834 in Lincolnshire and entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1845, becoming a Sub Lieutenant in 1852. He served aboard H.M.S. Hastings during the Pegu campaign and served as a Lieutenant on the St. Jean d’Acre during the war with Russia in the Baltic and in the Black Sea. He was awarded the R.H.S. Medal in 1861 as a Commander R.N.

‘On the 12th February 1861, Commander Algernon C.F. Heneage was in the act of going on board H.M.S. Falcon, then anchored in the harbour at Sierra Leone, to take command of that vessel; one of the side boys, who was stationed cap in hand to do honour to the new commander, accidentally fell overboard; he would have been drowned, as he could not swim, had it not been for the prompt and gallant conduct of Captain Heneage, who jumped overboard and caught hold of him as he was sinking. The tide was running four knots at the time, and the river infested with sharks, and Captain Heneage being in full uniform and consequently embarrassed by his sword and epaulettes.’

Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1884, he became second-in-command of the Channel Squadron during 1885-86 and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station during 1887-90, having been promoted Vice-Admiral in 1889. Heneage served as Commander-in-Chief at the Nore from 1892 to 1894 and was created a K.C.B. in 1892 and promoted Admiral in 1894. He retired in 1898 and was rewarded with the G.C.B. in 1902. Admiral Heneage died in 1915. With copied research and copied cartoon photograph of the Admiral.