Pair: Petty Officer Matthew Hobbs, Royal Navy

China 1857-60, no clasp, unnamed as issued; Ashantee 1873-74, no clasp (M. Hobbs. Py. Offr. 1. Cl: H.M.S. Merlin. 73-74.) light contact marks, otherwise good very fine (2) £280-£320

62 Ashantee 1873-74 medals issued to H.M.S. Merlin.

Matthew Hobbs was born in the Parish of Menheniot, Cornwall, on 3 January 1839, and entered the Navy on his 14th birthday as a Boy 2nd class in H.M.S. Impregnable. In February 1854 he moved to Amphitrite and, in June 1854, this ship visited Grantley Harbour on the eastern side of Behring Strait and, in August 1854, Kotzebue Sound on the Arctic Circle to the north whilst supporting Plover, one of the ships searching for Sir John Franklin’s missing expedition. He thus had a small experience of the Arctic that Summer, but this did not qualify Amphitrite, or her people, for the First Arctic Medal. He transferred to Amethyst as Boy 1st class in June 1856 and was advanced to Ordinary Seaman the following month, qualifying for the Second China War medal in this rate. He was advanced to Able Seaman in in October 1858 and served in various ships, becoming Captain of the Focsle and later Captain’s Coxswain, before joining Merlin as Boatswain’s Mate in December 1872, serving in this ship during the Ashantee campaign of 1873-74. He transferred to Royal Adelaide in May 1876, and to Impregnable in June 1876 until 14 March 1877, when it seems that he was ‘time expired for pension’ with exemplary conduct. He was awarded the L.S. & G.C. medal on 7 August 1875.

Sold with copied record of service and other research.