Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Captain G. A. E. Ridge, Royal Navy

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (Midshipman G. A. E. Ridge.) fitted with silver ribbon buckle; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol, unnamed with clasp loose on ribbon as issued, fitted with silver ribbon buckle; Order of the Medjidie, 5th Class breast badge, silver, gold and enamels, fitted with replacement suspension ring, in its damaged case of issue; St Jean D’Acre 1840, silver, fitted with silver ribbon buckle; Turkish Crimea, Sardinian issue, contemporary tailor’s copy by ‘JB’, fitted with silver ribbon buckle, very fine or better (5) £800-1000

George Agar Ellis Ridge was born at Gowran, Co. Kilkenny, on 21 August 1824, and entered the Royal Navy as a Volunteer 1st Class aboard H.M.S. Wolverine on 21 November 1836. From January 1839 to April 1841, he served as Volunteer 1st Class and, from April 1839, as Midshipman aboard H.M.S. Asia on the Mediterranean station. When the Allied fleet arrived off Beyrout early in September 1840, H.M. Ships Asia and Implaccable were left off Alexandria and took no active part in the subsequent naval operations, including the bombardment of Acre. Thus, H.M.S. Asia is not shown in the medal rolls of the Naval General Service medal for the Syria clasp. However, at the back of the roll (ADM 171/7) is a paper signed by ‘J. A. Drummond, Commander’ and headed ‘Roll of [18] Persons who were employed on the coast of Syria’. Heading the list, which includes midshipmen, petty officers and men from various ships, is the name of Midshipman G. A. E. Ridge of H.M.S. Asia. Furthermore, his name is also shown in Haultain’s Navy List for August 1855 as having received the Naval medal with 1 clasp, providing further evidence that he was issued with the medal for Syria.

Ridge was promoted to Lieutenant in November 1846 and in May 1847 joined the Alarm on the West Indies station. On 12 February 1848, he was involved in the action against Colonel Salas of the Nicaraguan Army at a fort near Serapaqui. Captain G. G. Lock of the Alarm, Commander A. P. Ryder of the Vixen, Lieutenant Ridge and the other officers, with 260 men, including some of the 38th Regiment, in 12 boats from the ships, rowed for 72 hours arriving at Serapaqui on 11 February. The following day they attacked and captured the fort, disabling the guns, casting captured arms into the river and burning the fort and stockades. Captain Lock, in his report, mentions ‘Lieuts. Johnston and Ridge of the Alarm leading their men in gallant style’.

In 1851, off the West coast of Africa, Ridge was involved in an action against natives about the mouth of the Benin River who had committed various acts of piracy at Bonbee. On 28 March the natives were attacked by 5 boats of the Archer and 3 of the Jackal, containing 92 officers and men. Lieutenant Ridge led in the Archer’s pinnace under a heavy musketry fire but there was little serious opposition, and the place was taken without loss.

Ridge served in the Crimea as Senior Lieutenant of H.M.S. Diamond and was specially promoted to Commander for services with the Naval Brigade in the trenches before Sebastopol, and awarded the 5th class of the Medjidie. In his book The Crimea in 1854 and 1894, Sir Evelyn Wood gives an account of Midshipman E. St J. Daniel, of the Diamond, winning the Victoria Cross, and adds ‘Capt. Peel asked Lieut. Ridge and Midshipman Daniel of the Diamond, and Lieut. Douglas and Midshipman Wood of the Queen, to always walk slowly and with their heads erect when under fire, as an example to the rest. This they invariably did.’

Commander Ridge served with the Coast Guard from April 1856 to 20 June 1861, when he was placed on half-pay. For his services at Newcastle C.G., Co. Down, he was awarded the silver medal of the R.N.L.I. on 5 April 1860, the citation stating:

‘On the 14th.December 1859 the Austrian brig ‘Tikey’ was wrecked off St. John’s Point and her boat containing the crew capsized. A boat manned by 12 men, put off to rescue them but also capsized. Captain Ridge then waded out through the surf and brought one of the men to safety.’

Commander Ridge died on 23 July 1863. Sold with a good amount of research including copies of Captain Lock’s report of the Nicaraguan operations, record of service and detailed research notes by Lt. Col. M. E. S. Laws.