Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Chief Stoker J. Hayes, Royal Navy

China 1900, no clasp (J. Hayes, Lg. Sto. 2 Cl., H.M.S. Aurora); British War Medal 1914-20 (156970 J. Hayes, Ch. Sto. R.N.); Coronation 1911; Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, no clasp (J. Hayes, Stoker, H.M.S. “Melita” Suakim 1896) contemporary engraved naming, contact marks, therefore good fine or better (4) £500-£600

Provenance: Douglas-Morris Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, February 1997.

Joseph Hayes was born on 5 October 1869 at Devonport, and was a waterman before joining the service as a Domestic 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Impregnable on 19 July 1890. He was discharged to Shore on 31 October 1890, but re-enlisted on 5 November 1890 in the Engineering Department as a Stoker 2nd Class aboard Indus. He served next aboard Vivid (November 1890), Indus (March 1891), Cambridge (September 1891) being advanced to Stoker, Vivid II (November 1893), Lapwing (January 1894), Tyne (January 1895), Pembroke (March 1895), Vivid I (March 1895), Jason (April 1895), Vivid II (September 1895) and Melita (October 1895). Service in this vessel off the Sudanese coast earned him entitlement to the Khedive's Sudan Medal without clasp. He next joined Dryad (January 1898), Hibernia (January 1898), Dryad (February 1898), Vivid II (April 1898), and Aurora (February 1899) serving in the latter vessel in China. Whilst serving in Aurora he was advanced to Leading Stoker 2nd Class on 24 June 1899, and to Leading Stoker 1st Class on 1 March 1902. In this rate he next joined Cambridge (September 1902), Vivid II (October 1904), Monmouth (October 1904), Vivid II (April 1906), and Hogue (May 1906). He was advanced to Stoker Petty Officer on 1 July 1906, then served aboard Vivid (February 1908), Leander (February 1908), and Vivid II (December 1909) being advanced to Acting Chief Stoker 1 May 1910 and confirmed in this rate 1 May 1911. He next joined Vivid (May 1911), Donegal (May 1911), Vivid II (February 1912), Victory II (May 1912) and Vivid II (July 1912). Pensioned ashore on 24 July 1912, he joined the Royal Fleet Reserve at Devonport on 16 November 1912. He was mobilised on 2 August 1914 aboard Vivid II, transferred to Vivid III on 1 April 1917, and returned to Vivid II on 10 October 1917, where he served until demobilised on 3 July 1919. Two character assessments of ‘good’ aboard Dryad in 1898 deprived him of his chance of a Long Service & Good Conduct Medal.

Amongst Royal Naval personnel the Khedive’s Sudan Medal was only awarded to the crews of H.M. Ships Melita (139) and Scout (149). Those medals awarded to the crew of Scout were named up on the initiative of the ship’s Captain, whilst those medals awarded to the crew of Melita were issued unnamed. Neither crew were entitled to the Queen’s Sudan Medal.