Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Gunner’s Mate Joseph S. Cluett, Royal Navy

Baltic 1854-55, unnamed as issued,; Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Joseph S. Cluett H.M.S. Valorous.) contemporary engraved naming in cross-hatched serif capitals; China 1857-60, 3 clasps, Canton 1857, Fatshan 1857, Taku Forts 1858, unnamed as issued, one defective rivet repaired with wire; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., wide suspension (Jh. S. Cluett. Gunrs. Mate. H.M.S. Asia 20 Yrs.) edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise nearly very fine or better (4) £1,000-£1,200

Joseph Strange Cluett was born at Littlehenge, Dorset, on 21 November 1833, and entered the Navy as a Boy 1st Class aboard H.M.S. Excellent on 20 May 1852. He joined Valorous as an Ordinary Seaman 2nd Class on 17 December 1852, and saw service in this ship in the Baltic in 1854 and in the Crimea in 1855, by which time he had advanced to Ordinary Seaman. He left Valorous rated as an Able Seaman on 19 August 1856, and joined Raleigh the following day. He was present in Raleigh at the actions in Escape Creek, 25th May, and Fatshan Creek, 1st June 1857 (Fatshan Clasp). He transferred to Calcutta on 1 September 1857, and served with the Naval Brigade at the operations against Canton, including the attack and capture, December 1857 (Canton Clasp); also with the Brigade at the taking of the Taku Forts, May 1858 (Taku Clasp). His L.S. & G.C. is not recorded in Captain Douglas-Morris’s incomplete roll of wide suspension L.S. & G.C. medals. Sold with copied medal roll entries for the first three medals.