An Important Collection of Medals for the Maori Wars, 1845-1866

Pair: Captain’s Coxswain W. G. Snook, Royal Navy

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (W. G. Snook, H.M.S. Furious) contemporary engraved naming; New Zealand 1845-66, reverse dated 1860 to 1861 (W. Snook, Captn. Coxn., H.M.S. Iris) officially impressed naming, the first with contact marks, nearly very fine, the second very fine (2) £500-550

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, An Important Collection of Medals for the Maori Wars, 1845-1866.

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Snook's New Zealand medal was issued on 3 December 1870. 72 medals (10 to R.N. officers, 49 to R.N. ratings, 1 to R.M. officer, and 12 to R.M. N.C.Os. and men) were awarded to H.M.S. Iris for the Second New Zealand War, of which 34 are known including 3 with reverses dated 1860, 4 with reverses undated, and the rest with reverses dated 1860-1861.

William Snook was born on 24 May 1831, at Deptford, Kent. His earlier service records have not been sought but his later record shows him as Late Continuous Service No. 4678 and he was serving in the Coast Guard establishment Hector as Chief Boatman from January 1873 to April 1886, at Holywell and then Northampton until June 1886, when he was Shore Pensioned. His record is annotated “Traced Pension 14.5.86”.