A Collection of Medals to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines formed by Commander Ron Champion, RN

Pair: Lieutenant-Commander H. J. Middleton, Royal Navy

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (Sub. Lt., R.N., H.M.S. Naiad); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 (Lieut., R.N., H.M.S. Naiad) the first with officially corrected surname and both with refixed suspension claws, otherwise good very fine (2) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines formed by Commander Ron Champion, RN.

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Hugh Jeffery Middleton was born at Belsay Castle, Northumberland in October 1879, the third son of Sir Arthur Middleton, the 7th Baronet of a title that dated back to the Restoration. Young Hugh entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in January 1894, was appointed a Midshipman in June 1896 and joined H.M.S. Naiad in March 1901. Subsequently employed in the operations off South Africa, he at one stage served ashore in Cape Colony and was advanced to Lieutenant at the end of the year - the published Q.S.A. roll for awards to the R.N. and R.M. credits him with a two-clasp Medal for ‘Cape Colony’ and ‘South Africa 1901’. Middleton went on to witness further active service in the same ship off Somaliland but returned home in March 1904 to attend a Gunnery Officer’s course at Excellent.

Qualifying for the Messina Earthquake Medal in 1908, he requested to be released from the Service in July 1909 as a result of ‘urgent private affairs’, and in December of the same year he was placed on the Retired List as a Lieutenant-Commander. Tragically, on 10 August 1914, having been recalled for mine-sweeping duties aboard a hired trawler, Middleton ‘shot himself with a rifle ... and died the same afternoon.’