A Collection of Boer War Medals to the Royal Navy

Four: Chief Armourer A. R. Thomson, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M.S. Aboukir was torpedoed and sunk, 22 September 1914

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (Armr., H.M.S. Monarch) small impressed naming; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Persian Gulf 1909-1914 (340547 Ch. Arm., H.M.S. Highflyer); British War and Victory Medals (340547 Ch. Armr., R.N.); together with an erased 1914-15 Star, mounted for display, nearly extremely fine (5) £ 440-480

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Boer War Medals to the Royal Navy.

View
Collection

Andrew Reid Thomson was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire on 8 June 1872. A Fitter by occupation he enlisted into the Royal Navy as an Armourer’s Mate in March 1895. Advanced to Armourer when based at Pembroke II in March 1899, he served as such aboard the Monarch on the Cape Station, June 1900-April 1904, during which time he qualified for the Q.S.A. Medal without clasp (812 awarded). He was promoted to Acting Chief Armourer in August 1907 when on the Charybdis and confirmed in that rank in August 1908 when on the Cressy. He saw service on the Highflyer during the period February 1911-June 1913, during which time he qualified for the N.G.S. Medal with clasp. He was posted to the armoured cruiser Aboukir in February 1914 and was killed in action whilst serving aboard her on 22 September 1914 when the vessel, in company with her sister ships, Cressy and Hogue, were sunk by the German submarine U.9 in the North Sea. Some 1,400 lives were lost in the triple disaster. Chief Armourer Thomson was the husband of Elizabeth Thomson of 64 Upper Milton Road, Gillingham, Kent; his name is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Sold with copied service papers and other research.