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Auction: 20002 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Space Exploration
Lot: 3

Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Syria (Rowland Wilson, Chaplain, R.N.), one or two light edge knocks, very fine

Provenance:
Baldwin's, 1960.
Hayward, 1985.

One of 11 Medals with clasp 'Syria' awarded to Chaplains.

Rowland Wilson was born on 2 March 1808, the eight son of The Reverend George Wilson. Baptised at All Saint's, Kirby Cane, South Norfolk by his uncle The Reverend Henry Wilson, 10th Baron Berners, Wilson was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, passing out with a B.A. in 1831. Ordained in June 1831, he was priested on 7 October 1832 and entered the Royal Navy as a Chaplain in 1834, also assuming the role of Schoolmaster and Naval Instructor.

Wilson joined Belvidera on 14 February 1834, seeing the shores of the West Indies and South America, with orders for the suppression of the slave trade whenever possible. Arriving from the West Indies in November 1837 with $40,000 worth of cochineal at the Isle of Wight, Wilson took his next appointment aboard the Edinburgh on 21 November. He would soonafter see service during 'The Pastry War' off the shores of Mexico from November 1839 - March 1839 and during the bombardment of Syria in 1840. Arriving at Plymouth on 29 May 1841, he took two weeks of leave before being appointed aboard Dublin. He would sail for the South American Station and be aboard during the 'Paulet Incident' of 1843, when it was demanded that King Kamehameha III of Hawaii surrender the islands to the British Crown. Under the guns of Carysfort the King did as much, before Rear-Admiral Thomas returned to Honolulu harbour on 26 July to apologise to the King and restore his sovereignty. Further appointments aboard Queen and Impregnable followed, before being made Chaplain to Sheerness Dockyard in 1852, a post he held until 1870; sold together with a file of detailed research, including full muster extracts.

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Sold for
£1,300

Starting price
£550