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Auction: 24113 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 460

Five: Able Seaman J. Partridge, Royal Navy who was awarded the Russian Medal for Zeal whilst aboard the Jupiter on her icebreaking mission to Archangel in 1915

1914-15 Star (erased); British War and Victory Medals (151794 J. Partridge. A.B.R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.VII. R. (151794 James Partridge, Boatn, H.M. Coast Guard); Russia, Medal for Zeal, Nicholas II, Silver, 28mm. officially impressed (151794 J. Partridge. A.B. H.M.S. Jupiter), sold together with original service papers, very fine (5)

James Partridge was born at St. Andrews in Devon on 28 May 1874 and enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 4 November 1889. After his initial shore-based training, he served on a variety of vessels with his first period of service ending in July 1914, but he returned to the Navy and was serving on Jupiter when the Great War broke out.

In January 1915 the Admiralty received a request for assistance from the Russian Government, as their icebreaker used to keep open the passage to Archangel in the White Sea had broken down. In response the Royal Navy sent out H.M.S. Jupiter, an old Majestic-class battleship. She departed for Archangel in February 1915, freeing en route a number of vessels stuck in the ice, occasionally by using explosive charges. She, too, sometimes became icebound, but still managed to make a major impression on the problem, improving the safe passage of numerous vessels, many of them laden with highly important war materials, among them the S.S. Thracia. The latter was taken in tow after the use of explosive charges to free her. Throughout these operations it was not unusual for the temperature to fall as low as minus 20 degrees, a hard test indeed on the morale and wellbeing of the Jupiter's crew. Her mission completed by May 1915, the Tzar expressed his gratitude by the presentation of a variety of Russian Honours and Awards to her crew, including Partridge. Jupiter was later torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine on 21 May 1917, with the loss of 19 crew.

Partridge was next posted to Carnarvon from August 1915 until June 1917. Switching from warships to a survey tug he joined Hearty until May 1918 before being posted to Vivid through to the end of the war. He was shore discharged after an eventful period of service on 22 April 1920; sold together with his original parchment certificate of service and a photograph of the recipient.

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Sold for
£800

Starting price
£210