3rd China Medal 1900 - HMS AURORA

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Private Thomas Edward Sumpter – Royal Marine H.M.S. Aurora

Thomas Edward (T.E.) Sumpter was born on 14 May 1874 in the Chelsea district of the County of London.

Prior to his enlistment in Royal Marine Light Infantry he was a Bricklayer by trade. He was assigned the Regiment Number 7390 when he enlisted on 9 May 1894 at the age of 19 years. He was 5 ft 9/10 in height and fresh complexion with Brown Hair and Blue eyes.

He went on to serve in a number of ships, but of note was serving aboard the H.M.S. Aurora during the 3^rd China War where is was involved in the Relief of the Legations at Peking, better known as the Seymour Relief Expedition. Of particular note he was involved in the actions of June 22, 1900 around the Chinese Armory at Hsiku where he was wounded receiving a bullet wound to the right forearm.

He was later assigned to the H.M.S. Excellent (land based naval establishment) which was the H.M.S. Handy at the time. It was during his time here, he was awarded the Chinese War Medal 1900 w/ Relief of Pekin Clasp on 4 September 1902. This entry confirmed in the China Medal Roll (no duplicate medal issued).

His Service Papers indicate he was the recipient of 5 Good conduct Badges. These were awarded on:

1 -- 9 May 1896

2 -- 9 May 1900

3 -- 7 May 1906

4 -- 6 May 1910

5 -- 23 Aug 1915

His Service Papers also indicate he received the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GC) on 16 July 1906.

During his recovery, he found time to marry an Emma Francis Silver on 26 December 1904. They are later recorded in the 1911 census as living in the Alverstoke District. There was no mention of children in any records I could find.

He re-engaged on 27 Dec 1905.

An entry on 14 Apr 1914 indicated he was discharged invalid.

He later served on a number of assignments starting from 2 Aug 1914 through the First World War, but saw no service, but was eligible for the 1914 War Medal as per Medal Roll.

He finally was "demobilized" on 29 July 1919. He went on to live a very long life. He passed away at the ripe old age of 94 years in 1969.

[Guest Darrell]

Some background on the Ship "Aurora" and then the Seymour Relief Expedition.

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HMS Aurora (1887)

HMS Aurora was a ship of the Orlando-class of first-class cruisers built in the yards at Pembroke Dock and launched on 28 October 1887. She was sold for scrapping on 2 October 1907 to Payton of Milford Haven. This ship took part in the Boxer rebellion in 1901, under the command of Captain Edward Henry Bayly, RN.

Builder: Pembroke Dockyard

Laid down: 1 February 1886

Launched: 28 October 1887

Fate: Sold for breaking up 2 October 1907

Displacement: 5,600 tons

Length: 300 ft (91 m)

Beam: 56 ft (17 m)

Draught: 22.5 ft (6.9 m)

Propulsion: 3-cylinder triple-extension steam engines two shafts

4 double-ended boilers

5,500 hp

8,500 hp forced-draught

Speed: 17 knots natural draught

18 knots forced draught Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)

Complement: 484

Armament:

2 × BL 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) guns (2 x 1)

10 x BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) guns (10 x 1)

6 × 6 pdr guns (6 × 1) QF

10 × 3 pdr guns (10 × 1) QF

6 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes:

4 above-water broadside

1 bow and 1 stern submerged

Armour:

10 in (254 mm) belt

12 in (304.8 mm) conning tower

[Guest Darrell]

Seymour Expedition

The Seymour Expedition, China 1900 was an attempt by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks by Boxers. Seymour's force was defeated by the Chinese army and forced to withdraw to Tianjin (Tientsin).

At the end of the nineteenth century anti-foreign feeling in China was strong, and some of these feelings were directed at the foreign rulers of the Manchu Dynasty, which had crushed the reforms and the reformers of 1898. As 1900 dawned, China was swept by a movement known as "Yao rebels", who believed that they had been made invulnerable by sorcery and incantation. The Yao society's title, "The Fist of Righteous Amity" was translated by Americans and English into 'Boxers."

On 28 May 1900, Boxers burned several railroad stations on the Belgian-built line between Peking and Paotingfu. The next day they hit Fengtai, principal junction below Peking, and destroyed the Imperial Railway shops there.

Consequently, the foreign legations in Peking telegraphed for help, and the Asiatic squadrons of the great powers raised steam and set course for North China.

British, American, Austrian, German, French, Italian, Japanese and Russian landing forces marched into Tientsin.

On 31 May, after considerable pressure, including a British threat to hang the Tientsin stationmaster, a train for Peking was outfitted. This train and another which followed comprised of Western nation military forces, including 79 British Marines. All told, the troops bound for Peking numbered 22 officers and 423 enlisted men; a force about the size of that on Wake Island in 1941.

As they debarked, they were met not only by relieved representatives of the legations, but also by thousands of silent Chinese. "The dense mass which thronged either side of the roadway," reported Captain Myers from Peking, "seemed more ominous than a demonstration of hostility would have been".

It was clear, by 10 June 1900 that the legations in Peking would need much more help. Boxers had severed the railroad to Tientsin; the last train had passed through on 5 June. Peking was cut off.

The whole eight nation force in Tientsin now numbered 2,500. The senior officer present was Vice Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, of the English Navy. On 9 June, US Captain McCalla faced the assembled senior officers and council at Tientsin and announced, "I don't care what the rest of you do. I have 112 men here, and I'm going tomorrow morning to the rescue of my own flesh and blood in Peking. I'll be damned if I sit here 90 miles away and just wait." Next day, leaving behind a detachment to protect Tientsin, Admiral Seymour, with McCalla second in command, set out for Peking trying to repair the railroad as the column plodded forward. Within a week the column, five trains in all, had made 65 miles and was only 25 miles from the besieged capital but was in trouble.

Harried by Boxers and by Imperial soldiers who had now joined in, the would-be rescuers had the choice of retreat or annihilation. The column turned back, abandoning its trains at a wrecked bridge. From 18 to 22 June, Seymour and McCalla marched back toward Tientsin while the red-scarved Boxers slashed at them with swords and pikes from behind village walls and burial mounds. Finally, with more than 200 wounded, the force could neither retreat nor advance. In a last effort, the force fought their way to the strongly fortified Hsi-ku arsenal six miles north of Tientsin. Safe for the moment, they stayed with ample food, modern weapons, and sorely needed medical supplies, all inadvertently provided by the Chinese government.

On 25 June, after moving out before dawn, the relieving force reached Hsi-ku Arsenal, broke the siege, set fire to the Arsenal and marched back to Tientsin loaded down with 'souvenirs'.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Darrell

[Guest Darrell]

Some background on the H.M.S. Excellent:

H.M.S Excellent

Details on What exactly HMS Excellent meant as per Medal Roll for China War medal 1900 w/ RELIEF OF PEKIN clasp awarded to PTE T.E. SUMPTER on Sep. 04, 1902.

Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French. The command of this first stone frigate was given to Commodore Hood's first lieutenant, James Wilkes Maurice, who, with cannon taken off the Commodore's ship, manned it with a crew of 120 until its capture by the French in the Battle of Diamond Rock in 1805.

Until the late 19th century, the Royal Navy housed training and other support facilities in hulks—old wooden ships of the line—moored in ports as receiving ships, depot ships, or floating barracks. The Admiralty regarded shore accommodation as expensive and liable to lead to indiscipline. These floating establishments kept their names while the actual vessels housing them changed. For example, the gunnery training school at Portsmouth occupied three ships between its foundation in 1830 and its move ashore in 1891 but all were named (or renamed) HMS Excellent.

As ships began to use increasingly complex technology during the late 19th century, these facilities became too large to continue afloat and were moved to shore establishments while keeping their names. An early "stone frigate" was the engineering training college HMS Marlborough, moved ashore to Portsmouth in 1880. The gunnery school continued to be named HMS Excellent after its move ashore to Whale Island in 1891. By World War I there were about 25 "stone frigates" in the United Kingdom.

HMS Excellent is a Royal Navy "stone frigate" (shore establishment) sited on Whale Island near Portsmouth in Hampshire.

Base ships:

HMS Excellent was the original school ship between 1830 and 1835.

HMS Boyne was HMS Excellent between 1834 and 1859.

HMS Queen Charlotte was HMS Excellent between 1859 and 1892.

Tenders and depot ships:

HMS Handy was HMS Excellent between 1891 and 1916 à Ship Sumpter was serving at time of award.

HMS Drudge was HMS Excellent between 1916 and 1918.

William Leach was HMS Excellent between 1919 and 1920.

Andrew Jewer was HMS Excellent between 1922 and 1948.

Hainneville was HMS Excellent in 1942.

Harbour launch 3711 was HMS Excellent between 1945 and 1962.

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The Medal itself:

Obverse:

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Closeup of the RELIEF OF PEKIN clasp:

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Closeup of the Obverse:

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Reverse:

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Closeup of Reverse:

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The next four pictures show the correctly Impressed naming along the rim of the medal:

a.

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b.

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c.

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d.

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d.

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Copy of the entry in the Birth Index of 1874:

Edited February 25, 2011 by Darrell

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Closeup of Sumpter entry:

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A copy of the Marriage Registration for late 1904 listing Silver's name:

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Closeup of her name listed near the bottom Right:

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Copy of Marriage Registration showing SUMPTERS name:

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Likewise a closeup of Sumpter's name listed:

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The Census 1911 listing Sumpter and Silver as being married for 6 years at the time. No mention of children here.

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Closeup of the names:

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Copy of Service Record. A multitude of entries.

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Closeup of the entry of being wounded. Hard to read out all the entry:

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Three pictures of the Medal Roll for the China Medal w/ RELIEF of PEKIN Clasp:

a. First Page of Roll with the codes for the three clasps given for this medal: