Info: Researching Royal Navy Victorian Good Conduct Long Service Medal H.M.S. Excellent

[142bravo]

I am hoping members may help me find out any information on a Victorian Royal Navy Good Conduct Long Service medal named to a sailor on the H.M.S. Excellent.

It is properly impressed named:  Wm. DROVER  2nd C.M. Top   H.M.S. Excellent 

I believe that this position refers to the 2nd Captain of the Main Mizzen Top?

My questions are:

- What would be the best way to research Wm Drover (I'd be most interest in researching him) - I don't know have his actual rank or serial nos.  Were the Victorian era medals of this type named in this manner without rank or nos. and is this a common title C.M. Top  to have named on a medal? 

- Any idea of it's age without having done research on the sailor? I think this is the second version of this medal?

- I understand HMS Excellent was a stone frigate in later years and a very tough installation to graduate from.  Would this medal be from when the ship was an actual sea ship vs. a ground facility?

- Any comments on the medal - rank - or ship? - Are these relatively common medals or might there be some value to it with/without the wearers research?

While it doesn't have it's original ribbon - it has great age patina and no cleaning - no damage or serious condition issues (save for a bend to the top suspension bar) - I must say (only owning 2 other medals in my Victorian military collection KSA/QSA.pair) that the quality of this Royal Navy medal is very nice indeed!

I would sure appreciate any information on the medal and in doing research on Wm. Drover - I have no experience or knowledge in medal collecting!

[peter monahan]

Welcome Aboard, Bravo!  I'm afraid I have nnothing to say about the medal but I'm sure others will.  As I undersatnd it, 'Captain of the Foretop / Maintop' were appointments rather tan ranks so no idea what that would mean on a stone frigate.  And I know that only because William Hall, the 2nd Canadian, and  a negro, to win the VC, was 'Captain of the Foretop' in the Crimea.

Naval collectors, over to you!

[coldstream]

 

Hello there,

Nice medal, the link below hopefully will take you to the National Archives records for your Man. There is a charge to view these documents I'm afraid but you should find what you are looking for there.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_fn=william&_ln=drover&_no=&_pl=&_sd=&_ed=&discoveryCustomSearch=true&_ser=ADM+139&_ser=ADM+188&_ser=ADM+363&_ser=ADM+362&_col=200&_hb=tna

All the best Simon

.

[142bravo]

Thank you Peter and Simon for the information much appreciated and I have a direction to go in regarding research.

Of course there are a few William Driver's in the National Archives with dates of birth that would fit and the records are referenced according by serial number.  With the naming of the medal only having the name and appointed title of C.M. Top but no serial number I wonder how I can match my William Driver to the 3 possible ones.

Might anyone know if there is a ships roster of H.M.S. Excellent that provide William Drover's serial number for research? 

Thanks again gentleman!   Bruce

 

 

 

 

[coldstream]

Bruce,

Have never used this resource myself but the link below should take you to the 1881 RN census and may have your Man listed

http://www.britishmedals.us/resources/downloads.html

Simon

[142bravo]

Thanks Simon for really pointing me in the right direction as the National Archives did have some good information on William Drover.  

He had a stellar record of service in the Royal Navy enlisting in 1868 and attaining the rank of C.P..O before going to pension in 1889.  He served on a number of ships of the line:  HMS Revenge - Victor Emanuel - Thalia - Hornet - Alexandra  - Duke of Wellington and HMS EXCELLENT a number of times in his career.

Wish I was better at the Navy terms in the archives but I think that I have been able to decipher most of what was recorded.

I couldn't find any reference to the award date for his medal in the National Archives material - I see that the Medal entitlement records are accessed through Ancestry.com (which I don't subscribe to) might there be a separate source for this information?

I am very honored to have this outstanding sailors medal in my Victorian militaria collection and hope that I can go further in this research if anyone has an idea of a good next step or any information to offer I would certainly be most grateful.

 

 

[coldstream]

Bruce

Have checked Ancestry but can find no record of this Medal, will see what else I can find though and get back to you.

Simon

[142bravo]

Thanks for checking Simon:  I looked more closely at the National Archives documents I found on one photocopied page of poor quality and very hard to (of course!) document with entries on his character and ships he served on etc.  - but on the last line an entry which reads:  " ???  for medal 13th March 18?8."

Too bad it is so illegible but I wonder if it might be 1888  as the requirement for the medal was at least 18 years of unblemished service and as he enlisted in 1868 it would fit but that is only a guess as it is impossible to sort out what the entry is.

Bruce