A CHOICE & SUPERBLY NAMED CHINA WAR MEDAL. (CANTON 1857)
Named To: " ROBERT POWELL H.M.SHIP SANS PARIEL 1857"Named in superbly neat Roman Seriffed Block Capitals. ( On Roll as, 183, Rt Powell. Captn after Guard )
[BIOGRAPHY]
Robert Powell was born in Birmingham on 6th December 1812.He appears to have originally gone to sea with the merchant fleet at age 27 in 1839. He was 5ft 6" tall, with brown hair and grey eyes with a fair complexion. He had a Crucifix tattoo on his left arm. His merchant service covered six ships between 1839 and 1857. These ships were: FLY, OCESTES, CURACOA, DUBLIN, HAVENNAK.His character during this Merchant Navy period is described as "GOOD".He is next seen described as a Ldg Seaman aboard HMS SAN PAREIL for what was presumably a 'look see' at the Royal Navy for a 10 day period from 6th--15th June 1855. He must have been happy with his new ship and position as on 9th June 1855 he seen at the beginning of an 18 month period of service in HMS SANS PAREIL as 'Captain Afore Guard' which lasted until 1st March 1857. Then, on 2nd March 1857 he formally volunteered for a further 10 year engagement with the Royal Navy, (No.33,280) with his signature going on his medical acceptance papers on 6th March 1857. He then had continued service in HMS SANS PAREIL until 15th FEB' 1859 with conduct described as ' V.GOOD ". He then transferred to HMS IMPREGNABLE on 16th Feb 1857 for 6 weeks until 29th March 1857. Then a final move on to HMS JAMES WATT for just 14 months until 11th June 1860. ...therefore it seems he did not complete his planned 10 year engagement. His total stated merchant & RN service was 14 years 137 days.
[CAREER OF HMS SANS PAREIL]
Sans Pareil was commissioned at Plymouth on 12 November 1852, under the command of Sydney Dacres.She was initially at Lisbon, but by 1853 was serving with the Channel Fleet. The outbreak of the Crimean War led to her being reassigned to the Black Sea, and on 22 November 1854 Sans Pareil came under the command of Acting Captain Leopold Heath. He commanded her until February 1855, when Captain Woodford John Williams took over. In September 1855 Sans Pareil was used to transport mortars to the Baltic. Captain Astley Cooper Key took over on 9 January 1856, and was placed in charge of a division of gunboats. After the end of the war Sans Pareil was used to return troops from the Crimea, and by March 1857, had been sent to the Far East. Key and the Sans Pareil were present in China during the Second Opium War, with Key commanding the naval brigade at the capture of Canton on 28 December 1857. Key was invalided back to Britain in April, and was replaced by Captain Julian Foulston Slight. He was in turn replaced by Captain Rochfort Maguire, who remained in command until her return to Plymouth at the end of 1859.
Sans Pareil was recommissioned on 5 June 1862 under the command of Captain Arthur Parry Eardley-Wilmot, replacing HMS Nile as the Queenstown guardship. In November 1861 she was used to transport troops to Mexico, along with HMS Donegal and HMS Conqueror. Her final captain was George Le Geyt Bowyear, and Sans Pareil spent 1863 conveying marines to China, and returning invalids home.
Sans Pareil was reduced to 66 guns in 1866 and was sold to C. Marshall in March 1867. She was broken up at Plymouth..
FULL SERVICE PAPERS INCLUDED, THE MEDAL IS TOTALLY ORIGINAL IN GVF+ WITH NICE ORIGINAL TONE.( SOLD)
