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Auction: 20001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - conducted behind closed doors
Lot: 768

Pair: Captain's Coxswain T. U. Branton, Royal Navy

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol (Thomas. U. Branton. Captn. Coxn. Her. Majesty's. Ship. Sans. Pareil.), contemporarily engraved naming; Turkish Crimea 1855, British issue, pierced with replacement ring suspension, unnamed as issued, very fine (2)


Thomas U. Branton served as Able Seaman aboard the 4th rate, 50-gun Leader from 1 October 1853. Appointed Captain's Coxswain on 22 May 1855, later 2nd Master aboard Sans Pareil, he served under Captain Woodford John Williams and was engaged in transporting mortars to the Baltic. Replaced by Captain Astley Cooper Key on 9 January 1856, Sans Pareil acted as a transport vessel returning troops from the Crimea before being sent to the Far East where she witnessed service during the Second Opium War. On 28 December 1857, Captain Key commanded the Naval Brigade at the capture of Canton before being invalided home to Britain in April 1858 and replaced by Captain Julian Foulston Slight. Transferred to the troopship Himalaya on 20 September 1862, Branton was likely later involved in the transfer of troops between India, South Africa, the Gold Coast and North America; sold with copied naval rolls.

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Sold for
£350

Starting price
£140