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Auction: 25111 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 398

(x) Family Collection to Four Generations

The campaign pair attributed to Captain of the Main Top J. Fortune, Royal Navy

Crimea 1854-56, 1 clasp, Sebastopol, unnamed; Turkish Crimea 1855, Sardinian issue, unnamed as issued, nearly very fine (2)

Three: Yeoman Signaller H. J. Fortune, Royal Navy

South Africa 1877-79, no clasp (H.J. Fortune Sigl Boy: H.M.S. "Orontes"); Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Alexandria 11th July (H.J. Fortune. Sig. 2.Cl. "H.M.S. Monarch"); Khedive's Star, dated 1882, unnamed as issued (3)

Pair: Stoker 1st Class R. E. Fortune, Royal Navy

British War and Victory Medals (K: 31707 R.E. Fortune. Sto.1. R.N.), very fine (2)

Five: Private E. G. Fortune, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry

1939-45 Star; Africa Star, 1st Army Clasp; France and Germany Star; War and Defence Medals 1939-45, unnamed as issued, in box of issue addressed to Mr E. G. Fortune 14 Whitwell St, Frome, Somerset, with enclosed entitlement slip, sold together with a Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry cap badge, very fine (5)

John Fortune was born at Chippenham, Wiltshire on 10 November 1830. He married Mary Langdon on 9 April 1855, and they had two children, a daughter Mary and a son, Henry who served in the Royal Navy. Fortune died at Frome, Somerset on 20 April 1908. The Somerset Standard of 3 July 1908 recorded John's death stating that he was in receipt of a police constable's pension which he was granted on 8 April 1884, confirming that John became a police constable at Mells, near Frome after his military service.

The Somerset Heritage Centre hold records of two arrests made by John; Reference: Q/SR/653/105 and Q/SR/672/11-18.

Henry James Fortune was born at Frome, Somerset on 5 July 1861, the son of John Fortune. Enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy second class on 6 March 1877 and was posted to Orontes on 6 February 1878. He was to earn his South Africa Medal for his service with her at this time before joining Temeraire on 1 January 1881.

He continued to serve being present with Monarch when she took part in the Bombardment of Alexandria on 11 July 1882. Shore discharged on 22 April 1886 as Yeoman Signaller he married Ellen on 16 July 1887 with Robert Edward Fortune being one of their 13 children. Henry later served in the Great War as a Private in the Labour Corps receiving a 1914-15 Star trio. In the 1939 census Henry is recorded as a retired railway clerk, most likely employed by Great Western Railway in Swindon, where he died in December 1943.

Further entitled to a 1914-15 Star and British War and Victory Medals.

Robert Edward Fortune was born at Swindon, Wiltshire on 27 September 1895, son of Henry James Fortune, and was a printer machine minder when he enlisted in the Royal Navy on 20 March 1916 as a Stoker second class.

Shore base initially he was posted to Q1, a Q ship from 16 May 1916 until 3 December 1916, Sprightly, a B-class torpedo boat destroyer, on 24 June 1917 until 4 December 1917, then shore based before receiving his final appointment to Talbot on 18 June 1918. From January 1917 Talbot was based at Kiswere Tanzania, when the second period of German commerce raids began and in 1918, she was off the Cape of Good Hope.

Fortune was shore demobilised on 26 June 1919 and returned to his previous occupation as a printer machine minder employed by Butler and Tanner Printers & Bookbinders. Robert died at Frome, Somerset on 17 August 1973.

Ernest George Fortune was born at Frome on 18 February 1915 the son of Robert Edward Fortune. In the 1939 census Ernest is recorded as a printer's reader, most likely employed at the same firm as his father, Butler and Tanner of Frome, who were the town's major employer at the time. In June 1940 Ernest married Muriel Dunford. It's not known when Ernest enlisted for service in the Second World War.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£700

Starting price
£420