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Auction: 7022 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 1231

A K.B.E., C.B., C.V.O. Group of Fifteen to Paymaster Rear-Admiral Sir H. Share, Royal Navy, Employed in Royal Service in H.M.´s Yachts, 1892-99; Held a Number of Important Naval Appointments including Secretary to its Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, Admiral Jellicoe in H.M.S. Iron Duke 1914-17 a) The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 1st type, Military Division, Knight Commander´s (K.B.E.) set of insignia, neck Badge, 80mm including Crown suspension x 63mm, silver-gilt and enamel, Star, 80mm, silver and enamel b) The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Military Division, Companion´s (C.B.) neck Badge, 58mm, silver-gilt and enamel c) The Royal Victorian Order, Commander´s Third Class (C.V.O.) neck Badge, 55mm, silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially numbered ´C921´ d) Egypt 1882-89, dated reverse, no clasp (H.H. Share. Clerk. R.N. H.M.S. "Tourmaline" e) 1914-15 Star (Ft. Payr. H.H. Share. R.N.) f) British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oakleaves (Payr. Capt. H.H. Share. R.N.), BWM partly officially corrected g) Jubilee 1897, silver, engraved in upright serif capitals ´H.H. Share, Asst. Paymstr. In Charge R.N.R.Y."Osborne"´ h) Coronation 1911, engraved in upright serif capitals ´H.H. Share, Sec: Atlantic Fleet.´ i) Jubilee 1935, unnamed as issued j) Russia, Empire, Order of St. Anne, Second Class neck Badge, with swords, by Eduard, St. Petersburg, 43mm, gold (56 zolotniki) and enamel, maker´s marks on reverse, 1908-17 St. Petersburg kokoshnik marks on suspension ring and swords, minor repair work evident k) France, Third Republic, Legion of Honour, Officer´s breast Badge, 55mm including wreath suspension x 40mm, silver-gilt and enamel, ´1870´ on obverse, with rosette on riband l) Japan, Empire, Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class neck Badge, 81mm including paulownia flowers suspension x 57mm, silver-gilt, enamel, and red cabochon in centre m) France, Republic, Croix de Guerre, 1914-1918 n) Khedive´s Star 1882, unnamed as issued, generally good very fine, campaign awards and breast badge mounted court style for wear, all housed in a custom made red leather case by J.R. Gaunt & Son Ltd, London with ´Sir Hamnet Share´ embossed in gold on the lid, with a copy of one of the recipient´s published works, Under Great Bear and Southern Cross, Forty Years Afloat and Ashore, with a foreword by Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe of Scapa; and several ship postcards from the recipient´s service (lot) Estimate £ 2,800-3,200 K.B.E. London Gazette 16.4.1920 Paymaster Captain Hamnet Holditch Share, C.B., R.N., ´For valuable services as Secretary to Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O. C.B. London Gazette 1.1.1916 Fleet Paymaster Hamnet Holditch Share, R.N. C.V.O. London Gazette 4.6.1934 Paymaster Rear-Admiral Sir Hamnet Holdtich Share, K.B.E., C.B. Legion of Honour London Gazette 20.7.1917 Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class London Gazette 19.12.1917 Payr.-in-Ch. Hamnet Share, C.B., R.N. Order of St. Anne, 2nd Class (with Swords) London Gazette 5.6.1917 Fl. Payr. Hamnet H. Share, C.B. (now Payr.-in-Chief. Paymaster Rear-Admiral Sir Hamnet Holditch Share, K.B.E., C.B., C.V.O. (1864-1937), born Penrhyn, Cornwall; entered Royal Navy 1880 and appointed Assistant Clerk later that year; Clerk 1881, and served in this position in H.M.S. Tourmaline in the Detached Squadron, 1880-82, South America, South Africa, Australia, Pacific, Japan, China and in the Mediterranean during the Egyptian Campaign 1882; served in the East Indies Station 1882-84, Senior Naval Officer´s ship; Madagascar during the French occupation 1883-84; transferred to the Flag Ship of Rear-Admiral Sir W. Hewett V.C., H.M.S. Euraylus and served with her in the East Indies, 1884-85; Assistant Paymaster 1885; continued to serve with Hewett in H.M.S. Minatour and Northumberland, Flagships for the Channel Squadron, 1886-88; posted to Rear-Admiral Well´s Flagship, H.M.S. Raleigh, Cape of Good Hope and Africa Station, 1888-92; served in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert, 1892-95, during which time he accompanied the Royal Family, the German Emperor and King Carlos of Portugal on various official trips; served in the Royal Yacht Osborne, 1895-99, ´At this time, Signor Marconi was invited to fit his newly discovered wireless telegraph arrangements on board the Osborne and was a fortnight with us. A receiving station was fitted at Osborne House, and the Queen received a daily bulletin from the Yacht. The Osborne was the first of Her Majesty´s ships to carry wireless´ (Under Great Bear and Southern Cross, written by the recipient, refers); Paymaster 1898; appointed Secretary to Commander-in-Chief Pacific Station, 1899-1900, and to Commander-in-Chief Australia Station (Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Beaumont), 1901-03; appointed Private Secretary to Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, Governor of New South Wales, 1903-04; held the same position to Lord Northcote, Governor-General, Commonwealth of Australia, 1904-08; Staff Paymaster 9.6.1906; appointed Secretary to the then Vice-Admiral Sir John Jellicoe (H.M.S. Prince of Wales, in Command of the Atlantic Fleet, 1911 and in the same capacity to Jellicoe when he took command of the Second Battle Squadron (H.M.S. Hercules), 1912 and as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet (H.M.S. Iron Duke), 1914-17, ´A few weeks after came a charming letter from Admiral Jellicoe saying that he was going to have command of the Atlantic Fleet in December, and offering me the appointment of Secretary which, needless to say, I was delighted to accept. Little did I appreciate then what my good fortune was to be, for this commenced a period of service with him, which continued almost without break until 1920, when he hauled down his Flag as Admiral of the Fleet, after the Naval Mission to India and the Dominions´ (Under Great Bear and Southern Cross, written by the recipient, refers); Share served at Jellicoe´s side during the Great War, ´Time passed very quickly and there was much to do for everyone. The Commander-in-Chief bore the strain wonderfully and his energy was amazing. With such heavy responsibility on his shoulders and daily increasing work, it was marvellous how one person could so carry on. Each night he made a habit of reading himself to sleep with a cheap thriller novel or detective story, for he said it took his mind temporarily off important matters, and answered admirably. In my own department, in which I was assisted by an additional secretary, first by Fleet-Paymaster Charles F. Pollard, who had been with the late Commander-in-Chief and eventually went with Sir George Callaghan to the Nore Command, Fleet-Paymaster Victor H.T. Weekes taking his place. It occupied some time to get a new war organization working, for there was a varied and immense amount of matter to deal with; an average of about 100 telegrams daily received and sent - on some occasions many more. In the Commander-in-Chief´s Office, seven officers and six Chief and other writers, two printing presses and printers, were constantly employed; and officers kept regular watch night and day in the cipher office. As soon as an order for operations or movements had been drafted, proofs were made and checked, and then close on 400 copies had to be produced - sometimes at very short notice, for distribution before the Fleet could go to sea. Each ship acknowledged receipt of orders by a special flag which indicated that they had been received by the Flag or Senior Officer of each Squadron or Flotilla. The possibility of a signal being made after going to sea, that such and such an order had not been received, haunted one as a dreadful nightmare.´ (Under the Great Bear and Southern Cross, written by the recipient, refers); he was present at the Battle of Jutland, ´My station on board the Iron Duke was in the gun-control tower with Commander Geoffrey Blake who was Gunnery Officer in charge´ (Under the Great Bear and Southern Cross, written by the recipient, refers); Naval Assistant to First Sea Lord,1917; Secretary to Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe, Naval Mission to India and Dominions, 1919-20; retired 1921; Gentleman Usher in Ordinary to the King, 1922-34; Extra-Gentleman Usher, 1934.

Sold for
£5,600