A Russian St. George Cross for Bravery pair awarded to Petty Officer Mechanic N. E. Martin, Royal Naval Air Service, for service with the Armoured Car Division in Russia Victory Medal 1914-19 (F.2870 P.O.M., R.N.A.S.); Russia, St. George Cross for Bravery, 4th Class, silver, rev. inscribed, 978487, extremely fine (2) £1200-1500 Nelson Ernest Martin was born in Paddington, London on 1 October 1895. A Motor Mechanic by occupation, he enlisted into the R.N.A.S. as a Petty Officer Mechanic on 29 December 1914. He served in No.15 Squadron in Belgium and France. On 1 December 1915 he embarked for Russia and served with No.1 Squadron Armoured Cars. His official record of service states: Aug.-Novr. 1916. On detached service in Persia. Nov.-Dec. On detached service in Dobrudsha. In action Topolul. Dec. On detached service in Roumania. Galatz base. January 1917. At Tiraspol base. March. On detached service in Roumania. Galatz. 22nd May Returned to Tiraspol base. Awarded St. George Cross for "conspicuous gallantry in action" at Galatz. Cross No.978487. 8th June. Left Tiraspol base for service in Galicia. Telyache. 12th August. Left Proskurov Base for Brovary Base. 22nd August Aug. Left Brovary for England on leave. 18.9.17. Arrived in England. 3.4.18. Discharged unfit. Sold with a Russian diary for 1917, inscribed to N. E. Martin, British Armoured Cars Russia, with handwritten entries in pencil, 1 January-18 September, with additional entries made for 11 June, 1 July, 11 July. With a modern typed transcription of the diary entries. Together with an ornate discharge certificate (damaged) mounted on card, an original photograph of the recipients parents and copied service papers. 25 April: Our 3pdr. fired from the new position, and the enemy replied with 6 inch h.ex. Killed two of our chaps, both pals of mine. J. Graham was blown absolutely away & P. Smith was terribly smashed, decapitated, disembowelled etc. All that could be found of J.G. was two bits of legs.... Additional entry 11 June: I was listening to the conversation of some soldiers this evening & it appeared that a day or two previously, during a discussion on peace, etc, one soldier gave a speech against making an advance (Russian). Another soldier, hearing this, picked up a piece of wood & hit the speaker on the head with it, killing him on the spot. A court martial ensued & after discussing the evidence, the court martial found that the prisoner had acted quite right, and awarded him with the Cross of St. George (4th Class).... 1 July. Front Line Trenches Galicia. The attack was timed for 10.00 am. At 9.55 enemy artillery opened up a heavy bombardment of the first line. Ten oclock came & the soldiers having arrived some twenty minutes earlier, the order was given to mount the parapet. ... The enemy fire was devilish by this time. I opened fire about 10.05, my orders being to sweep the enemy trenches over the heads of the advancing infantry. I got a unique sort of souvenir. It is a Russian officers epaulette. The soldiers would not get out of the trench in our sector of the line, & the officer, who had been over himself & had come back, was telling us about it & he was that furious & ashamed, that he said that he would not command such men & ripped his epaulettes off, throwing them into the trench, from which place I afterwards recovered one. Another officer was beating the men over with a big stick. There is another incident, may be called humerous, may be called pathetic. It was this. About six soldiers were afraid to go over, but at the same time they were ashamed to stop back, one of our chaps from a trench mortar crew, a big Australian, was near & they called him, & pointing to their backs & then over the trench, he understood them to want putting over, so he gets on the step, & getting them by the slack of their clothing, he throws them over one after the other . In the book The Czars British Squadron, the Australian is named as Petty Officer Gardiner. He is very likely to be one and the same as Petty Officer Mechanic G. Gardner, who was to win the D.S.M. for his bravery that day (see lot 591). 26 July: Left Proscurov about 11.30 am for the front on an armoured [car] we built ourselves. Arrived at the village where our camp is about 4.00 pm. This car is the invention of our Sqdrn. Comdr. It is a Ford armoured body, put into a light lorry. The gun is mounted inside the armoured body. The driver is armoured in with odd pieces of plate, & the whole thing is the biggest piece of madness I have seen. The Sketch photographer took snaps of it.
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Late 19th Century walnut stick barometer, the case with foliate carved pediment and cistern cover, having two day angled ceramic plates with twin sliding Vernier scales signed W.F. Stanley & Co Ltd, London, the trunk with conforming carved decoration and thermometer, 112cm high - see illustration
19th Century Elkington & Co silver plated deskstand, the pen tray enclosed by an oval cover having a figural taper stick depicting a cherub, fitted two cut glass inkwells with silver plated covers, the whole having a scroll decorated rim and standing on conforming feet, 31cm wide - see illustration
17th century oil on canvas of a gentlemen holding gloves and a wooden stick Inscribed 'Atatis Sva. 88 1619 - W. Montague Lord Of The Manor Of Oakley Son Of Sir B. Montague' Stamped on Verso 'Kimbolton Castle 134 Heirloom' Kimbolton Castle is now a school, Kimbolton Castle seat of Sir Henry Montague purchased in 1615 (1563-1642) h: 45 x w: 34 in.
William IV desk inkstand of rectangular form with raised floral, acanthus leaf and scroll border with central engraved armorial, raised on four bracket feet. Central chamber stick, to each side a cut glass inkwell with silver mounts. The armorial depicts the coat of arms of Beaumont of Whitley hall, Huddersfield impaling another, possibly for the wedding of Richard Henry Beaumont of Whitley hall to Catherine, daughter of Timothy Wiggin of the USA on the 3rd December 1831. Maximum length measures 11 inches (28cm). Hallmarked Edward, Edward Jnr, John & W. Barnard London 1831. The desk stand has general scratches, marks and tarnishing to the whole reflective of the age of the piece. The engravings are worn. All hallmarks are clear and distinct to the base of the piece, the hallmarks to the mounts of the glass jars, are more worn, especially the sponsors mark. There are large noticeable chips to the base of the glass jars, also with sizeable chips to the bodies. The central chamber stick is of white metal and is not hallmarked, and therefore could possibly be associated. There is one screw missing from the base.
Emerald and diamond circular design stick pin with a central panel of step cut emeralds surrounded by pave set old mine and old European diamonds. (Made from another item possibly a clasp.) The pin is a later addition, there are fittings to the back implying that it was another item previously, all diamonds are present, the emeralds are slightly scratched and chipped.
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