Antiques Trade Gazette 49
The man whose talent for improvisation saved many lives and helped win the day
WALLIS and Wallis of Lewes will offer medals from three generations of the same family at their November 16 sale. Most fascinating, perhaps, are the
circumstances under which James Rennie, who served in the Indian Navy from 1827-1857, won his CB. His singular qualities soon became
evident during the China War, when Rennie was in command of the Hon East India Company ship Sesostris. The ship was crucial in covering the landings of troops and marines in the face of intense Chinese fi re at Tinghae, Chinhae, Ningpo Tsekee, Chapoo and Nanking. “In all these operations …James won
a high reputation for his courage and dash leading his marines in many assaults on the formidable Chinese defences,” a family history explains. During the Burmese War, 1852-53,
Rennie was promoted to Commander of the Indian Marine vessel Zenobia, giving support to the Deputy Commissioner in the absence of the military, in pacifi ying the hinterland. This included leading his force through the densest jungle in a climate which had proved fatal to many Europeans and led to the trapping of around 3000 Burmese troops. For his services Commander Rennie
received a sword of honour from the East India Company (EIC) but his exploits were far from over. Throughout the Persian campaign
he commanded the ship Firoze and masterminded a plan to attack Mohammerah, a fortress at the head of the Gulf defended by 13,000 Persians. A position close under the forts
suitable for a mortar battery was found to be a swamp. Rennie came to the rescue with the proposal of a mortar raft and, in defi ance of the engineers who said the fi rst shot would smash it, oversaw its construction under the cover of darkness. Manned by the Bombay Artillery, the raft was towed into position opposite the
Northern Fort. During the attack, that caused a magazine in the fort to explode, the British loss was only ten killed and 30 wounded, while the Persian army was dispersed, with around 300 killed. As later reports explained,
Commander Rennie’s ingenuity had not been limited to the mortar raft. He had also placed trusses of pressed hay around the bulwarks of several vessels, and these had acted as effective dampers for the Persian musket balls, hundreds of which were found embedded therein. Although awarded the CB, the
commanding offi cer, General Outram, considered Rennie worthy of an even greater honour. On May 23, 1857, in a letter to the
EIC, Outram wrote: “In due course I will send the names of individual offi cers who are worthy of distinction; some I hope may gain even that greatest of all distinctions, the Victoria Cross. One especially, Commander Rennie of the Indian Navy, will be found to have earned a just claim to it.” Rennie’s CB group appears at Wallis
Above: the CB group belonging to James Rennie, who served with the Indian Navy from 1827-57. It is being offered with an estimate of £3000-4000 at Wallis and Wallis of Lewes.
and Wallis with an estimate of £3000- 4000. Five other groups from three generations of the Rennie family appear alongside it at the sale.
Left: on November 30, Morton and Eden will offer this unusual and rare Large Sea Gallantry medal in gold dated 1844. It was awarded to a Danish national Captain Drescher for his part in the rescue of the crew of the British brig Rowland Hill. The image shows that the piece was individually produced from specially- created reverse dies. It is estimated at £4000-6000.
Back to the Boer War
A BOER War DSO Group of Nine, awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Frederick George Lawrence of the South Wales Borderers, 24th Regiment, appeared at Dreweatts of Bristol on October 26 in a sale that also offered material linked to Field Marshal Lord Allenby. The group, which includes Croix de
Guerre for both Belgium and France, relates to action which Lawrence saw in South Africa from 1899-1902, and was accompanied by numerous photographs from the period depicting, among other things, war damage to railway infrastructure. Estimated at £3000-4000, it sold
at £4500.
Nelson star fails to shine
NELSON’S silver, gold and enamel breast star of the Order of the Bath – his fi rst honour – which we previewd in ATG No 1960, failed to sell at Morton and Eden on October 22 (estimate £300,000-500,000).
DFC in Cumbria
A Distinguished Flying Cross Group awarded to Flight Lt. George A. Grundy as observer on a Flying Fortress which made the fi rst U-Boat kill out of the Azores on November 9, 1943, was offered by Thomson Roddick and Medcalf of Carlisle on October 1. Sold complete with citation slip,
insignia, log book, sight log book, aerial photos and others, as well as training notes, it took £3200.
The Medals column covers campaign and gallantry medals. Please send items of interest and accompanying images to
medals@atgmedia.com
DIX NO ON AN WEBB DNW A uc t ion e er s & Va lu e rs
www.dnw.co.uk 16 Bolton Street MayfaIr London W1J 8BQ
Telephone 020 7016 1700 Fax 020 7016 1799 E-mail
medals@dnw.co.uk
The Authoritative Orders, Decorations and Medals Auctioneer
• Quarterly Rostrum Auctions held in London’s Mayfair • Regular online-only Desktop Auctions
• Private treaty sales of fine quality medals for the serious collector and connoisseur
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80