Description

*ALCOHOLIC* MASTER AT ARMS 107070 T HUTCHINGS WW1 ROYAL NAVY LONG SERVICE MEDALS

Offered is a British War Medal (1914 – 18), impressed named 107070 T. HUTCHINGS. M.A.A. R.N.; Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (ED.VII), impressed named THOMAS HUTCHINGS. M.A.A. H.M.S. FIRE QUEEN. Original card box remnants for the B.W.M. Comes with copy service records, medal roll, 1911 census, and silver war badge list.

The two medals are his full entitlement.

Master At Arms Thomas Hutchings was born on 29/5/1862, the son of a soldier, he was working as a gardener when he enlisted into the Royal Navy on 11/11/1876, as a Boy 2nd Class. Over the next 41 years he served in a variety of H.M. Ship and shore bases including: St Vincent (boys training ship), Comus (Corvette with sails and a steam engine; her hull was iron and steel but sheathed with wood and copper; and carried muzzleloading guns), Royal Adelaide (depot ship), Vernon (shore base torpedo school), Duke of Wellington (flagship of the Port Admiral at Portsmouth), Active (Volage-class corvette), Crocodile (Euphrates-class troopship), Victory 1, Pelican (Osprey-class sloop), Cleopatra (Comus-class screw corvette), Volage (Volage-class corvette), Royal Arthur (Edgar class cruiser) which was the flagship of the Australian Station. Fire Queen (flagship for the admiralty commanding Portsmouth).

He was pensioned to shore 31/8/1904 and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve (Portsmouth) 7/12/1904. The 1911 census records him as R.N. Pensioner caretake for the Working (mans/) Club West Lavington, Midhurst.

Recalled for WW1 he served on the following H.M. Ships and bases: Victory (1) 2/8/1914 – 2/10/1914. Columbine (Base ship) 3/10/1914 – 18/1/1915. Stephen Furness (Armed Boarding Steamer) 19/1/1915 – 31/8/1915. Victory (1) 1/9/1915 – 10/11/1915. Stephen Furness 11/11/1915 – 19/11/1915. Victory (1) 20/11/1915 – 14/12/1915. Dolphin (submarine depot ship) 15/12/1915 – 5/3/1917. Victory (1) 6/3/1917 – 29/3/1917 invalided to shore (alcoholic) with the silver war badge.

Promoted to Yeoman of Sigs 15/9/1885. Master At Arms 6/12/1893. Awarded L.S. & G.C. 1904.