General Service medal. W.G.NEAL.,CH.WTR.,H.M.S.REDBREAST
€ 350
Description
W. G. Neal: The name of the Royal Navy sailor to whom this medal was awarded.
CH. WTR. (Chief Writer): His rank/rating. A Chief Writer was a senior non-commissioned rating in the Royal Navy responsible for clerical, secretarial, and administrative duties.
H.M.S. REDBREAST: The ship he was serving on. HMS Redbreast was a Redbreast-class gunboat launched in 1889 that saw extensive service, particularly around East and West Africa.
African & Middle Eastern Campaigns: It served extensively on the East and West Africa Stations (for which the medal you have was awarded) and was later sent to the East Indies.
Anti-Smuggling Patrols: Its final active commission (from 1908 to March 1910) was spent patrolling the Persian Gulf to intercept illegal arms and gun-runners.
Decommissioning: Upon returning to England from the Persian Gulf in 1910, the ship was paid off, decommissioned, and sold out of service as it had become obsolete compared to modern steel-hulled warships.
(Note: A later merchant ship, the SS Redbreast, was requisitioned by the Navy during WWI and torpedoed in 1917, but the specific 1889 gunboat your medal belongs to met its end peacefully in a shipyard
Since this was awarded to a Chief Writer (CH. WTR.)—a senior clerical non-commissioned rating—rather than a standard Able Seaman, it has unique historical appeal to collectors of naval logistics and administrative history.
The Clasp: The "Somaliland 1902-04" clasp represents actions against the forces of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (the "Mad Mullah"). It is a widely collected naval campaign clasp.
Condition: Medal is in good, naturally toned condition with clear rim naming, though it is currently missing its original yellow and black ribbon. Replacing the ribbon with an authentic or high-quality reproduction length is inexpensive but improves display value.
Approximately 81 Africa General Service Medals with the "Somaliland 1902-04" clasp were awarded to the crew of H.M.S.
The difference between the two ships.
Though they shared the same name, they were entirely different vessels:
In regarding the presented medal. .( 1889 Ship).This was a Redbreast-class composite screw gunboat built with a wood-planked iron frame, powered by both steam and sails. It spent its lifetime performing colonial policing, anti-smuggling, and coastal patrols in Africa and the East Indies before being sold peacefully for scrap in 1910.
While the 1908 war ship : The ship sunk during WWI was originally a civilian passenger/cargo steamship named SS Prince Ahmed. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the war, it was converted into a Fleet Messenger and heavily armed decoy "Q-Ship" named HMS Redbreast. It was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat (UC-38) in the Aegean Sea in 1917.
Geographic and Strategic Context: Malta served as the strategic heart and primary base of the British Mediterranean Fleet. Because H.M.S. Redbreast operated heavily on the East Africa and East Indies stations, any transit back to Great Britain required passing through the Suez Canal and stopping directly at Malta for refueling, repairs, or crew reassignments. Royal Navy personnel—including administrative staff like Chief Writer W. G. Neal—frequently cycled through and retired in Malta.
CH. WTR. (Chief Writer): His rank/rating. A Chief Writer was a senior non-commissioned rating in the Royal Navy responsible for clerical, secretarial, and administrative duties.
H.M.S. REDBREAST: The ship he was serving on. HMS Redbreast was a Redbreast-class gunboat launched in 1889 that saw extensive service, particularly around East and West Africa.
African & Middle Eastern Campaigns: It served extensively on the East and West Africa Stations (for which the medal you have was awarded) and was later sent to the East Indies.
Anti-Smuggling Patrols: Its final active commission (from 1908 to March 1910) was spent patrolling the Persian Gulf to intercept illegal arms and gun-runners.
Decommissioning: Upon returning to England from the Persian Gulf in 1910, the ship was paid off, decommissioned, and sold out of service as it had become obsolete compared to modern steel-hulled warships.
(Note: A later merchant ship, the SS Redbreast, was requisitioned by the Navy during WWI and torpedoed in 1917, but the specific 1889 gunboat your medal belongs to met its end peacefully in a shipyard
Since this was awarded to a Chief Writer (CH. WTR.)—a senior clerical non-commissioned rating—rather than a standard Able Seaman, it has unique historical appeal to collectors of naval logistics and administrative history.
The Clasp: The "Somaliland 1902-04" clasp represents actions against the forces of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (the "Mad Mullah"). It is a widely collected naval campaign clasp.
Condition: Medal is in good, naturally toned condition with clear rim naming, though it is currently missing its original yellow and black ribbon. Replacing the ribbon with an authentic or high-quality reproduction length is inexpensive but improves display value.
Approximately 81 Africa General Service Medals with the "Somaliland 1902-04" clasp were awarded to the crew of H.M.S.
The difference between the two ships.
Though they shared the same name, they were entirely different vessels:
In regarding the presented medal. .( 1889 Ship).This was a Redbreast-class composite screw gunboat built with a wood-planked iron frame, powered by both steam and sails. It spent its lifetime performing colonial policing, anti-smuggling, and coastal patrols in Africa and the East Indies before being sold peacefully for scrap in 1910.
While the 1908 war ship : The ship sunk during WWI was originally a civilian passenger/cargo steamship named SS Prince Ahmed. Requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the war, it was converted into a Fleet Messenger and heavily armed decoy "Q-Ship" named HMS Redbreast. It was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat (UC-38) in the Aegean Sea in 1917.
Geographic and Strategic Context: Malta served as the strategic heart and primary base of the British Mediterranean Fleet. Because H.M.S. Redbreast operated heavily on the East Africa and East Indies stations, any transit back to Great Britain required passing through the Suez Canal and stopping directly at Malta for refueling, repairs, or crew reassignments. Royal Navy personnel—including administrative staff like Chief Writer W. G. Neal—frequently cycled through and retired in Malta.
Item Details
10063366
12
Collectibles
14/07/2026
Used
