An interesting Great War and Second World War Atlantic service, Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and Royal Humane Society Medal in bronze, 3rd small type awarded to Stoker Petty Officer Samuel R. Morgan, Royal Navy who saw Great War service aboard HMS Essex in the Caribbean and in the Atlantic aboard HMS Essex and HMS Orion before being awarded his Royal Humane Society Medal for saving a Seaman at Milford Haven on 8th October 1918. Remaining in the service after the Great War he would be awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal whilst serving aboard HMS Labirnum, and having been pensioned ashore, would be recalled in time for the Second World War.
Group of 9: 1914-1915 Star; (K.11992 S.R. MORGAN. L. STO. R.N.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (K.11992 S.R. MORGAN. S.P.O. R.N.) 1939-1945 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal; Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. GVR Adm. Bust; (11992.S.R. MORGAN. S.P.O. H.M.S. LABIRNUM) Royal Humane Society Medal in bronze for a successful act, 3rd type; (SAMUEL R. MORGAN. R.N. 8TH OCT. 1918.)
Condition: WW1 medals polished and with edge-bruising, WW2 and other medals, Very Fine
Samuel Robert Morgan was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire on 16th February 1893 and would initially see service as a Stoker 2nd Class from 31st December 1911, transferring to Sapphire on 27th January 1912 and being promoted to Stoker 1st Class on 4th September 1912, before leaving to return back to Vivid II on 19th March 1913 he would remain there until 16th May 1913 and would then serve aboard Egmont from 16th May 1913 to 14th November 1913, Mutine from 16th February until 16th August 1914, Essex from 17th august 1914 until 23rd August 1916, being promoted Acting Leading Stoker on 14th May 1915 and then Leading Stoker on 27th October 1915.
On 7 September 1914, Essex captured the tender, SS Bethania, for the armed merchant cruiser SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, en route from Halifax to Jamaica. The ship continued to patrol the sealanes from the Caribbean Sea to Canadian waters until the end of February 1915, when she escorted a troop convoy from Halifax to Queenstown, Ireland. Essex then sailed to Barrow-in-Furness where she began a refit that lasted until 29 April. Now assigned to the 7th Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, she spent the next several weeks in Avonmouth or Scapa Flow before being transferred to Cruiser Force I and began patrolling the area between the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde and Gibraltar on 8 June. Rear-Admiral Archibald Moore, commander of the 9th Cruiser Squadron, hoisted his flag aboard the ship on 4 September and pulled it down on the 29th. Essex began a brief refit at Gibraltar on 1 October that lasted until the 26th and then resumed patrolling the Central Atlantic. She captured a German merchantman, SS Telde, on 3 May 1916 in the Canary Islands. The ship resumed patrolling until her arrival in Devonport on 17 August; Essex was paid off days later.
He would then transfer to Vivid on 24th August 1916 staying there until 20th January 1917, when he would transfer to Orion, subsequently being promoted Acting Leading Stoker Petty Officer on 1st September 1917 and Stoker Petty Officer on 2nd March 1918 until leaving for Vivid II on 28th March 1918. He would then serve with Idaho from 14th May 1918 until 18th December 1918.
Morgan would be awarded his Royal Humane Society Medal for saving a seaman at Milford Haven on 8th October 1918.
He would continue to serve after the Great War being awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal whilst serving aboard Labirnum where he served between 6th February 1924 and 15th October 1926 before then being promoted to Chief Stoker on 19th November 1925.
He would finally be shore pensioned on 16th August 1933, but would be remobilised on 28th September 1938 before quickly being demobilised on 2nd October 1938, this is a result of the successful conclusion of the Munich Crisis. He would then later be recalled and see Second World War Service.
