Royal Navy Service Records

I am offering help with Naval Service Records and Naval Court Martial Summaries.  Please keep inquiries to navy enlisted men who served in the Zulu War.

I will also look up Army Court-Martial Record Summaries for Zulu War.

Petty Officer Tom

Dear Petty Officer Tom

I have 6 naval SA '77-79 medals, but only one includes a bar covering the year 1879. These are listed below:

No bar. JH Luff Ships Cpl 1st Class. HMS Euphrates
One bar 1877-1878. W Glover. Ord. HMS Active
One bar 1877-1878. WH Johns. Ship’s Steward Assistant. HMS Active
One bar 1877-78-79. J Burke. HMS Active
No bar. A. Brassey, Baker. HMS Euphrates
No bar. J Mitchell AB. HMS Boadicea

I think HMS Euphrates was a troop ship and did not provide any men to the Naval Brigade. HMS Active, on the other was indeed "active" ashore. Any info appreciated and please add to your list of extant medals.
Regards,
Chas

Chas,

Thank you for sharing the Royal Navy medals in your collection.  I will try to provide you with what information I have for each of them, and in the same order as you listed them.

J.H. Luff, HMS Euphrates
James William Luff was born 16 December, 1857 in Portsmouth, Hampshire.  He joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 6 April, 1878 aboard HMS Asia, and on 30 May, 1878 he was sent to the troopship, HMS Euphrates.  On 12 March, 1879 Luff was advance to the rank of Stoker and later that year was serving aboard the Euphrates when she was sent to South Africa with reinforcements for the Zulu War.   Luff and the other men of her crew were entitled to the South Africa Medal, without clasp for their service aboard ship during the period July 2 – August 16, 1879.  Luff remained aboard Euphrates until October, 1879, after which he continued serving as a Stoker until he was invalided out on 5 September, 1884.

W.H. Glover, HMS Active
William Henry Glover was born 18 December, 1859 at Hove, Sussex. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class aboard HMS Fisgard on 28 September, 1875. After serving aboard HMS St, Vincent and HMS Duke of Wellington, Glover was assigned to HMS Active which was preparing for service as the Flagship of the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Squadron.  In December, 1877 Glover was advanced to Ordinary Seaman, and saw service ashore that year and the next as part of the Naval Brigade in the 9th Cape Frontier Wars.  In 1879 Glover served on board the ship during the Zulu War.  After returning to England in October, 1879 he was sent to the Duke of Wellington, Asia, Duke of Wellington and then in January, 1882 to HMS Monarch.  Glover only served aboard Monarch until December that year when he was invalided out of the service.

W.H. Johns, HMS Active
I have little information on William Henry Johns.  My records show that he did serve during the 9th Cape frontier Wars in 1877 – 78, before leaving HMS Active prior to the start of the Zulu War.  I will do some more research to see if I can find anything further.

J. Burke, HMS Active
John Burke was born 12 June 1856 Woolwich, Kent.  His Service Record begins 10 December, 1872 with Burke a Boy 1st Class aboard HMS Challenger.  After service aboard the Duke of Wellington, Seaflower, and back to the Duke of Wellington, Burke was sent to HMS Active on which ship he served from 19 April 1877 to 25 October 1879. He was advanced to Able Seaman on 1 July, 1877.  During his time aboard Active Burke served ashore with the Naval Brigade from that ship in both the 9th Cape Frontier Wars and the Zulu War, entitling him to the “1877-8-9” clasp.  Burke continued serving in the navy until 7 August 1884 when his Continuous Service expired.

A.  Brassey, HMS Euphrates
Alfred Brassey was born at Moreton, near Birkenhed on 20 June, 1856.  He joined the Royal Nay as a Domestic 2nd Class aboard HMS Euphrates on 1 January, 1877.  Shortly afterwards he became an Assistant Baker, and in July he was advance to Baker.  He served aboard ship during the Zulu War, and after returning to England was transferred to HMS Humber.  He continued serving aboard Humber until being discharged in March, 1882 at his request.

J. Mitchell, HMS Boadicea
James Mitchell was born 1 August, 1856 in Edinburgh, and joined the Royal Navy 1n 1871.   He saw service aboard several ships, and was promoted to Able Seaman in March, 1876, before being assigned to HMS Encounter in February 1879 for transport to South Africa.  Mitchell was being taken to South Africa for service aboard HMS Boadicea as one of the replacements that Commodore Richards had requested.  He served on board Boadicea for the remainder of the Zulu War.  From December 1879 to December, 1881 Mitchell was transferred to HMS Flora at Simon’s Bay, thereby missing out on service in the 1st Boer War.  He returned to the Boadicea on 19 December, 1881 and served there until returning to England in April, 1882.  Mitchell then went aboard HMS Lord Warden and served aboard that ship until 8 August, 1883 when he was discharged from the service at the expiration of his Continuous Service commitment.

I hope that helps answer your questions

Tom

Chas,

Here is an update on W.H. Johns, HMS Active

Williams Henry Johns was born 14 November, 1859 in Devonport, Devon.  He entered the Royal Navy aboard HMS Royal Adelaide as a Ship’s Steward Boy on 25 October, 1874 before transferring to HM ships Cambridge and Tourmaline.  From 30 July, 1877 to 10 June, 1878 he served aboard HMS Active before being loaned to HMS Boxer.  From 24 September, 1878 to 1 October, 1878 he was once again serving on HMS Active.  Johns was then sent back to Boxer in October 1878 where he remained until March 1880, thereby missing service in the Zulu War.  Johns was then sent to HMS Pembroke.  He continued in the navy until 5 July, 1895 when he was invalided out of the service and sent to the hospital at Chatham.
   
Tom

Dear Petty Officer Tom,
That's really good of you- very much appreciated. Quite a few ships for me to look up - plenty of info and photos of RN ships on the internet.
Looks as if Burke's medal is the cream of the crop. I'll certainly follow up on the information that you have given.
Thanks again,
Chas

A couple of website addresses for HMS Active incl photos/pics

http://www.memorialsinportsmouth.co.uk/city-centre/active.htm
http://neptune.servers.rbl-mer.misp.co.uk/~thebluej/active1.htm

and HMS Boadicea
http://neptune.servers.rbl-mer.misp.co.uk/~thebluej/boadicea.htm