Lot 68
Assistant Clerk H.M.S. Benbow ‡
Clandestine Operations - Inc The D.J. Croll Medal Collection & Other Properties | M26002
Auction: 16 September 2026 at 10.30 BST
Description
The Naval General Service Medal Awarded to Assistant Clerk William Boulton Pearce, H.M.S. Benbow, later serving as Fleet Paymaster until his retirement in 1870 comprising, Naval General Service Medal, 1793-1840, one clasp, Syria, (W. B. Pearce), Original Card Box of issue, with original spare ribbon, very fine (1)
Willaim Boulton Pearce enlisted in the Royal Navy as a clerk on H.M.S. Aetna on the 7th of November 1837, a month before his 25th birthday. The clasp to his Naval General Service medal was received for his services three years later whilst on H.M.S. Benbow during operations off the coast of Syria in November 1840. He continued to serve as a Clerk for nine years until he was appointed as Paymaster on H.M.S, Ferret on the 9th of November 1846.
A decade later, on the 12th of January 1856 he was appointed Fleet Paymaster, and he continued to serve on several ships in that capacity until his retirement from the Navy on the 30th of June 1870. He died in 1893 aged 80.
Some further insight into this uncertain time can be observed from the diaries of William King Hall, at that time a junior officer aboard the Benbow:
'Tuesday, Sept. 8th, 1840
10am, the Phoenix arrived with the mail from Malta, having touched at Alexandria on her way. The Admiral, with the Princess Charlotte - and Bellerophon - were under way for this place. Asia and Implacable at anchor off Alexandria, Cyclops is expected to sail for this place hourly.... Here the prospect is all war; our Consul struck his flag and is on board H.M.S. Powerful, the English are nearly all off.'
Benbow, along with Carysfort and Zebra then sailed along the coast to Tortosa, a town 60 miles north; the plan was to land sailors and marines to capture the place and fortify it - however, due to faulty information from enemy deserters, the attack was far from unopposed and was called off after the British suffered casualties of five men killed and 17 wounded. Brettell must surely have further witnessed this abortive action and perhaps even lent a hand with the 'great guns' or a musket. Hall continues his account, with this excerpt immediately post-action: 'Upon getting to the Carysfort we sent the wounded in and with 4 dead shipmates below, who upon leaving the ship were in such good spirits not more than 3 hours before - we returned to the ship (Benbow). The men on board stopped to look and see who were hit when we came alongside - the nettings and ports of the main and lower deck and as well as the chains, were crowded with our shipmates - the Poop with the Officers - and when the grating was lowered in the boat to place the dead, "Poor Jass has gone" was uttered by the shipmate who had been with him for more than a year, with tears in his eyes in memory of a poor man but honest sailor he said, "God rest his soul in peace". The thing miscarried, but still the body of men behaved well under fire and the joy I feel at seeing my friends around me can scarcely be conceived."
Sold with Copy Service Papers, Copy Medal Roll, News Paper in Memorium. W.B. Pearce is the only man of this name on the NGS Roll.
Provenance
Hayward August 1973
