31 |
A collection of First World War artefacts from the minesweeper H.M.Y. Medusa comprising approximately thirty-four 13 x 8in. manuscript tracking charts of cruises undertaken throughout 1915-1916 in the North East of England, each with outline of coast and passage marked in red ink, each numbered and dated as appropriate; together with flags including the Royal Standard; White Ensign; Union Flag; Stars and Stripes; and two lignum vitę speaking tube mouth pieces with hoses (one damaged); a rosewood ruler made from Britannia and an R.N. belt and buckle from H.M.S. Worcester, c.1865, with cabinet photograph of its owner wearing it. The steel screw schooner Medusa was built for Alfred Farquar of Southampton by Day, Summers & Co. Ltd. and launched in 1906. Hired as a minesweeper by the Admiralty and fitted with 1-12pdr and 1-6pdr guns, she served from 12th January 1915 until released on 22nd March 1919. She was re-hired by the Navy in September 1939 and re-named Mollusc but was sunk by enemy air attack on 17th March 1941 off Blyth. (a lot) £300-500 | Nil |
|
|
| 32 | An unofficial tompion plate from a 16in. gun of H.M.S. Lord Nelson (1907) cast in brass as Nelson's left bust-length profile with one threaded fixing behind 12in. (30.5cm.) high. A battleship of 1907, Lord Nelson was sold from the service in 1920 and broken up in Germany in 1921 £500-700 | Nil |
|
|
| 33 | Two unofficial tompion plates from a 12in. gun of H.M.S. Africa (1905) cast in brass in the form of a roaring lion standing on a rock inscribed H.M.S. AFRICA, with four holes for securing 11 x 14in. (28 x 36cm.) The battleship Africa was launched at Chatham in 1905. Displacing 16,350 tons, she was sold from the service in 1920. £800-1200 | Nil |
|
|
| 34 | The hygrometer from U-9, the submarine responsible for the sinking of H.M. Cruisers Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy on 22nd September, 1914 with 4¾in. silvered dial calibrated between 0-100%, inscribed Procente der relativen Feuchtigkeit der Luft and signed Maschinenfabrik "Westfalia" Aktien-Gesellschaft,Gelsenkirchen, with blued steel indicator needle, sealed behind bevelled glass and set within a brass case with perforated sides and hole for bulkhead securing 5¾in. (15cm.) diameter overall. One of the First World War's earliest and most controversial tragedies, the sinking of three elderly lone cruisers in circumstances that were a combination of arrogance, incompetence and bravado provided an early wake-up call for a complacent Admiralty unprepared for the realities of modern total War. The men sent to sea on patrol in three such obsolete cruisers had such a foreboding about their task, they nicknamed themselves "the live bait patrol", in the certain knowledge they would indeed be sunk. Their terrible prophecy unfurled quickly at 6.25am on the fated day when U-9, captained by Otto Weddingen, fired a single torpedo at Aboukir. Settling quickly, the Hogue went to her assistance, only to be struck by a further two torpedoes and sank within 10 minutes. Cressy then paused to lower boats, and although she sighted U-9's periscope and got underway again, it was too late and she was torpedoed twice amidships at 7.20am, foundering in 15 minutes. It was a potent reminder to an Admiralty who expected the world to play by their rules of war and in which submarines had been dismissed as "ungentlemanly". This was to be a very different war and one in which the Royal Navy would have to earn the prestige it had built in peacetime. Had realists headed the Admiralty at the outset of war, nearly 1,500 men may have been spared a grisly fate. As it was, Winston Churchill's skills were honed for his finest hour another world and a different war away. Interestingly, U-9 was the only submarine of her class to survive the war, surrendering on the 26th of November 1918, and was broken up at Morecambe in 1919 where the vendor's father is understood to have been part of the breaking team and to have acquired this souvenir, which tests the air for humidity. Otto Weddigen was not so lucky: Transferred to command of U-29, he was rammed and sunk by H.M.S. Dreadnought on the 18th March 1915 - Dreadnought's only "kill" of the war. £400-600 | Nil |
|
650 |
| 35 | An historically interesting silver presentation silver salver, signed by the Admiral, Captain and Officers of the famed Battlecruiser H.M.S. Hood with pie-crust rim decorated with Celtic pattern, inscribed to the centre: LIEUTENANT R.J. ROBERTSON, ROYAL NAVY / FROM / ADMIRAL, CAPTAIN AND OFFICERS / H.M.S. "HOOD" / 27th JULY 1934 and engraved with approximately forty signatures, the reverse with three pad feet and hallmarks for Brook & Sons, Sheffield, 1933, contained within a fitted plush-lined leather case, and copies of letters sent by Robertson from Hood The salver 12¼in. (31cm.) £800-1000 | Nil |
|
1600 |
| 36 | An early 19th century Napoleonic French polychrome prisoner-of-war bone and wood games box the lid inset with well-preserved watercolours of an archer and a lady wearing a bonnet, spencer and muslin dress, containing a set of dominoes and a pair of dice, carved with coloured ink overall 1½ x 6½in. (4 x 16.5cm.) £800-1000 | Nil |
|
600 |
| 37 | An early 19th century Napoleonic French prisoner-of-war bone and wood domino box the lid finely incised with a French three-deck man o'war over a fashionable couple, possibly Napoleon and Josephine, containing a set of dominoes worked with coloured inks and gold leaf 1½ x 5in. (4 x 12.5cm.) £700-900 | Nil |
|
|
| 38 | An early 19th century Napoleonic French prisoner-of-war bone and wood box finely carved overall, the lid depicting a couple - possibly John Bull and Britannia - hunting a stag, the interior divided with paper-lined compartments 3 x 8¼in. (8 x 21cm.) £700-900 | Nil |
|
650 |
| 39 | Three 19th century marine ivory sailor work souvenirs comprising a snuff box in the form of a clenched fist incised with a foul anchor on the back, and a baleen and cork lid with bone pin handle; together with two pipe tampers, the first of a booted leg; the second of a hand holding a pipe - all approximately 2in. (5cm.) high. (3) £300-500 | Nil |
|
250 |
| 40 | An unusual 19th century American sailor work scrimshaw-decorated marine ivory and baleen model of a ditty box the body carved from a whale's tooth root, plugged with wood and incised and carved overall with a whaler, cornucopias and interlocking 'joints', the baleen lid incised with a basket of flowers, secured to a wooden stopper carved with a lover's heart flanked 'S N', with bone handle 2½ x 3¼in. (6.5 x 8.3cm.) £400-600 | Nil |
|
300 |
| 41 | A 19th century American sailor work scrimshaw-decorated baleen busk incised over both sides with ships, exotic plants and fruit, an American shield and initialled 'E.S.' to the top 10½in. (27cm.) high. £400-600 | Nil |
|
300 |
| 42 | A 19th century marine bone and ivory walking stick with plain tapering shaft, contrasting roundels of wood to bulbous turned ivory handle 34½in. (87.5cm.) long. . £300-500 | Nil |
|
300 |
| 43 | A postcard sent from R.M.S. Titanic by Herbert Denbury with coloured lithographic profile of the vessel steaming in a choppy sea, the reverse inscribed in sepia-coloured ink To Reggie / with Love from Bert 3? x 5?in. (8.5 x 13.5cm.) Herbert Denbury was a Second Class passenger from Guernsey. Boarding at Southampton, he posted this card in an envelope which has not survived. He did not survive the tragedy and his body, if recovered, was never identified. Provenance: The family and thence by descent. £1000-1500 | Nil |
|
1000 |
| 44 | A presentation launching gavel for the Beaver Line liner S.S. Lake Manitoba, built by J. & G. Thompson and Co., Glasgow, 1880 the ebonised handle and varnished head carved overall, the head inscribed over both sides LAUNCHED FROM CLYDEBANK 26 APRIL 1880 / LAKE MANITOBA 26 APRIL 1880, (one side chipped) contained within a plush-lined mahogany box 13¾ (35cm.) diameter. Built for the immigrant service, and running between Liverpool, Quebec and Montreal, her service career was brought to a premature end when she was wrecked on Miquelon Island, June 14th 1885, almost five years to the day from her maiden voyage (June 10th). £300-500 | Nil |
|
250 |
| 45 | A collection of trans-Atlantic cable samples comprising fourteen assorted types, some mounted and inscribed with dates between 1866 and 1900, together with five items of 'cableware' consisting of three paperweights and two pendants; together with a 2in. aneroid barometer set in a section of teak handrail inscribed Ex Herzogen Cecile / Wrecked 25th April 1936 Bolt Head, Devon - 8¼in. (21cm.) diameter. £400-600 | Nil |
|
600 |
| 46 | A pair of nickel-plated brass cut-glass deckhead saloon lamps from a late 19th/early 20th century P.& O. Liner with acanthus leaf rim, the bayonet light fitting stamped P&O 5 x 7in. (12.5 x 18cm.) (2) £700-900 | Nil |
|
750 |
| 47 | The bridge bell from the Canadian-Pacific Liner Empress of Russia, 1912 the 7½in. diameter bell cast in brass with red-filled lettering over a semi circle with additional decoration, now mounted on an oak stand, complete with clapper and pull 11in. (28cm.) high. Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, Govan, Empress of Russia was launched on 28th Aug.1912, she displaced 16,810 gross tons, was 570ft long with a 68ft beam and, powered by quadruple screws, cruised at a speed of 19 knots. With accommodation for 284 1st, 100 2nd and 800 steerage class passengers she was a handsome addition to the Canadian-Pacific fleet for the trans-Pacific service. Converted to an armed merchant cruiser during the Great War, she formed part of the squadron blockading German merchant ships in the Philippines and later transferred to the Indian Ocean where she met with the Australian cruiser H.M.A.S. Sydney and took aboard 230 survivors from the German cruiser Emden. In Oct.1915 she was released from government service, refitted at Hong Kong and returned to the trans-Pacific service on 12th Feb.1916 but was requisitioned again briefly in early 1918 to carry American troops to Europe. She continued trans-Pacific sailings until Dec.1940 when, after her 310th voyage, she was used for trooping Australian and New Zealand Air Force recruits to Canada for their initial training and she was also involved in the North Africa landings in 1943. Employed thereafter on special duties, on 8th Sep.1945 she was gutted by fire at Barrow and was broken up by T. W. Ward & Sons. £1200-1800 | Nil |
|
1800 |
| 48 | A rare collection of photographic prints from the Swan Hunter archive of the R.M.S. Mauretania, circa 1907-1916 comprising thirty-five original prints of various views throughout passenger and crew areas, including some of her construction and fitting, some stamped and dated from Swan Hunter, some inscribed in pencil, all measuring approximately 10½ x 13½in. (27 x 34cm.) Provenance: Retained by an employee in the late 1960's when Swan Hunter ejected much of its surplus archive. £1500-2000 | Nil |
|
1600 |
| 49 | Royal Mail Line: original advertising artwork depicting the S.S. Almanzora steaming in a choppy sea in a feigned frame over a blue field inscribed ROYAL MAIL LINE 24½ x 19½in. (62 x 49.5cm.), framed and glazed (unexamined out of frame) £200-300 | Nil |
|
300 |
| 50 | A burr walnut and teak lounge table from R.M.S. Queen Mary by G.T. Rackstraw Ltd, circa 1936 with removable top with stretchers under with maker's ivorine location plate, nickel-plated brass topped lower stretchers to deck securing point, terminating in nickel-plated feet 29 x 27½ x 27½in. (73.4 x 70 x 70cm.) Manufactured for the 2nd Class passenger lounge, the table was stored in Australia whilst Queen Mary completed her wartime troop carrier duties. After the War, it was returned to the manufacturers for refurbishment with the label updated from 2nd Class to the friendlier "Cabin" Class. It was removed from the ship in 1966 when the room's final refit was "Flamenco" themed and stored in Southampton. The tables were eventually sold as surplus. Originally the table would have sported a Formica covering. £2000-3000 | Nil |
|
3800 |
| 51 | A quantity of Queen Mary ephemera comprising three commemorative brochures, log abstracts, menus and a photograph of the captain and officers. (a lot) £20-30 | Nil |
|
380 |
| 52 | A monumental turned wood art deco urn from the Cabin Class 'B' deck main starboard staircase from R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, circa 1938 constructed from laminated wood, now finished in white, the underneath retaining original "sea mist" green and impressed with ship and location stamps 25in. (63.5cm.) Historical details. Literature: Atterbury & Hayward: Poole Pottery, Richard Dennis, Somerset, 1995, where an image of an example can be viewed insitu, and the work of the Poole Company aboard the Cunard "Queens" is discussed. One of a series of identical urns located in recesses on each stair landing, all but two were produced by Poole in their familiar ceramic. The wooden examples were used in the main Cabin Class passenger entrance and so needed to be more robust. Originally painted to match the ceramic versions, they became white in the 1955 refit as tastes changed. They were removed in the 1965 refit when the lower tier of the staircase was remodeled, whilst the rest remained and were lost in the 1971 fire whilst the ship was being converted into a floating university. Consequently very few of Queen Elizabeth's original fittings survive and the only other known example of this urn was sold by Christie's South Kensington when the Poole Pottery Collection was dispersed in 2003. £1200-1500 | Nil |
|
1000 |
| 53 | An historically interesting design tender for the QE2 by Harland & Wolff, 1964 ink on linen, tinted in water and body colours, inscribed at centre ENQ No. 30/61 / OUTBOARD PROFILE, initialed yard stamp lower right, dated '27th November, 1964' the plan - 13 x 41in. (33 x 104cm.) Mounted in a glazed burr walnut frame. 19 x 54½in. (48 x 138.5cm.) overall. This design presents an interesting "what if" in the annals of liner history. Had Cunard chosen this tender, one of the world's most loved and famous liners would have been quite different from the sleeker lines presented by John Brown & Co. The date of November 27th was two days before the deadline for entries and was initialed by two Directors of Harland & Wolff. Literature: Hutchings, D.F: QE2, A Ship for All Seasons, Kingfisher Railway Productions, Southampton, 1988, p.7. £1200-1500 | Nil |
|
2800 |
| 54 | A bulkhead clock for the British India Steam Navigation Company with 8½in. painted dial with Roman numerals, inscribed BISNCo below slow/fast lever, black hands with red sweep seconds, single arbour to going-barrel movement stamped and numbered Astral 156, contained within a brass case stamped 'B.I.S.N.CO.', stepped for bulkhead recess, hinged bevelled glass front 10in .(25.5cm.) diameter overall. £400-600 | Nil |
|
350 |
| 55 | An exceptionally rare and finely carved French chandler's emblem, circa 1750 depicted as a full-length figurehead of a young uniformed Chef de Marin sporting a cockaded tricorn hat, powdered wig tied with a bow, laced chemise, regulation red braided waistcoat with blue overcoat with red cuffs, gold braid and breeches, white stockings and buckled black shoes, holding and navigating via a model octant (later), mounted astride a prow-formed support with brass back brace for wall securing 52in. (132cm.) high. A carving of this style and quality is almost certainly the product of an experienced figurehead carver who appreciated the genre sufficiently to set the correct angles for it to work as a whole. The face, with one eye closed, is particularly delicately handled and painted, and it is remarkable for a carving of this age to retain its arms and much of the original finish. Only one other example of this type is recorded to date, and is located in a private collection, Parigi, Italy. £25000-35000 | Nil |
|
22000 |
| 56 | A 19th Century iron swivel gun by Bailey, Pegg & Co. with three-stage tapering barrel, initialed on the trunnions B.P. & Co., mounted on iron swivel loosely set within a wooden base with handle and wheels (later, barrel plugged/de-activated) the gun - 25in. (63.5cm.) long; overall - 14 x 34in. (36 x 86.5cm.) Bailey, Pegg & Co. were founders in London between 1812-1966, initially at the Gunwharf, Wapping, then latterly at 81 Bankside, SE1. They specialized in supplying iron guns to arm merchant ships and also to the established trading posts in 'outlandish places'. Literature: Kennard, A.N.: Gunfounding & Gunfounders, Arms and Armour Press, 1986, p.36. £1500-2000 | Nil |
|
1400 |
| 57 | The eight spoke teak helm from the historic barge yacht Thoma II of Maldon with polished brass rim inscribed with red-filled lettering THOMA II MALDON 42in. (107cm.) diameter Built in 1909 by Howards of Maldon as a barge yacht, at 100ft length overall and with an 18ft 6in beam, she was larger than an ordinary spritsail and drew 4ft 6in with lee-boards raised. Reputedly at Dunkirk, she was later re-named Countesa d'Azur; Lady Penelope of Beauport, with her last recorded name being Moon Maiden and was known to be still working in 1994 near Turkey. £600-800 | Nil |
|
|
| 58 | A brass-bound mahogany eight spoke ship's helm secured to a display stand 44½in. (113cm.) high. £300-500 | Nil |
|
|
| 59 | A late 19th century cast brass tiller yoke in the form of two anchors in opposition 20in. (51cm.) diameter. £200-300 | Nil |
|
400 |
| 60 | A polished copper and brass 6-bolt Russian diving helmet with inlet and outlet valves, internal tinning, Cyrillic maker's plate to front of corselet 17in. (43cm.) high £1400-1600 | Nil |
|
