A desirable Great War, Multiple China River Gunboats service & Second World War 'Malta Island Fortress' service campaign & long service group of 6: Able Seaman Francis Alexander Midmer Crane, Royal Navy, late H.M.S. Seamew

- British War Medal. Silver issue (J.92520 F. A. M. Crane. Boy, 2. R.N.)
- Interallied Victory Medal (J.92520 F. A. M. Crane. Boy, 1. R.N.)
- The 1939-45 Star. No clasp
- The Africa Star. No clasp
- War Medal
- Naval Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. GV 'coinage head' issue (J.92520 F. A. M. Crane. A.B. H.M.S. Seamew.)

Rare to Ship Medal: An on-line digital search of the Naval LS&GC medal rolls indicate that only an estimated 11 x medals all-reigns (GV & GVI) were issued named to British & Chinese crew-members of the river gunboat 'Seamew'

Important: A very scarce instance of the 2 x Great War medals being named to two x different 'Rates'. The British War Medal was awarded for 28 days mobilized service, prior to 11/11/1918 (the recipient being only 15 years of age at time of qualification), at which time he was rated as 'Boy 2'. The Interallied Victory Medal - earned when he was 17 years of age - for qualifying overseas service in a theatre of operations with H..M.S. Marlborough during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War in Black Sea region 1920, at which time he held the rate 'Boy 1'. Prior to his posting aboard H.M.S. Marlborough - an Iron-Duke class Battleship - between 28 March - 1 November 1920, the 'Marlborough' held the distinction of having evacuated the surviving members of the Romanov family, from Yalta in 1919

Sold together with:

- Original Admiralty enclosure for Second World War, this annotated with recipients name & showing entitlement for each of 3 x WW2 campaign medals as listed
- Original GVI card box of issue for the WW2 medals, marked for 3 medals addressed to: Mr F. A Crane, 15 Woodstock Rd, Gosport, Hants
- Softcopies of the recipients service sheet showing services through to retirement (these to be forwarded by email attachment)

Medals verification: All medals confirmed as entitled per Admiralty Medals Rolls, and service sheets, as under:

- British War Medal. Silver issue: Ref ADM 171/97, with remark sent to H.M.S. Despatch (Light Cruiser)
- Interallied Victory Medal: Ref ADM 171/97, with remark sent to H.M.S. Despatch (Light Cruiser)
- The 1939-45 Star. No clasp (marked on WW2 Admiralty medal transmittal letter). Served H.M.S. St. Angelo, Malta)
- The Africa Star. No clasp (marked on WW2 Admiralty medal transmittal letter). Served H.M.S. St. Angelo, Malta
- War Medal (marked on accompanying WW2 Admiralty medal transmittal letter)
- Naval Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. GV 'coinage head' issue: Service sheet marked 'Traced Medal' 26 March 1936

Francis Alexander Midmer Crane, son of Crane (Newsagent, Stationer & Tobacconist) ) was a native of, Ilford, London, England, where he was born on, 15 February 1903. Immediately prior to joining the Royal Navy on, 18 September 1918, Francis had been a teenager on the Training Ship 'Exmouth', where he had - from the tender age of 14 years - trained for a maritime career between, 25 April 1917 until joining the Royal Navy on, 18 September 1918. The highlight of his inter-war naval service was his multiple postings to the China Station, where he served on 'River Gunboats'. Francis is recorded as serving in China as under:

- H.M.S. Bee (for H.M.S. Mantis): 01/01/1927 - 31/03/1927. Shanghai station for service on the Yangtze, on Insect-class 'River Gunboats'
- H.M.S. Bee: 02/05/1927 - 08/05/1930. Shanghai station for service on the Yangtze, on Insect-class 'River Gunboat'
- H.M.S. Tamar: 10/04/1935 - 09/04/1937. Hong Kong station for service on the West River (Xi Jiang) on Tern-class 'River Gunboat' H.M.S. Seamew

Prior to the Second World War, Francis is confirmed serving at H.M.S. St. Angelo, Malta. His service sheet(s) show he served in Malta from 31 August 1937, with pencil entries indicating he worked with Victualing Stores & later with the Master at Arms team and the Naval Police (this latter entry dated 12 December 1941), and hence was present appears to have been continuously present at the 'Island Fortress' of Malta, throughout the incessant Axis bombing raids on the island base - a period for which the valiant Maltese population were recognized for their collective endurance, gallantry and resistance by King George VI, when the British uniquely awarded the island of Malta the George Cross - an imperial gallantry award now proudly enshrined in the island nation's national flag. For his wartime service during the siege of Malta, Able Seaman Crane was awarded the, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star & War Medal, as enumerated on the reverse of his Admiralty medal transmittal letter. Francis returned to the United Kingdom - briefly - in 1942, and during the third quarter of 1942, married Anne Sullivan at, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, Francis was back, ashore in the Mediterranean in 1943, with his service sheet referring to being 'Surveyed' (?) at the Military Hospital, Gibraltar, dated, 12 February 1943. A later entry then refers to him being invalided at the Royal Naval Hospital 'Haslar' (Portsmouth, England) on, 29 November 1944. After retiring from the Royal Navy, Francis settled in, Hampshire, England, and is recorded as having died in Hampshire, sometime during the third quarter of 1977

H.M.S. Seamew: A number of more modern vessels were introduced to China by the Royal Navy in 1927-1928, comprising H.M.S. Peterel, H.M.S. Gannet, H.M.S. Tern and H.M.S. Seamew. They were all of similar appearance, carrying two 3-inch HA 'High Angle' guns and eight single machine-guns. H.M.S. Tern and H.M.S. Seamew were slightly smaller and shorter than the other two, at 262 tons compared to 310 tons. Draughts were 4 feet for Peterel and Gannet, and 5 feet for H.M.S. Tern and H.M.S. Seamew. H.M.S. Peterel was the only one to serve on the Yangtze, the other three served on the West River. H.M.S. Peterel distinguished herself by being the only foreign warship to resist the Japanese occupation of the Shanghai International Settlement in December 1941, and after a brave fight, was sunk at her moorings on the Huangpu River. Six crew were killed, another 14 were captured, but one, PO Telegraphist James Cuming, remained at large for the rest of the war, working for a local spy ring. His story, and that of the ship, is told in Desmond Wettern's 1960 book The Lonely Battle. H.M.S. Tern was scuttled off Hong Kong 19 December 1941, while H.M.S. Seamew survived the Second World War and was scrapped in 1947

Approved in March 1927, the official crest / badge of H.M.S. Seamew, was described as: Diamond on a field blue, a seagull proper, over two wavelets green and gold. Seamew is another name for the common gull. . HMS 'Seamew' was a Tern-class river gunboat. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun and launched in 1928, and subsequently deployed on the West River (Xi Jiang) China, to protect British trade and resident British Nationals. She was scrapped in 1947 at Basra, Iraq, having been redeployed to the Persian Gulf some years prior

Sold together with some hard-copy research, including a copy of the recipient's 'first' service sheet

An extremely scarce and desirable Naval campaign and long service medal group representing service during the Great War, Russian Civil War, China River-Gunboats, and 'Siege of Malta' 1941

Condition: Great War Medal GF others GVF

Code: 23831