Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Lot 3900    Session 15 (7.30pm Thursday)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $12,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $15,000

PAIR TO 2IC OF AUSTRALIAN NAVAL CONTINGENT IN CHINA: The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (Commander) (CMG), with ribbon buckle bar; China War Medal 1900. First medal unnamed, Commr. E.R.Connor, N.S.Wales Nav. Contgt. Named medal impressed. Extremely fine.

Ex Chris Thomas Collection. Previously ex Dix Noonan Webb, Douglas Morris Collection Sale Part 2, 12 February 1997.

Together with the following important documents,

1) Appointment document as Commander of the New South Wales Naval Contingent, in timber frame (approx 54x44cm) under Perspex, given under the seal of the Colony at Government House, Sydney, in New South Wales, by His Excellency The Right Honourable William, Earl Beauchamp,KCMG, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of New South Wales and its Dependencies, signed 7 August 1900, named to Commander Edward Richard Connor, R.N., of the Naval Brigade, and handwritten at top left, 'Delivered on board the Troopship 'Salamis' at Sea' and signed Francis Hixson 9/8/00.
2) Bound photo copies of The Diary of Commander E.R.Connor C.M.G. from 27July 1900 to 3 May 1901, together with typed transcript of such diary.
3) Letter of election as an Honorary Member of the Military Order of the Dragon and instructions for furnishing a complete set of insignia to No.117 Comdr E.R.Connor.
4) Timber framed (27.5x30.2cm) under Perspex b&w photo of Captain Connor in naval uniform.

CMG: LG 25/7/1901, p4915, posn 1, for services with Australian Naval Brigade.

Captain Francis Hixson was appointed commander of the Australian Naval Contingent which left New South Wales for the China campaign on the Troopship Salamis. During the voyage he delivered the document to Captain Connor that appointed him as Commander of the New South Wales Naval Contingent. Because Captain Hixson was actually too old for active service and Connor had not seen active service for twenty years, when the ship reached Hong Kong, Hixson handed over command of the contingent to Captain Gillespie RN with Captain Connor as second in command.

Edward Richard Connor was born in Kent, England in 1848, the son of Alexander Connor, a master mariner, and was educated in Greenwich School. He joined the Royal Navy on 12 March 1861 as a Master's Assistant on HMS Cossack. He went on to serve on Gorgan (May 1862), Fisgard (February 1864), Royal Adelaide (November 1864), Firefly (December 1864) and Hibernia (February 1866) with a promotion to 2nd Master on 28 March 1866. His service continued on Nassau (April 1866). In 1867 he was appointed Navigating Sub Lieutenant with seniority back dated to his appointment as 2nd Master. He served on Clio (August 1869), Fisgard (November 1869) and Pembroke (March 1870). On 22 September 1872 he was appointed Navigating Lieutenant and in the same year he married Adelaide, the daughter of the late Mr. Arthur Wilcox Manning, former Principal Under-Secretary in Queensland.

During his service from 1864 to 1879 Connor was in the Hydrographic Service and was engaged surveying in the Channel, in the Mediterranean in the Straits of Magellan, and off the Queensland coast on board Clio and then Pearl. He had two years' detached service on the east coast of Africa in suppressing the slave trade; and was severely wounded in an engagement at Tierra del Fuego. After this he served for two years with the Royal Chartered British North Borneo Company and had command of the Governor's armed yacht. He retired from the navy in 1881.

In the 1880s Connor emigrated to Australia and in 1885 he joined the N.S.W. Naval Brigade as a Lieutenant. He was appointed a commander in 1891. In 1900 he left from Sydney for China with the Australian Contingent being second in command. For his service he was appointed CMG and earned the respect of his men and all who served with him. On 2 January 1903 Edward Connor died peacefully in his bed at his residence, Cook-street, Glebe Point, Sydney, NSW.

Together with research including copies of various photos, appointments and awards as well as coloured photo of his grave that is marked, 'Sacred to the Memory/of/Captain E.R.Connor/(R.N) CMG/Who died on the 2nd Jan 1903/Aged 58 years/Erected by Members of the New South Wales/Naval Brigade and His Comrades of the Naval/Contingent who served in China 1900-1901.'