HMS Natal Medal - a scarce original HMS Natal medal, dated 1...

Hammer

£220

HMS Natal Medal - a scarce original HMS Natal medal, dated 1915. Silver construction, the front featuring 'Presented To HMS Natal' and an image of the ship. To the rear; 'From The People Of Natal.' Impressed to rim with the name of the recipient, one Frank Drabble. Small mounted hoop atop for wearing. Measures approx; 25mm diameter. Very few of these medals have ever come up for sale. 

With thanks to Cromarty Courthouse Museum for history of the medal, and Drabble: Frank Drabble came from Cheshire and joined the navy in 1905 and left in 1919.  He served on several different ships iand was on HMS Natal from 9th December 1913 to 27th August 1914. He was not a "well behaved" sailor as he served 7 days in the cells during this period.  ( He had 7 spells in the cells during his whole career including two periods of 15 days.  These appear mostly for using threatening language.)

This medal was not issued by any national authority but was created by the Canteen Committee of HMS Natal and was issued on the 30th September 1915, the 10th anniversary of the launch of the ship.  It was seen as a memento of that event. Everybody who was on the ship’s books at the time was issued with one. During the early part of World War 1 each ship in the Navy and each regiment in the army was responsible for its own victualling and they all had canteen committees.  These committees were better or poorer in organisation and resource.  Indeed, there was such a disparity between units that the War Office and the Admiralty had some concerns that unrest could be caused amongst the men.  This was not a problem in the pre-war days with the regular army and navy.  But during the first years of the war the great recruitment of men straight from civilian life it was seen as a problem especially as many were members of trade unions. By the beginning of 1917 the practice of individual canteen committees had died out and the Navy and Army Canteen Board was founded to provide a uniform service across all regiments and ships. The Canteen Committee of HMS Natal was well endowed during the early years of the war.  This was because the Province of Natal, in South Africa adopted her as their ship.  This meant that “The good folk” of the colony provided generous monies for the comforts of the crew. There was a surplus of funds and the Canteen Committee decided to use the funds to create the medal. The medal is made of pure silver and has on one side a starboard view of the ship with the legend “PRESENTED TO H.M.S. NATAL” and the date 1915.  On the other side is the shield of the Colony of Natal between two oak branches, with the legend “FROM THE PEOPLE OF NATAL”.  Around the edge the name of each recipient was engraved. As far as can be ascertained very few of these medals have survived.  It is very likely that a large number of them went down with the ship on 30th December 1915, just 3 months after they were issued.  Those that survived were either sent home by the recipients or were given to crew members who were transferred off HMS Natal before the explosion.  The medal that is in the collection of Cromarty Courthouse Museum belonged to a sailor who was transferred to another ship in November 1915. (Taken from; www.hmsnatal.co.uk/natalmedal.asp)