Group of seven to Petty Officer B. E. Parsons, Royal Navy, who served through the Anglo-Zanzibar War, the Benin Expedition, Boer War and Operations off Somaliland before having his service cut short in 1915 when he was killed by an explosion at Fort St. Angelo, Malta
East and West Africa 1887-1900, 1 clasp, Benin 1897 officially named to: B. E. Parsons, Ord. H.M.S. St. George.
Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp officially named to: B. E. Parsons. A. B. H.M.S. Naiad.
Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 officially named to: B. E. Parsons, A.B., H.M.S. Naiad.
1914-15 Star officially named to: 176462. B. E. Parsons, P.O., R.N.
British War and Victory Medals officially named to: 176462 B. E. Parsons. P.O. R.N.
Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. officially named to: 176462. B. E. Parsons. P.O. H.M.S. Hazard
Some contact marks and edge bruising to the Victorian and Edwardian medals, overall very fine.
Benjamin Edgar Parson was born at Mylor, Cornwall on 25 May 1878 and enlisted with the Royal Navy as Boy Class II on 4 October 1893. Posted first to Alexandra in 1895 he later joined St. George and reached his majority with her on 25 May 1896. This Edgar-class cruiser was stationed at Zanzibar the next month with a squadron of British warships when the Anglo-Zanzibar War began.
After a British ultimatum to the Sultan was ignored Kahalid was the Squadron opened fire on his palace at 09:00 in the morning. The royal yacht Glasgow attempted to return fire with it's small cannon, targeting St. George which swiftly sank her. The war was to last no more than 45-minutes making it the shortest war in history.
The next year the Benin expedition was launched with St. George being part of the force assembled. Too large to go upriver she contributed a large force of bluejackets to land force. Parsons returned to Britain and went ashore on 19 February 1898, being posted to Naiad on 19 March 1901.
With her he served off South Africa and later off Somaliland where Royal Naval vessels patrolled the sea lanes for gun runners attempting to arm the Mullah's forces. Again returning to Britain and going ashore in 1904 Parsons was promoted Petty Officer while served with H.M.S. Dreadnaught on 7 January 1910. He was awarded his L.S. & G.C. with H.M.S. Hazard in March 1912- the month after she collided with the submarine A3 at Spithead, sinking her with all hands.
At the opening of the Great War Parsons was stationed with the cruiser H.M.S. Edgar, however he went ashore to Victory I in December 1914. He was to see foreign service again however being posted to Egmont- a depot ship stationed at Malta on 23 January 1915. It was here that Parsons was killed on 30 June 1915, his service record giving the grim details, stating:
'Killed by an explosion in the Torpedo Lecture Room Malta Dockyards'
He is not listed as buried but rather commemorated upon the Plymouth Memorial which suggests his body was never recovered; sold together with copied service papers, Great War medal roll and a Commonwealth War Graves certificate.
Product Code: EM3996
