Lot 265

Description

Memorabilia for Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Keppel, 1800s, an ivory device with three narrow spring loaded channels on the top and another three on the bottom, on one side is a black filled inscription, 'Capt, Hon, Henry Keppel. R.N.' and on the opposite side are sailing ships of the 1800s in conflict. Two of the slides missing a part and not working, the ivory with some chips and one slide section missing a tack, otherwise very good and rare.

Henry Keppel (14 June 1809 - 17 January 1904) was a Royal Navy officer who became Admiral of the Fleet. His first command was off the coast of Spain during the First Carlist War. He was promoted to captain on 5 December 1837 and served as commanding officer of the corvette HMS Dido on the East Indies and China Station and was deployed in operations during the First Opium War and operations against Borneo pirates. He also served as commander of the naval brigade besieging Sebastopol during the Crimean War. In September 1856 he was promoted to commodore and was appointed second-in-command of the East Indies and China Station and commanded the British squadron in the action at the Battle of Fatshan Creek during which 100 enemy war-junks were sunk. He also took part in the capture of Canton during the Second Opium War. Keppel went on to be Commander-in-Chief at Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station, then Commander-in-Chief, South East Coast of America Station, then China Station and finally Commander-in-Chief in Plymouth.

He was promoted to rear admiral on 22 August 1857 and appointed a Groom in Waiting to the Queen on 24 September 1859. He was then promoted to vice admiral on 11 January 1864, full admiral on 12 July 1869 and Admiral of the Fleet on 5 August 1877 and appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen on 9 March 1878 before retiring in June 1879. His awards include Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, French Legion of Honour, and Turkish Order of the Medjidie 2nd Class.