John Henry SQUIRE: Medals for auction

[thewideeyedowl]

John Henry Squire, b 1880, served in the Marines and the Navy as a bandsman. He saw service in the Boer War and the China War (Boxer Rebellion) and qualified for three medals which have been described as: Queen's South Africa Medal, King's South Africa Medal, and China Medal. (Note: The auction descriptions might be wrong - you need to check if you are interested.) These medals are being auctioned in the Antiques & Fine Art Sale at Potburys of Sidmouth on Tuesday 24 June 2014.

http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums/extensions/uploads/f7ced196-2c5d-479e-a8ab-af3fc13eb83a.jpg

This man is also interesting because he went on to found the Celeste Octet, which specialised in 'easy listening' music and was very popular in the 1920s. You can find them on You Tube and several other websites.

If you run a search for this auction, you will soon find the catalogue online. I believe that bids are accepted by phone or over the internet, subject to prior registration.

Owl

[christanel]

What a find Owl.

This set of medals has a 3 part attraction. They are marine medals, they belonged to a musician credited with bringing jazz to Britain and to top it off John Henry Squire served on HMS Terrible. No wonder the auctioneers give an estimate of 6 to 800 pounds.

They are also beautiful in their own right I think.

Christina

[thewideeyedowl]

A sunny good morning to you, Christina, and thank you.

Yes, I am sure these medals will be of interest to lots of folk, and had wondered whether we could find his family/descendants through the forum. A check on the 1911 census yesterday suggests that he was in London, and 'Manager, Music Publishers', aged 31, married to Mary Robertson Squire (if I remember aright), who was ten years older than he was, and they had two(?) young children. Sorry I haven't got the reference to hand - I just checked the forum quickly while I am supposed to be getting breakfast. (There's addiction for you!)

Owl

PS Glad you found Potburys auction catalogue. Do you think the medals could be of interest to FWR?