Lot Essay
INDENTVice-Admrial Henry Carr Glyn, C.B., C.S.I. (1829-84), fourth son of George Carr, First Lord Wolverton, entered the Royal Navy as a Volunteer First Class in H.M.S. America 1844; served on the Pacific, East India and China stations; Sub Lieutenant 1850; under Commander Edmund Lyons, engaged in suppression of Piracy on the China Coast. "It happened that on one occasion during his service in these waters he came prominently under the notice of the authorities for his gallant conduct in boarding a pirate junk. Commander Lyons's brig, during an engagement happened to sheer off from the pirate junk which had been boarded, and young Henry Glyn with his commander and about a dozen men were left on board the junk to fight the crew and take the ship, in which enterprize they were, after some hard fighting, successful"; Lieutenant 1852; at the outbreak of the Crimea War 1854, appointed First Lieutenant H.M.S. Britannia, flag-ship of Naval Commander-in-Chief Vice Admiral J. D. Dundas; chosen to command the small Naval Force "for Gun Boat Service on the Danube" with orders to assist the Turkish Army, together with a party of 30 English Sappers and 15 French Pontoneers, in securing a bridgehead over the river Danube at Giurgevo
The Danube Party
Travelling by ship to Varna, the Naval Party then journeyed on horseback to Roustchouk, a distance of some 130 miles. They arrived on 10 July to find a Russian army 70,000 strong, under Prince Gortschakoff threatening the much smaller Turkish force of a few thousand men which had crossed the Danube by boat and was now camped on the Northern bank at Giurgevo, separated from the Main Turkish army and clearly unable to withstand the impending Russian attack. Immediately on arrival Lieutenant Glyn, assisted by Midshipman Prince Leiningen, took command of the few Turkish gunboats on the river and thrust them down a narrow loop stream which splits away from the main river above Giurgevo. By this action he placed the boats between the two armies and, though under heavy fire from the north bank, maintained his position and relieved the pressure on the small isolated Turkish advance party. Prince Gortschakoff, uncertain as to the strength of the newly arrived British force, decided against an immediate attack. While he hesitated, the Naval party assisted the Sappers in construction a pontoon bridge, 787 yards long, using 55 commandeered boats. The bridge was completed on 10 August, and the main Turkish army under Omer Pasha could now counter the Russian threat. The Czar's intended invasion of Bulgaria had been thwarted. (Glyn received the Turkish Order of Medjidie 5th class and was promoted to Commander, 1855; Prince Leiningen was promoted to Lieutenant; both men received the Turkish General Service Medal in Gold.)
Commanded H.M.S. Hecate off the West Coast of Africa, and was invalided home; commanded H.M.S. Coquet in the Mediterranean, and H.M.S. Miranda during the New Zealand war 1860; Captain 1861; commanded H.M.S. Doris on the North African Station and H.M.S. Warrior, ionclad, 1870, and H.M.S. Duke of Wellington 1872, in the Channel Squadron; Naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria 1873-77; entrusted with the command of H.M.S. Serapis when she conveyed the Prince of Wales to India 1875 (C.B.); Rear Admiral 1877 (Order of the Medjidie 3rd class, and C.S.I. 1878); Vice Admiral 1882 and died two years later
For related family awards see lots 313, 314, 315 and 348
The Danube Party
Travelling by ship to Varna, the Naval Party then journeyed on horseback to Roustchouk, a distance of some 130 miles. They arrived on 10 July to find a Russian army 70,000 strong, under Prince Gortschakoff threatening the much smaller Turkish force of a few thousand men which had crossed the Danube by boat and was now camped on the Northern bank at Giurgevo, separated from the Main Turkish army and clearly unable to withstand the impending Russian attack. Immediately on arrival Lieutenant Glyn, assisted by Midshipman Prince Leiningen, took command of the few Turkish gunboats on the river and thrust them down a narrow loop stream which splits away from the main river above Giurgevo. By this action he placed the boats between the two armies and, though under heavy fire from the north bank, maintained his position and relieved the pressure on the small isolated Turkish advance party. Prince Gortschakoff, uncertain as to the strength of the newly arrived British force, decided against an immediate attack. While he hesitated, the Naval party assisted the Sappers in construction a pontoon bridge, 787 yards long, using 55 commandeered boats. The bridge was completed on 10 August, and the main Turkish army under Omer Pasha could now counter the Russian threat. The Czar's intended invasion of Bulgaria had been thwarted. (Glyn received the Turkish Order of Medjidie 5th class and was promoted to Commander, 1855; Prince Leiningen was promoted to Lieutenant; both men received the Turkish General Service Medal in Gold.)
Commanded H.M.S. Hecate off the West Coast of Africa, and was invalided home; commanded H.M.S. Coquet in the Mediterranean, and H.M.S. Miranda during the New Zealand war 1860; Captain 1861; commanded H.M.S. Doris on the North African Station and H.M.S. Warrior, ionclad, 1870, and H.M.S. Duke of Wellington 1872, in the Channel Squadron; Naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria 1873-77; entrusted with the command of H.M.S. Serapis when she conveyed the Prince of Wales to India 1875 (C.B.); Rear Admiral 1877 (Order of the Medjidie 3rd class, and C.S.I. 1878); Vice Admiral 1882 and died two years later
For related family awards see lots 313, 314, 315 and 348