£395.00Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (H. J. Acock, Ptr. 1st Cl. H.M.S. Forte); 1914-15 Star (340339, H. J. Acock, Ptr. 1., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (340339 H. J. Acock. Ptr. 1 R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C. (340339 H. J. Acock, Painter 1Cl., H.M.S. Implacable.), mounted recently for wear, pitting and contact wear overall, very fine (5)
Henry James Acock was born at Ramsgate, Kent on 28 November 1872 and worked as a housepainter before enlisting with the Royal Navy on 14 August 1914. He was serving aboard Forte by the outbreak of the Boer War as Painter Class I, this vessel was present on the South African Station from October 1899-June 1902. Serving on a number of vessels prior to the outbreak of the Great War including Northampton and Albion, Acock was with the Battleship Implacable when the war began.
This pre-dreadnaught Battleship entered the war with the Dover Patrol, bombarding German forces advancing over the Belgian coastline. She was soon posted to the Mediterranean however where she was involved in the Dardanelles Campaign. Later joining the Italian Fleet in the Adriatic Sea she returned to Britain for a refit in March 1922, with Acock being posted ashore the next month on 18 April.
Remaining ashore until 1 December 1916 he was posted to the fleet tender Hecla and it was with her that he ended his war. Acock was demobilised ashore on 21 February 1919 and died in Chichester, Sussex in 1944; sold together with copied service papers and census records.
Condition as shown in photographs
