Canada General Service Medal 1866-70, 1 clasp, Fenian Raid 1866 to ASSISTANT ENGINEER (LATER FLEET ENGINEER) J.R. HARVEY, HMS ROSARIO.

ASSISTANT ENGINEER (LATER FLEET ENGINEER) J.R. HARVEY, HMS ROSARIO. Canada General Service Medal 1866-70, 1 clasp, Fenian Raid 1866. Officially named, engraved in serifed capitals: (ASST. ENGR) J.R. HARVEY. H.M.S. ROSARIO.

Attempted erasure of rank “ASST. ENGR” before initials and surname on rim of medal (as indicated, with only a faint trace of the erased letters remaining), otherwise Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine, and a scarce award to a Royal Navy officer.

Medal accompanied by copied extracts from the original medal roll and Douglas-Morris’s published medal roll from “Naval Medals 1857-1880”, on both of which rolls Harvey’s rank is given as Assistant Engineer, his rank at the time of the Fenian Raid of 1866.

Harvey no doubt had the lowly rank of Assistant Engineer erased from the edge of his medal because it did not reflect the elevated status that he had reached by the end of his career with the Royal Navy.

Only 322 medals with the Fenian Raid 1866 clasp were awarded to the Royal Navy, shared between 15 ships, with only 16 going to HMS Rosario, the low numbers awarded being a result of medal only being instituted in 1899, and only being awarded to surviving veterans of the campaign. Only 7 Fenian Raid 1866 clasps were awarded to Engineer Officers.

Medal also accompanied by 1 page of copied service papers, and 1891 census returns and details from Civil Deaths Index.

John Robert Harvey was born on 18/4/1840, in Holyhead, Wales. The 1851 census records him as a schoolboy at the Royal Hospital School for the Orphans of Mariners, Greenwich. Harvey joined the Royal Navy as an Assistant Engineer, 3rd class, on 24/2/1860, was promoted Assistant Engineer, 2nd class, 16/4/1861, Assistant Engineer, 1st class, 11/4/1864, Engineer, 23/8/1867, Chief Engineer, 9/5/1878, Staff Engineer, 20/4/1881 and Fleet Engineer, 9/5/1886.

Medal roll confirms medal and clasp, and service aboard “HMS Rosario at Montreal in 1866. On detached duty on one of the Light River Steamers – also in HMS Rosario in the St. Croix River with steam up for weeks”. HMS Rosario was at Quebec when the Fenian invasion of Canada began on 1/6/1866. Believing that the Fenians intended attacking Montreal, HMS Rosario was dispatched from Quebec to guard the harbour at Montreal. The Rosario was later dispatched to the St Croix River on the US/Canadian border, to prevent Fenian forces crossing into Canada at that point on the Maine (USA) and New Brunswick (Canada) border.

Service sheet only lists the ships that Harvey served with after being promoted Engineer. These include HM Ships Princess Charlotte, Undaunted, Simoon, London, Asia, Chasseur and Warsprite. Fleet Engineer Harvey was placed on half pay on 3/11/1889 and retired with an annual pension of £390 on 28/4/1890.

The 1891 census records Harvey as a 50 year old “retired Royal Navy officer” living at Willesden, Harrow, Middlesex. The 1901 census records him as a 60 year old “estate agent” living at Acton, Middlesex (the Canada General Service Medal roll records Harvey’s medal as having been despatched to him circa 1899 at Springfield Park, Acton, England). Fleet Engineer Harvey died at Chester in 1909. The sole executor of Fleet Engineer Harvey’s estate was his son Owen Hughes Harvey. Probate was granted on 21/7/1909, Harvey’s estate having a gross value of £748.