Royal Naval Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. GV 1st issue (4947 D. J. W. Irvine L.S. R.N.R.)

Medal verification: The award of the Royal Naval Reserve Long Service & Fleet Reserve Medal is confirmed per the respective naval medal roll (ref ADM 171/71), which shows that the recipient was issued his medal on, 6 March 1930, at Leith (Midlothian, Scotland)

Note: The roll also has the remark that a duplicate medal was issued to the recipient on, 8 October 1956. The medal here being the 'un-marked' original issue

Additionally the recipient had prior qualified and received three campaign medals for his Great War service, vide 1914-15 Star, British War Medal (silver issue) & Interallied Victory Medals, (ref ADM 171/122), and enumerated on his RNR service sheets for No L/39 (ref BT 377/7/75060)

James William Irvine, was the eldest of six son's born to Charles Fraser Irvine (a Baker) & Mary Henderson Irvine (nee Gilbertson), who was a native of Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, where he was born on, 18 November 1890. James was already serving as a 'Seaman' prior to the Great War, and was a very early volunteer enlistment, when he enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve, on, 15 August 1914. Amongst the vessels that James served aboard 1914-1918, were; H.M.S. Boadicea (Scout Cruiser); H.M.S. Wallington (Boom Defence Vessel); H.M.S. Rollcall (Screw Steamer 'Salvage Tug') which latter vessel seized by the, Kriegsmarine in 1940, and used by the Germans for ferry service in the 'occupied' Channel Islands 1940-1945. On, 7 May 1919, James married Mary Ann Manson, at Lerwick, Shetland. During the inter-war years - and through to 1939 - James was a 'Deep Sea' seaman, of the British Mercantile Marine, plying his trade as a seaman on a virtually continuous basis, with multiple voyages including: West Africa, Canada, United States, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Egypt, Palestine (Mandate Territory) Australia, Germany, West Indies, etc. When 'home' James lived with his wife, mostly in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland, and just prior to the Second World War was located at Swansea, Wales

A photographic ID of James William Irvine (as well as 5 x sets of - very detailed - service records) are held and accessible at The National Archives. The Photo ID is in file series BT350 card type CR10

An excellent example of a long service medal to a foreign-going British Merchant Seaman, with no less than 5 x extant sets of service records held at The National Archives cataloguing a truly impressive record of seamanship

Condition: Toned GVF

Code: 22302