| Naval Good Shooting Medals _________________________________________________ |
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CPO James Reuben Miller RN
James Miller was born in Warnbrook Dorset & ent’d the RN as a Boy 2nd Class just after his 15th
birthday, on 15 June 1889 joining in the ‘sunset part’ of the Victorian Navy. He was rated an Able
Seaman & Trained Man on 1 Mar ’93, & qualified as a Seaman Gunner 1st class on 11 Feb ’95, thus
commencing his long gunnery career. He went on to qualify in Torpedos being rated S.G.T.
(Seaman Gunner Torpedo) on 31 May ’95. After a tour on HMS Porpoise & Halcyon he was
promoted to leading Seaman on 1 Apl ’97 & PO2nd Cl on 14 Feb ’98. He qualified as a Gun Captain
on 1 Oct ’98.
Miller was then drafted to HMS Isis where he saw active service on the China station receiving the
China 1900 medal. Whilst serving on her he was promoted to PO 1st Cl. However his rapid
promotion was about to come to an abrupt end. Whilst still on Isis he was desprived of one G.C.B.
(Good Conduct badge) & disrated to Leading Seaman on 22 June 1901. He left Isis on 18 Jan ’02,
qualified at HMS Vernon for the new rating of Seaman Torpedoman on 19 Jan ’02. He was then
drafted to HMS Audacious (Destroyer depot ship) & whilst serving on her, on 14 July ’02 again lost
his second GCB & was disrated to AB on 4 Sep ’02 . As he had no cell time, the offences could not
have been all that serious but certainly serious enough to get him ‘deprived & dipped’
However, after leaving Audacious he was to prove his shooting ability when drafted to HMS
Haughty (Destroyer of ‘95) where he was awarded the Naval Good Shooting medal for accuracy on
6 pounder Quick firing guns, in the 1903 shooting competition. This was the first year of the new
Naval Good Shooting medals to be awarded to the RN.
He was then drafted to HMS Pembroke base & rec’d both his GCB’s back & was promoted again to
PO2 on 12 Feb ’04 & PO1 on 19 Mar ’04. He next serves on HMS Proserpine, Hermes, Gladiator,
Actaeon (the Torpedo school at Sheerness), Leviathan & Cochrane.
He qualifies at HMS Actaeon as Torpedo Coxswain on 12 Oct ’08 & serves on HMS Blake, Tyne, St.
George, Hood, again on St.George, where he was promoted to CPO Torpedo Coxswain on 8 Nov
1911. He then served on HMS King George V & went to pension on 3 July 1914, but was re-
employed the next day serving on Harbour launches to 3 Aug ’14. Then he gets drafted to HMS
Ganges as an instructor teaching Boy Seamen the ‘ways of the Navy’. After 3 years of this he gets
drafted to the Sub depot ship HMS Bonaventure, & finally HMS Gibralter, a depot ship for armed
trawlers) where he finally rec’d his long overdue Long Service medal on 31 Jan ’19, serving to to
war’s end & demobilization on 8 Jan 1920.
Miller had completed 30 yrs 7 months service in the RN.
birthday, on 15 June 1889 joining in the ‘sunset part’ of the Victorian Navy. He was rated an Able
Seaman & Trained Man on 1 Mar ’93, & qualified as a Seaman Gunner 1st class on 11 Feb ’95, thus
commencing his long gunnery career. He went on to qualify in Torpedos being rated S.G.T.
(Seaman Gunner Torpedo) on 31 May ’95. After a tour on HMS Porpoise & Halcyon he was
promoted to leading Seaman on 1 Apl ’97 & PO2nd Cl on 14 Feb ’98. He qualified as a Gun Captain
on 1 Oct ’98.
Miller was then drafted to HMS Isis where he saw active service on the China station receiving the
China 1900 medal. Whilst serving on her he was promoted to PO 1st Cl. However his rapid
promotion was about to come to an abrupt end. Whilst still on Isis he was desprived of one G.C.B.
(Good Conduct badge) & disrated to Leading Seaman on 22 June 1901. He left Isis on 18 Jan ’02,
qualified at HMS Vernon for the new rating of Seaman Torpedoman on 19 Jan ’02. He was then
drafted to HMS Audacious (Destroyer depot ship) & whilst serving on her, on 14 July ’02 again lost
his second GCB & was disrated to AB on 4 Sep ’02 . As he had no cell time, the offences could not
have been all that serious but certainly serious enough to get him ‘deprived & dipped’
However, after leaving Audacious he was to prove his shooting ability when drafted to HMS
Haughty (Destroyer of ‘95) where he was awarded the Naval Good Shooting medal for accuracy on
6 pounder Quick firing guns, in the 1903 shooting competition. This was the first year of the new
Naval Good Shooting medals to be awarded to the RN.
He was then drafted to HMS Pembroke base & rec’d both his GCB’s back & was promoted again to
PO2 on 12 Feb ’04 & PO1 on 19 Mar ’04. He next serves on HMS Proserpine, Hermes, Gladiator,
Actaeon (the Torpedo school at Sheerness), Leviathan & Cochrane.
He qualifies at HMS Actaeon as Torpedo Coxswain on 12 Oct ’08 & serves on HMS Blake, Tyne, St.
George, Hood, again on St.George, where he was promoted to CPO Torpedo Coxswain on 8 Nov
1911. He then served on HMS King George V & went to pension on 3 July 1914, but was re-
employed the next day serving on Harbour launches to 3 Aug ’14. Then he gets drafted to HMS
Ganges as an instructor teaching Boy Seamen the ‘ways of the Navy’. After 3 years of this he gets
drafted to the Sub depot ship HMS Bonaventure, & finally HMS Gibralter, a depot ship for armed
trawlers) where he finally rec’d his long overdue Long Service medal on 31 Jan ’19, serving to to
war’s end & demobilization on 8 Jan 1920.
Miller had completed 30 yrs 7 months service in the RN.
| The Naval Good Shooting medal is named: 149357 J. MILLER, A.B., H.M.S. HAUGHTY. 1903. 6 PR. Q.F. The medals are ALWAYS impressed with: No., Name, Rate, Ship, Year of award, & calibre & type of gun. 1903 was the first year of issue for the NG Shooting medal - 1914 was the last year of issue. The Latin inscription on the reverse reads: VICTORIA CURAM AMAT, which traslates: Victory Loves Care I have the roll if anyone needs a medal checked. |
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