ARTHUR, J. S. F.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Admiral Sir James Startin. 50 Years Naval Service. First and sole edition, presentation copy from Startin's surviving children, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "Bee, With love from Bob, Winnie, and Hal in very affectionate memory of their Father, Sept. 1958".Startin (1855-1948) joined the Royal Navy in 1869 and spent his early years fighting in the Anglo-Zulu War with the Naval Brigade, where he received a medal for his bravery. He commanded the Barrosa in the Benin Expedition of 1897, served in the China Station during the Boxer Rebellion, and was made aide-de-camp to the King in 1906. He retired in 1914 but almost immediately returned for the First World War. On 10 June 1918, it is reported that he ran his ship alongside a burning vessel, jumped aboard through the flames, and rescued an injured engineer, for which he was awarded the Albert Medal for Gallantry.He had four children: James (b.1891), Robert (b.1894), Winifred (b.1894), and Hal (b.1901). His oldest two sons both joined the navy, and James died during the First World War.

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