Beschreibung:

A fine Naval Victoria Cross group of five awarded to Boatswain Henry Cooper for Commando style raids against the Russians in the Sea of Azoff VICTORIA CROSS, reverse of suspension bar engraved (Boatswain Henry Cooper , reverse centre of the cross dated '3 June 1855' the cross retaining most of its original finish and worn from the blue ribbon; BALTIC 1854-55; CRIMEA 1854-55, 2 clasps, Azoff, Sebastopol, these last two unnamed as issued; TURKISH CRIMEA, Sardinian issue, fitted with replacement scroll suspender as worn by the recipient; France LEGION OF HONOUR, Knight's breast badge in silver and enamels with gold centres, considerable damage to the last, otherwise good very fine (5) Footnote V.C., London Gazette, 24 February 1857: 'Henry Cooper, Boatswain, Royal Navy. Date of Act of Bravery: 3 June, 1855. Performed the desperate service of landing at Taganrog in presence of a large force, to set fire to the Govermuent stores.’ In May 1855 a strong expedition of some 15,000 infantry and 56 ships-frigates, light draught steamers, gun and rocker boats, later augmented by twenty line-of-battleship launches armed with 24-pounder howitzers and rockets-was sent eastwards across the Black Sea to seize the Straits of Kertsch and to operate in the Sea of Azov beyond them. The Russians blew up their forts and retreated from the Straits so that the objectives were captured without the loss of a man. A steam flotilla under Captain Lyons (the C-in-C's son) went through the Straits and within a week had sunk four steamers of war and 246 merchant vessels of various kinds, captured corn, flour and powder magazines to the value of £50, 000 and seized over 17, 000 tons of coal. The Azov operations encountered no suborn opposition at all, and the actions therefore took the form of daring ventures by small parties, much like the Commando raids of a later age, to destroy enemy materiel ashore. On 29th May 1855, Lieutenant Buckley of HMS Miranda, Lieutenant Burgoyne of HMS Swallow and Gunner Robarts of HMS Ardent volunteered to land on a beach near the town of Genitchi, at a point where they were out of covering gunshot range of the ships offshore and where they knew the Russian Army were in strength. They met considerable enemy opposition from infantry and snipers, but set fire to corn stores, ammunition dumps and destroyed enemy equipment before embarking again, narrowly escaping from a party of Cossacks who all but cut off their retreat. On the night of 3rd June, Buckley landed again, this time with Boatswain Henry Cooper also of Miranda, in a four-oared gig manned by volunteers, at the town of Taganrog in the north-east corner of the Sea of Azov, which was actually under bombardment by the Allied squadron at the time. The town was garrisoned by some 3, 000 Russian troops but Buckley and Cooper landed at several places, whenever they saw a likely target, to fire government buildings and stores and destroy equipment and arms before embarking again, under fire themselves for most of the time. These quick and unexpected raids which the raiders seemed to be able to mount where and whenever they pleased, had a depressing effect on the enemy out of all proportion to the damage done. The Russians learned once again that there was no substitute for the speed, strength and flexibility of sea-power. Henry Cooper who was born in 1825 and joined the Navy as a Boy Second Class when he was fifteen, followed the sound of the guns for the whole of his adventurous Service career and he always seemed to be present whenever anything exciting or dangerous was happening. Whilst serving in Philomel on the west coast of Africa in 1848 he was one of a boarding party who seized a pirate-slaver, although their boat was riddled with grapeshot by the time they got on board the prize. One man was killed and nineteen were injured, but the slaver was taken and her crew of sixty made prisoner. When he was Boatswain of Miranda, leaving Plymouth for the Black Sea and saluting th