Campaign Box - Capt H Bonham Bax

A hardwood, possibly Teak, Campaign box with the name plate inscribed "Capt.H.Bonham Bax HCS". It has a working lock and key. HCS refers to the Honourable Company of ship Service, which usually refers to the person being a "Master". Extract below courtesy of Radnorshire Fine Arts Ltd. Bax, Henry Bonham (1798-1869): Henry Bax was born in 1798; he joined the Royal Navy in 1813 only to leave it a few years later in 1817. At least one hobby that seems to have kept him busy during this period, and indeed for the rest of his life, seems to have been the painting of watercolours. Several paintings found on the internet include views of the coasts of England, France, Italy, Minorca and Gibraltar, as well as Portugal. After leaving the service in 1817, Bonham Bax joined the East India Company which appears to have proved a long and prosperous association. According to records shown in a supplement to the Register of Ships employed in the service of the Hon the United East India Company published in 1835, from 1818 to 1831 Bonham was involved in no less than seven major trips to the Orient using four different ships all of which he appears to have been the ship’s husband acting as agent for the owner of the ship. He is also often described on some of these voyages as the ship’s captain.”