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5 April 1851 Samuel John Robins is born at Torpoint
(Note: 1851 census, conducted on 31 March 1851, shows a number of
Robins families in Devon, including some where the head of the household
is a shipwright or joiner, especially at Devonport Dockyard)
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July 1872 Enters the Royal Navy as an Assistant Engineer
2nd Class aboard HMS Indus He went on to serve a total of 35 years,
receiving only one medal - the South Africa Medal 1877-79 for his service
in the rank of Engineer aboard the transport HMS Himalaya
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17 October 1879 Leslie is
born, the son of Engineer Samuel who, since February that year, had been
serving in the armoured turret ship HMS Rupert. Birth registered in
the fourth quarter in the Stoke Damerel district of Devonport
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3 April 1881 Census shows Samuel's wife, Ida F Robins, at
4 Berkeley Cottage, Stoke Damerel, with Leslie, Susan Dodridge, a
65-year-old nurse, and 14-year-old Sarah Joyce, a general servant. Samuel
himself is listed as an Engineer with HMS Indus at Devonport
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4 August 1885 Promoted to Chief Engineer
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4 August 1889 Promoted to Staff Engineer
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4 August 1893 Appointed Fleet Engineer. Had been serving
at HMS Pembroke at Chatham since April 1892 on engineer overseer
duties at the Dockyard
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July 1895 Second Engineer Officer at Simonstown Dockyard,
Cape of Good Hope
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December 1898 Chief Engineer at Hong Kong Dockyard
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1 April 1900 Promoted to Inspector of Machinery
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August 1900 Appointed to HMS President for service
at the Admiralty in connection with Belleville boilers
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1 April 1902 Promoted to Engineer Rear-Admiral
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January 1905 Appointed to HMS Impregnable, flagship of the
C-in-C Plymouth, as Base Engineer Rear-Admiral
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14 May 1908 Placed on retired list
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1920 Kelly's Handbook gives Rear-Adm Samuel Robin's
address as 2 Holyrood Place, Plymouth
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15 June 1927 Death of Rear-Adm (E) Samuel Robins announced
in The Times. Lived at Yelverton, Devon
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16 October 1996 His South Africa 1877-79 Medal (no clasp)
sold for £190 in an auction of the Douglas-Morris collection of naval
medals
