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Click here to subscribeKes (1969), British Quad Film Poster for this coming of age kitchen sink film, this being the scarce quad, folded, 30 x 40 inches Condition Report: Good condition, pinholes to corners and edges, small nick to right edge, some scuff marks All poster sizes are in inches and their dimensions may vary slightly
This charming Lladro figurine, titled Clean Up Time (1004838), depicts a young girl washing her hands at a pedestal sink, capturing a playful yet delicate moment. The piece showcases Lladro's signature soft pastel hues and high-gloss finish, enhancing the intricate details of the girl's expression and clothing. Designed with exquisite craftsmanship, this collectible is marked with the Lladro backstamp on the base, certifying its authenticity. A delightful addition to any Lladro collection. Measures 7.5"H.Issued: 20th century Dimensions: See DescriptionCountry of Origin: SpainCondition: Age related wear.
A Great War D.S.O. group of three awarded to Lieutenant J. Martin, Royal Naval Reserve and Mercantile Marine, who was decorated and commissioned for his zeal and devotion to duty on the occasion that the lightly armed merchantman Caspian was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-34 in May 1917; the Captain having being killed, he took charge, only abandoning the ship after 23 of her crew were dead and all ammunition was spent - he later commanded the Q-ships Dargle and Fresh Hope 1917-18 Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; British War and Victory Medals (Lieut. J. Martin, R.N.R.) good very fine (3) £1,000-£1,400 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.S.O. London Gazette 19 December 1917: ‘In recognition of zeal and devotion to duty shown in carrying on the trade of the country during the War.’ James Martin, a native of Sunderland, was born in 1847 and was granted a temporary commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve on 10 August 1915, aged 68. He was given command of the Admiralty trawler Filey from 30 August, armed with one 12 pounder gun. The following year he was discharged from the Royal Naval Reserve and had his commission cancelled due to misconduct in being drunk on board his ship on 20 January 1916. However, finding employment as Chief Officer of the lightly armed merchantman S.S. Caspian of the Mercantile Marine, Martin was to be redeemed by his actions the following year when on 20 May 1917, the highly successful German submarine U-34 attacked the S.S. Caspian 3.5 miles off Alicante. During an action lasting over two hours, in which the Master, Arthur Douse, and 23 members of the crew were killed, Martin was left in charge of the Caspian and only after all the ammunition was used, the surviving crew members took to the boats. The U-boat then took just three prisoners aboard (the Chief Engineer, 2nd Officer and a gunner) and then proceeded to torpedo and sink the Caspian. Chief Officer Martin was awarded the D.S.O. for his zeal and devotion to duty on this occasion and gazetted a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve once more, later receiving his award at the hands of the King at Buckingham Palace on 11 September 1918. He was 70 years old at the time of the action and was stated at the time to be the oldest man ever to have won the decoration. Three other crew members received the D.S.C. Martin’s re-appointment as Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve was dated 19 May 1917 and he was given command of the Q-ship Dargle in the following month, a topsail schooner fitted out with a 4-inch and two 12-pounders. Operating out of Lerwick, she certainly had a number of encounters with enemy submarines. In a lengthy patrol report sent to the Admiral Commanding, Orkney and Shetland, on 16 August 1917, Martin expressed his doubts about the Dargle’s suitability for Q-ship operations: ‘It is my opinion that this vessel owing to her uncommon build is marked and suspected by enemy submarines of being armed. Three times in my experience submarines have been in the vicinity and no attempt made to attack us has been made until we had a torpedo fired at us. As a decoy ship she is a failure, and I should recommend her being handed back to her owners, and the guns, engines and material being taken out of her and fitted in a vessel more serviceable.’ Martin’s report swiftly invoked the Admiral Commanding to send a scathing report to the C.-in-C. Grand Fleet: ‘I consider that the present Commanding Officer of the Special Service Vessel Dargle is not suitable for appointment in command of a Special Service Vessel. Lieutenant J. Martin, R.N.R., is of an excitable temperament which is most undesirable. At various interviews he has not impressed me or members of my staff as being a suitable officer for his present command. He is constantly using his motors and does not appear to realise the importance of making his vessel look like a peaceful merchant ship, as will be seen from the letter of the Rear-Admiral, Stornaway ... I am therefore desirous of giving her another trial under a new Commanding Officer and submit that Lieutenant Martin may be relieved.’ As a result, according to Carson Ritchie’s Q-Ships: ‘Martin resigned from his command on the grounds of ill-health, but Captain James Startin, Senior Naval Officer, Granton, who felt that he was a very capable officer, but ‘certainly difficult as regards naval etiquette and discipline’, had him transferred to another vessel. A year later, as commander of the Fresh Hope, another sailing Q-ship, Martin justified this good opinion by bringing the fore-and-aft schooner into an encounter with a U-boat on which he scored four direct hits.’ Lieutenant Martin was placed on the retired list on 28 June 1920 and died in 1929 aged 82. Sold with copied research and medal roll extracts, that shows that the recipient additionally received the 1914-15 Star. Another Lieutenant J. Martin (John Martin) is also on the medal roll of the Royal Naval Reserve, also entitled to a 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal.
A fine Great War D.S.M. group of four awarded to Able Seaman N. L. Rae, H.M. Submarine B11, Royal Navy, for his gallantry during the sinking of the Ottoman battleship Messudiyeh in the Sea of Marmora on 13 December 1914 - all the crew of the B11 were valiant, with her captain, Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook, being awarded the V.C.; her second in command, Lieutenant S. T. Winn, the D.S.O.; and the entire of the rest of the crew the D.S.M. Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (232229 N. L. Rae. A.B., H.M. Submarine. B.11.); 1914-15 Star (232229, N. L. Rae, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (232229 N. L. Rae. A.B. R.N.) good very fine (4) £3,000-£4,000 --- V.C. London Gazette 22 December 1914: Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook, Royal Navy ‘For most conspicuous bravery on the 13th December 1914, when in command of the Submarine B.11, he entered the Dardanelles, and, notwithstanding the very difficult current, dived his vessel under five rows of mines and torpedoed the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh, which was guarding the mine-field. Lieutenant Holbrook succeeded in bringing the B.11 safely back, although assailed by gun-fire and torpedo boats, having been submerged on one occasion for nine hours.’ D.S.O. London Gazette 22 December 1914: Lieutenant Sydney Thornhill Winn ‘In respect of his services as second in command of Submarine B.11 which torpedoed the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh in the Dardanelles on the 13th December 1914.’ D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1915: Able Seaman Norman Lester Rae, O.N., 232229 (in a joint citation with Petty Officer William Charles Milsom, O.N., 182452; Petty Officer Thomas Henry Davey, O.N., 215464; Chief Engine Room Artificer, 2nd Class, John Harding, O.N., 270410; Engine Room Artificer, 1st Class, Anthony Douglas, O.N., 270773; Stoker Petty Officer Patrick McKenna, O.N., 284570; Leading Seaman Alfred Edmund Perry, O.N., 234677; Leading Seaman Wilfrid Charles Mortimer, O.N., 219476; Able Seaman George Read, O.N., 231010; Able Seaman Edward Buckle, O.N., 237869; Able Seaman Tom Blake, O.N., J.1383; Signalman Frederick George Foote, O.N., J.1862; Acting Leading Stoker John Henry Sowdeii, O.N., 308448; and Stoker, 1st Class, Stephen James Lovelady, O.N., K.2240). ‘For service in the Dardanelles in Submarine B.11 on the 13th December 1914.’ Norman Lester Rae was born in Basingstoke on 19 August 1888 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on 15 September 1904. Advanced Able Seaman on 24 April 1908, he served during the Great War in the submarine B.11 under the command of Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook. Following the outbreak of the Great War, H.M. Submarine B.11, a rather primitive vessel launched on 21 February 1906, with a crew of two officer and 14 ratings, was redeployed from Malta to Tenedos, an island just south of the entrance to the Dardanelles, joining the fleet monitoring the entrance of the Dardanelles. When Britain formally declared war on Turkey on 5 November 1914 it was decided to probe the Straits from here, although they were known to be heavily defended by minefields and shore batteries, while fierce currents made them hazardous to navigate. On 13 December 1914 B.11 submerged a mile off Cape Helles at the western end of the Straits and, having dived under five rows of mines through uncharted currents, eventually reached Sari Sighlar Bay, south of Chanak on the Asian shore. Here she discovered the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh at anchor, which was carrying more than 700 men. firing a single torpedo from a distance of 750 metres, the torpedo hit the ship’s stern, causing her to capsize and sink, with the loss of 10 officers and 27 other ranks. Despite very heavy Turkish fire B.11 succeeded in returning safely to Tenedos; the return journey taking over eight hours, with any attempt to use the periscope resulting in heavy fire being brought to bear on her. For their great gallantry in attacking and sinking the Messudiyeh, all the crew of the B.11 were decorated; her captain, Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross; her second in command, Lieutenant S. T. Winn, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order; and all fourteen ratings (including Rae) were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. They were also awarded £3,500 of prize money, with Holbrook receiving £600; Winn £480; the Petty Officers £240; and the seamen £120. For Rae and the other seamen this was the equivalent of almost three years’ pay. Rae served in various other submarines and shore based establishments for the rest of the War, and was shore demobilised on 27 March 1919. He subsequently emigrated to South Africa. Sold with a presentation pocket watch, by J. W. Benson, London, the outer silver case engraved ‘NLR’ on one side, and ‘Sunk by B11. “Messudiyeh” Dardanelles, Dec. 13. 1914’ on the other; and a hand-written letter written to the recipient from his former skipper, Commander Norman Holbrook, V.C., dated 12 December 1958.
The extremely rare Great War D.S.M. and Bar group of twelve awarded to Chief Engine Room Artificer H. A. Harris, Royal Navy, awarded the D.S.M. for his gallantry in H.M.S. Vindictive in the Zeebrugge raid in April 1918 and participated in the ballot for the V.C.; he received a Bar for like services in the subsequent raid on Ostend in May 1918, thereby becoming one of only four ‘double D.S.M.s’ for these operations Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar (M.6218. H. A. Harris, E.R.A. 3Cl. “Vindictive.” Zeebrugge-Ostend. 22-3. Apl. 1918.) the reverse of the Bar officially impressed ‘9-10 May 1918’; British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (M.6218 H. A. Harris. E.R.A. 4 R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue with fixed suspension (M.6218 H. A. Harris. E.R.A.1. H.M.S. Centaur) minor official correction to official number on the last, light contact marks, very fine or better (12) £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 1999. Just 67 Bars were awarded to the D.S.M. in the Great War. D.S.M. London Gazette 23 July 1918: ‘For services during the operations against Zeebrugge and Ostend on the night of 22-23 April 1918.’ Bar to D.S.M. London Gazette 28 August 1918: ‘The following awards have been approved.’ The recommendation states: ‘H.M.S. Vindictive. Zeebrugge-Ostend 9-10 May 1919. The following [four] Engine Room Artificers distinguished themselves in H.M.S. Vindictive during the attack on Zeebrugge Mole on 23 April 1918. They immediately volunteered for further service in H.M.S. Vindictive and behaved with conspicuous bravery in that ship on the night of 9-10 May 1918. No other ratings in H.M.S. Vindictive volunteered for the second operation.’ Herbert Alfred Harris was born at Gosport, Hampshire on 10 July 1897, and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy Artificer in July 1913. At the time of his volunteering for the famous Zeebrugge raid in April 1918, he was serving as an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class in H.M.S. Royal Sovereign, and was one of the four E.R.A.s assigned to the care of Vindictive’s engines: all of them were subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and took part in the ballot for the award of the Victoria Cross. Vindictive’s role as a landing ship was of course crucial, acting as she did as a decoy to the raid’s accompanying blockships, so much so that her part in the raid had been the subject of wide praise and coverage. Captain A. F. B. Carpenter, R.N., one of five men to be awarded the V.C. for Vindictive’s efforts that memorable night, later recalled the hot reception afforded the ship as it closed the Mole: ‘They literally poured projectiles into us. In about five minutes we had reached the Mole, but not before the ship had suffered a great amount of damage to both material and personnel.’ And the carnage continued apace as her Royal Marine landing parties desperately tried to get ashore in the face of point-blank fire. But the performance of the engine room department, under Engineer Lieutenant-Commander W. A. Bury, was no less praiseworthy, he and his artificers having to shift from going full speed astern to full speed ahead, in an effort to maintain the much-battered cruiser’s position on the Mole. And when at 12.50 a.m. the recall signal was received, they managed to muster a speed of 17 knots. In total, 176 officers and men were killed in the raid and 412 wounded. Such was the bravery of all those involved that Article 13 of the Victoria Cross warrant was invoked. This stipulates that, when a corps or unit so distinguishes itself as to make it impossible to single out individuals, Crosses should be awarded by a ballot of those who survived. Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Royal Navy by this method, and another two to the Royal Marines. Under a further provision of Article 13, all those who did not receive the V.C. had their service records annotated to the effect that they had participated in the ballot for the V.C.: Harris’s service record is thus annotated, together with a note in respect of his award of the D.S.M. For the second raid on Ostend in May 1918, in which Vindictive was to act as one of the blockships, Vice-Admiral Keyes intended to allow the Senior Engineer present to take charge of the Vindictive’s engines, but Engineer Lieutenant-Commander Bury protested strongly against leaving the ship, and claimed his right to remain in Vindictive: ‘This very gallant officer, who greatly distinguished himself on 23 April, represented that his knowledge of the engines and boilers of his ship should be utilised. He further begged that Engine Room Artificers Hubert Cavanagh, Norman Carroll, Alan Thomas, and Herbert Alfred Harris, who also volunteered, might be allowed to remain with him. Keyes acceded to his request.’ And so, in the early morning mist on 10 May, Vindictive made her last eight-point turn, then steamed through the canal entrance at Ostend. Bury and his four E.R.A.s had experienced little trouble with the engines despite the hastily patched-up steam pipes which had been severely damaged by gunfire at Zeebrugge. In fact, to begin with, all was well below deck, the 35 men in the engine-room performing their duties admirably. And with Vindictive in position across the channel of the canal, Lieutenant Victor Crutchley gave orders for the ship to be abandoned, preparatory to the firing of the charges which would sink Vindictive, thereby blocking the channel. Crutchley, who had earlier been wounded by a direct hit on the bridge and assumed command after his captain was killed, displayed great courage. Having made every endeavour by manoeuvring his engines to place the ship in an effective position, he did not leave her until he had made a thorough search with an electric torch for survivors, under a very heavy fire. And that heavy fire now took its toll below decks, Engineer Commander Bury being severely wounded. But he remained in the engine-room until the last possible moment, and when everyone was clear, he blew the bottom out of the ship, by firing the main and auxiliary after charges. Three of his gallant E.R.A.s were saved; the fourth, Alan Thomas, was missing, but it was later learnt that he had been picked up by the Germans and taken prisoner. Harris was among those who escaped the embattled harbour in M.L. 254, commanded by Geoffrey Drummond, who, in common with Crutchley, was awarded a V.C. for his heroics that night. For his own part, Harris was awarded a Bar to his D.S.M. and, later still, a ‘mention’ (London Gazette 19 February 1919, refers). In the inter-war years, Harris served in the submarine Cachalot from May 1927 to January 1928, aside from a short period aboard the patrol boat H.M.S. P40 for a week in October 1927. He joined Centaur on 9 January 1928 and received his L.S. & G.C. medal the following July. He subsequently gained advancement to Chief Engine Room Artificer and signed up for a second term of ‘non-continuous’ engagement in July 1937, when he was assigned the service number P/MX. 54929.
The fine Great War submariner’s D.S.M. group of five awarded to Chief Engine Room Artificer 2nd class R. E. Jupp, Royal Navy; decorated for his prominent part in the E. 11’s famous patrol in the Sea of Marmora in May 1915, he was nonetheless reduced from Chief E.R.A. to C.E.R.A. 2 by Nasmith, V.C., for swearing at his No. 1, Lieutenant D’Oyly-Hughes - in normal circumstances Jupp’s punishment might have been far greater, but Nasmith was acutely aware of his value to the E. 11’s operational future Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (272396. R. E. Jupp, E.R.A. 2 Cl. H.M. Submarine E.11.); 1914-15 Star (272396, R. E. Jupp. D.S.M. E.R.A. 2. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (272396 R. E. Jupp. C.E.R.A. 2 R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (272396 R. E. Jupp. C.E.R.A. 2, H.M.S. Lucia), mounted as worn, contact marks and edge bruising, otherwise generally very fine (5) £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 2006. D.S.M. London Gazette 13 September 1915: ‘For service in submarines in the Sea of Marmora.’ The recommendation states: ‘H.M. Submarine Ell Sea of Marmora 18 May to 7 June 1915. Passed through the Dardanelles on night of 18 May. On 23 May sank Ottoman gunboat Peleng-I Derya and on 24 May sank Naval Auxiliary Naga and S.S. Hunkar Iskelesi. On 25 May the transport ship Stamboul was torpedoed. On 28 May S.S. Bandirma was sunk and on 31 May the troop transport S.S. Madeline Rickmers torpedoed. The S.S. Tecielli was sunk on 2 June and finally on 7 June while passing out through the Dardanelles sank troopship S.S. Ceyhan. In total eleven ships were sunk or disabled during the mission.’ Reginald Jupp was born at Horsham, Sussex in October 1884 and entered the Royal Navy as an Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class in July 1907. Transferring to the submarine branch in October 1912, he was serving as an Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Jupp was undoubtedly a forceful character, and one who played a vital role in the E. 11’s remarkable patrols in the Sea of Marmora, a contention which is amply supported by the definitive account of those exploits, namely Dardanelles Patrol, by Peter Shankland and Anthony Hunter, which was first published in 1965 - indeed the authors duly acknowledge Jupp’s valuable contribution to their eye-witness material. From the numerous references to him in the text, it is possible, too, to place Jupp aboard the E. 11 from the commencement of hostilities, so he had earlier shared in her gallant attempt to penetrate the Baltic in October 1914, an operation that was hindered by engine trouble and the regular attention of the enemy; nearly rammed by German patrol vessels on the 19th, she returned home on the following day after being spotted by an aircraft that directed a flotilla of destroyers in pursuit of her; and having survived that ordeal, E. 11 was again nearly rammed after delivering an unsuccessful torpedo strike in Heligoland Bight in December of the same year - her target was an enemy ship returning from the bombardment of Scarborough. As recounted in Dardanelles Patrol, Jupp told Nasmith “Bad luck, sir” when it was apparent the torpedoes had missed, the latter responding, “It’s just as well I missed. She was too close. We would have both gone up together. But I’ll tell you this, Jupp, I won’t smoke or drink till I’ve sunk an enemy warship.” Nor did he. Yet it was, of course, for her subsequent deeds in the Dardanelles campaign in 1915, that the E. 11 won undying fame in the annals of submarine warfare, and Reginald Jupp his D.S.M. The spring of 1915 found the E.11 attached to the Fleet in the Mediterranean and, with Lieutenant-Commander Martin Eric Nasmith in command, she proceeded to make history at a rapid rate. It was in the middle of May that she left for her perilous passage through the Dardanelles, and before she was through them she ran into her first encounter with the enemy. When the Narrows had been successfully negotiated, and the submarine rose to get fresh bearings, two battleships were seen to be lying a little further on. Such an opportunity was not to be let slip without an effort, and, necessarily keeping the periscope above water, Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith at once proceeded to put his boat in a suitable position for launching a torpedo. Unfortunately, the Turks sighted the periscope a minute or two too soon, and instantly the battleships began blazing away with their light guns as hard as they could. At the same time they ‘upped anchor’ and got under way, so there was nothing for it but for the E.11 to dive and hide herself until the furore had subsided. She was far too slow to catch the battleships if she ran submerged, and if she rose to the surface she would almost certainly have been breached by a shell. After a little, therefore, she gently settled herself on the bottom of the Straits, and there she remained until dusk. That same evening she pushed on into the Sea of Marmora, where for several days she alternately rested and cruised about without finding anything that was worth the expenditure of a torpedo. Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith made Constantinople the centre of his operations during the whole of this raid, and his first reward came one Sunday morning, just before half-past six, when a big gunboat was seen cruising off the port. The submarine was ready for instant action, and in less than a minute the fatal torpedo was underway. At 6.25 the gunboat was hit; at 6.30 she had sunk, but not without giving the E.11 something of a shock. While she was heeling well over to the water's edge, a shot was fired that went clean through the submarine's periscope, carrying away about four inches of the diameter a few feet from the base, and leaving the rest standing. Had the shot struck about six feet lower, it would very probably have made a breach in the conning tower, and so rendered the submarine helpless, as she would not have been able to dive. The very next day brought an adventure which, if it was not so exciting, at any rate did not lack in interest. A big steamer was sighted making her way from Constantinople towards the Dardanelles, and the E.11 came to the surface a short distance ahead, fired a shot across her bows, and brought her to a standstill. There happened to be a facetious American newspaper correspondent on board, and when Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith hailed “Who are you?” - meaning, of course, to inquire what the ship was and what was her business - this gentleman replied by giving his own name and that of the paper for which he was working. This was not good enough for the E.11. A few more questions elicited the fact that the ship was a Turkish transport, the Nagara, and when he got as far as that, Nasmith promptly replied, “Right. I am going to sink you”. “May we have time to get off?” queried the newspaper man, by this time rather subdued. “Yes”, came the answer from the submarine, “but be d..... quick about it.” The Turks were so quick that they upset two of their boats in lowering them, and capsized several men into the water, though all of them managed to get into safety again. Then Nasmith went on board the ship to see what she carried. There was a six-inch gun, destined to strengthen the forts on the Dardanelles; there were several sets of mountings for weapons of large calibre; and there was a great quantity of ammunition for heavy guns on its way to the Dardanelles. The ship was, in fact, loaded from keel...
The poignant Great War campaign pair and U.S. Presidential Gold Watch for Lifesaving group awarded Captain A. G. Cromack, Mercantile Marine, for the rescue of the crew of the American schooner Maria O. Teel in January 1915; the very same watch that was recovered from his body in the North Sea after his command the S.S. Rio Colorado was mined and sunk in March 1917 British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Arthur G. Cromack), together with U.S. Presidential Gold Hunter Cased Watch for Saving Life at Sea, American Watch Co., Waltham Mass., No. 16177574, 14 carat, the front lid engraved with the Seal of the President of the United States of America, the inside back lid with presentation inscription ‘From the President of the United States [Woodrow Wilson] to Arthur G. Cromach (sic), Master of the British steamship Rio Colorado in recognition of his humane services in effecting the rescue at sea, on January 14, 1915, of the master and crew of the American schooner Maria O. Teel’, with 14 carat chain and attached fob compass in the form of a ship’s wheel, contained in its original Edwards & Zanner Co, Jewelers, Washington D.C., wooden presentation case, the medals a little polished but generally very fine, the watch apparently in good working order (3) £6,000-£8,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Some 294 watches were presented in the period 1880-1939, in gold and in silver; an example of an 1863 watch (18 carat) sold at Sotheby’s in New York in June 1994 for $26,450 (estimate $10,000-15,000). Arthur Garbutt Cromack was born in Darwen, Lancashire on 25 January 1872 and first went to sea as an apprentice in February 1888, aged 16. He subsequently qualified for his 1st Mate’s certificate in February 1895. Of subsequent events in January 1915, when, as captain of the S.S. Rio Colorado, he effected the rescue of the crew of the American brig Maria O. Teel, official correspondence states: ‘In the extract giving particulars of 14 January 1915, you will note that the American schooner Maria O. Teel of Boston was sighted with distress signals, and that after the captain [Cromack] of the S.S. Rio Colorado had noticed the schooner, notwithstanding the tempestuous weather prevailing, he ordered the steamer to proceed as close as possible to the unfortunate American schooner, whereupon it was noticed that the schooner put up signals to the following effect: “Stand by” – “I am a complete wreck” - “Do not abandon me.” The captain of the steamer hailed the schooner and asked whether the crew desired to be taken off, and they replied that they did. Notwithstanding the exceptional high and tempestuous seas prevailing, the boat was lowered from the steamer, with the Second Officer and four seamen in it, and after considerable difficulty and danger, the entire crew, including the Master and nine men, were taken off the schooner. The sea was so high and tempestuous that it was impossible for the lifeboat to lay alongside the schooner, and the crew jumped overboard and was picked up by the various men in the lifeboat of the S.S. Rio Colorado. All this happened between 1.50 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on 14 January 1915, at which latter time the crew of the schooner was placed safely on board the Rio Colorado and landed at her next port of call.’ According to one newspaper report, the Master of the American schooner was not the most welcome of guests, for he was ‘a very rough and ignorant man’ who had a tendency to ‘grow violent.’ Tragically, Cromack was killed on 22 March 1917, when the Rio Colorado struck a mine in the North Sea. A related newspaper report states: ‘The evidence showed that an explosion occurred which caused the vessel to sink. Eight lives were lost. The captain was last seen in the water wearing a lifebelt. When the body was found there was in the pockets a gold watch, presented by the President of the United States for having saved the crew of an American ship. A verdict was returned of “Found drowned in the North Sea, death being due to an explosion, probably caused by a mine.” ’ Aged 45, Cromack left a widow, Florence, of Prospect Street, Scarborough, in which town he was buried in the Manor Road Cemetery. Sold with the Great War pair and Defence Medal awarded to his son, Arthur G. Cromack of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, together with a rolled gold hunter cased watch, inscribed ‘Arthur G. Cromack, from his Father, Always Play the Game’; and various original news clippings and copies of Department of State correspondence concerning the award of his ‘gold watch with chain and charm’.
‘The Army A.A. Gunners, under Bombardier Labern, and Naval Gunners, under Gunlayer Pilling, assisted by the ship’s crew, kept up a marvellous, continuous and accurate barrage in the face of unceasing and direct attack on numerous occasions. Their courageous keenness kept the men untiringly at their posts, and on many occasions near misses drenched them with water, which swamped their guns, but never their ardour. The above mentioned Bombardier and Gunlayer were outstanding and set a wonderful example to their crews.’ Captain W. D. Mason, G.C., in his official report, following the miraculous arrival of the tanker Ohio at Grand Harbour, Valetta. The important Second War Operation ‘Pedestal’ D.S.M. group of seven awarded to Acting Bombardier R. H. H. Labern, Royal Artillery, 4th Maritime A.A. Regiment (R.A.), who commanded a Bofors section aboard the tanker Ohio Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (6202472 R. H. H. Labern. A/Bmbdr. R.A.) impressed naming; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (7) £8,000-£10,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, February 2015. Just 51 D.S.M.s were awarded to Gunners of the Royal Artillery for services in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships in the 1939-45 War. D.S.M. London Gazette 8 December 1942: ‘For bravery while serving in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships on passage to Malta.’ The original recommendation, for an immediate D.C.M., states: ‘During the recent passage of a convoy to Malta, Bombardier Labern was Detachment Commander of a Bofors Gun on the M.V. Ohio. During a submarine attack a torpedo struck the vessel and caused a fire to break out on deck. Bombardier Labern organised the men under his command into a firefighting party and in the face of great danger succeeded in extinguishing the fire. The ship was dive-bombed and attacked by E-Boats on numerous occasions. Throughout this N.C.O. stood by his gun and showed great personal courage.’ Out of 161 D.E.M.S. Gunners employed in Operation ‘Pedestal’ 28 were killed in action. Reginald Henry Holswatt Labern was ultimately awarded the D.S.M., an award approved by the Vice-Admiral Malta, no doubt on the back of the above quoted statement made by Captain W. D. Mason, G.C. He received his decoration at an investiture held in February 1944. The importance of Operation ‘Pedestal’ needs no introduction here, Winston Churchill himself requesting regular updates as to the convoy’s progress, but for the record’s sake it is worth registering the bare facts: of the 14 merchantmen that set out, nine were sunk and three damaged, while the Senior Service’s input of 59 escorts, the largest such force ever assembled in defence of a convoy, sustained losses of an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a destroyer, as well as having another half a dozen ships damaged. But of all the participating vessels, it was the tanker Ohio that captured the headlines, her survival and vital cargo of fuel allowing Malta to continue her grim defence. In the final 60 hours of her epic voyage, prior to her triumphant entry into Valetta on 15 August 1942, she received no less than seven direct hits and 20 near-misses. Her Master, of course, was awarded the George Cross, the citation for which honour makes specific mention of his ship’s gunners: ‘During the passage to Malta of an important convoy Captain Mason’s ship suffered most violent onslaught. She was a focus of attack throughout and was torpedoed early one night. Although gravely damaged, her engines were kept going and the Master made a magnificent passage by handsteering and without a compass. The ship’s gunners helped to bring down one of the attacking aircraft. The vessel was hit again before morning, but though she did not sink, her engine room was wrecked. She was then towed. The unwieldy condition of the vessel and persistent enemy attacks made progress slow, and it was uncertain whether she would remain afloat. All next day progress somehow continued and the ship reached Malta after a further night at sea. The violence of the enemy could not deter the Master from his purpose. Throughout he showed skill and courage of the highest order and it was due to his determination that, in spite of the most persistent enemy opposition, the vessel, with her valuable cargo, eventually reached Malta and was safely berthed’ (London Gazette 8 September 1942 refers). The Ohio, an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company in 1940, first arrived in U.K. waters in June 1942, soon after which she was turned over to a British crew under the auspices of the British Eagle Oil and Shipping Company, for she was already earmarked for the Malta-run. Her new Master was Dudley Mason, in command of 77 men, no less than 24 of them R.N. and Army Gunners to man the tanker’s newly installed 5-inch A. A. gun aft and a 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows, in addition to an array of Oerlikon guns. Captain Mason having attended a special conference, Ohio departed the Clyde with her fellow ‘Pedestal’ merchantmen and a naval escort on 2 August 1942, the tanker laden with 11,500 tons of kerosene and diesel fuel oils. Gibraltar was reached without incident on the 10th, but thereafter, the convoy entered the “killing zone”, an early casualty being the aircraft carrier Eagle, torpedoed on the 11th with a loss of 260 officers and men. From now on the merchantmen, and Ohio in particular, were subjected to relentless attack, from U-Boats and Italian submarines, the Luftwaffe and Regio Aeronautica, and from Axis surface vessels. On 12 August a combined enemy force of 100 aircraft struck at the merchantmen, the likes of Labern and his fellow D.E.M.S. Gunners undoubtedly being kept busy, but Ohio ultimately fell victim to the Italian submarine Axum, which delivered an accurate torpedo attack amidst the chaos and carnage of the ongoing air strike. Ohio was hit amidships, a huge column of flame leaping high-up above mast level. The resultant damage included a hole in her port side, measuring 24 by 27 feet, a gaping hole in her buckled deck, and the loss of steering gear and compass. No less concerning was the kerosene seeping through the damaged tanks. Here, then, as cited, the moment Labern and his men fought the blaze, while Mason and his crew rigged up emergency steering gear from aft, the tanker even reaching 13 knots, fortuitous progress given pending events. Nearing Pantelleria, Ohio was marked out for the special attention of 60 Stukas, bombs and machine-gun fire raking her decks, the 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows being put out of action but Labern and the D.E.M.S. Gunners breaking up some of the approaching formations and downing at least one enemy aircraft, the wreckage of which crashed into Ohio’s starboard side, half of one wing smashing into the upper work of the bridge. But the enemy aircraft kept on coming, two sticks of bombs straddling the tanker and lifting her clean out of the water and others stopping her engines on two occasions, the resultant periods of “restarting” leaving her a sitting duck. In fact, at one stage, most of the crew were taken off by H.M.S. Penn, only to be returned the following day when it was decided to take the stricken tanker in tow. Yet again, however, the Ohio was hit, a bomb falling near the original damage caused her by the Axum’s torpedo strike and reducing her to 4 or 5 knots; a preliminary damage report revealed that she had almost certai...
The highly emotive Norway 1940 ‘V.C. action’ C.G.M. awarded to Petty Officer W. T. W. Scott, Royal Navy, whose guns were seen to re-engage the enemy after his destroyer H.M.S. Glowworm rammed the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, and was sinking: he was one of a handful of survivors from this magnificent but hopeless duel against overwhelming odds Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, G.VI.R., 1st type (P.O. W. T. W. Scott, P/J. 113793) officially engraved naming, good very fine £18,000-£22,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Douglas-Morris Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, February 1997 and July 2003. C.G.M. London Gazette 10 July 1945: ‘For great gallantry in H.M.S. Glowworm’s last action on 8 April 1940. H.M.S. Glowworm attacked the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and, after inflicting damage, was sunk with colours flying.’ In the original Admiralty letter of notification for the recipient’s award, dated 18 July 1945, which is included with the Lot, it is stated that Scott was to be decorated ‘for great bravery in charge of two of the guns of H.M.S. Glowworm during a very gallant action fought on 8 April 1940 against overwhelming odds. After your ship had rammed the enemy and was about to sink from the damage she had received in the action, your guns re-opened fire and scored a hit at close range.’ Churchill’s conjecture that the Glowworm had been sunk by greatly superior forces was an accurate one, but it would be another five years before returning P.O.Ws could reveal the full story of her momentous duel with the Admiral Hipper, an engagement which resulted in a posthumous V.C. to her Captain, Lieutenant-Commander G. B. Roope, R.N. In April 1940, the British War Cabinet, pressed by the French, had resolved to mine Norwegian waters around Narvik, in order to stem the flow of Swedish iron ore to Germany. And the British Expeditionary Force, originally intended for service in the Finnish Winter War, was rapidly recalled and placed on standby in the event of Nazi intervention. In the event, the mining operation, which had been due to commence on the 5th, was delayed until the 8th, due to the French backing out of an agreement to launch some mines on the Rhine in exchange. As it transpired, this was a vital delay. On 7 April the battle cruiser Renown, steaming northwards in the Norwegian Sea to take part in the mining operation, received a signal from one of her four escorting destroyers, the Glowworm, reporting a man overboard and requesting permission to turn back and carry out a search. Given the affirmative, the Glowworm scoured the area for two hours but in vain, and her Captain, Lieutenant-Commander G. B. Roope, R.N., called the search off. That night, as the weather deteriorated, Glowworm was forced to reduce speed, falling yet further behind the Renown and her consorts. Shortly after daybreak on the 8th, Roope sighted a destroyer to the north which at first identified herself as Swedish, but which was in fact the German Paul Jakobi. Without further ado, the latter opened fire. Glowworm responded in kind, with 12 salvoes from her 4.7-inch guns, before switching her attention to another German destroyer, the Bernd von Arnim, which was crammed full of enemy troops for the invasion of Trondheim. Roope decided to shadow her to see whether she would lead him to intelligence of any enemy capital ships. Thus far, the Glowworm was in relatively good shape, although her gun control tower had been flooded by the heavy seas and another two crew members swept overboard. Seven others, too, had been injured by the destroyer’s violent rolling. A short while into her shadowing of the Bernd von Arnim, about five miles to the northwest of her earlier contacts, the Glowworm came upon the 10,000-ton heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, armed with eight 8-inch and twelve 4-inch guns. The latter was also crammed with enemy troops destined for Trondheim. And Roope had barely got away his enemy sighting report before the Admiral Hipper’s very first salvo found its mark. Although facing impossible odds, he now swung his 1345-ton destroyer onto course for a torpedo attack, under cover of smoke, but had barely uttered the the words of command when another enemy shell found its mark, killing or wounding the Surgeon’s sick bay party. Another shell brought down part of the foremast and wireless aerials, which fouled the steam siren on the funnel, so that Glowworm embarked on her final journey accompanied by the sounds of a strange, tortured wail. Inevitably, perhaps, her spread of her five torpedoes failed to stop the Admiral Hipper, none of them finding their mark. Meanwhile, another direct hit had started a large fire in the engine room, but the gallant Roope ordered a second torpedo attack, emerging from smoke to cross the enemy’s bow from port to starboard, a scene captured by a camera aboard the heavy cruiser. Again, however, the strike failed, and Roope now ordered a sharp turn to starboard to ram the enemy, an objective achieved at 20 knots, the impact resulting in 100 feet of armoured plating being torn from the Admiral Hipper’s starboard side. But no vital damage had been inflicted on the enemy, and, as Glowworm drew away, she was swept by fire from smaller weapons at point-blank range. It was at this juncture, when Glowworm had drifted to a range of about 400 yards, that Petty Officer Scott and his surviving gun crew got away a final salvo that found its mark. At 10 a.m. Roope gave the order to abandon ship but remained on the bridge himself, smoking a cigarette. Later, however, some survivors saw him assist others into their lifejackets, and again, in the water, alongside the Admiral Hipper, but by then too weak to take a rope. According to John Winton’s The Victoria Cross at Sea: ‘Gerard Roope was a large, burly man, with a broad face, firm jaw and forthright manner. He was a career naval officer, devoted to the Service. His ship’s company called him ‘Old Ardover’, for his habit of altering course violently towards his objective whether or not it was the men’s mealtime or any other consideration. It was typical of him to go straight for Hipper ...’ The chivalrous enemy commander, Captain Helmuth Heye, actually stayed for over an hour to pick up survivors, eventually rescuing one Officer and 30 ratings out of Glowworm’s original complement of 149 men. Unlike two of the Glowworm’s survivors who died in captivity, Petty Officer Walter Thomas William Scott was repatriated from Marlag und Milag Nord, Westertimke (Tarnstedt) in 1945, and received his C.G.M. from the hands of the King at an investiture on 30 October 1945. Sold with original Admiralty letter of notification for the award of the C.G.M., dated 18 July 1945.
The unique Uganda Mutiny C.M.G. group of four awarded to Lieutenant C. W. Fowler, Royal Navy The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s, breast badge, silver-gilt and enamels, complete with ribbon buckle; Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, undated reverse, 1 clasp, Suakin 1885 (Lieut. C. W. Fowler, R.N. H.M.S. Carysfort) impressed naming; East and Central Africa 1897-99, 2 clasps, Lubwa’s, Uganda 1897-98 (Lt: C. W. Fowler, R.N.) mounted on original wearing bar together with related ribbon bar, nearly extremely fine (4) £8,000-£10,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- The clasp ‘Lubwa’s’ is unique to the Royal Navy. Charles Wilson Fowler was born in December 1859 in Cookham, Berkshire, the ninth of 13 children of Captain George Campbell Fowler, R.N. Like his father, he joined the Navy as a Cadet in January 1873, becoming Midshipman in June 1875, Sub-Lieutenant in April 1880, and Lieutenant in December 1883. He was Lieutenant of Carysfort during the naval and military operations near Suakin in 1884-85. Fowler was ‘allowed to resign from the navy to avoid court martial after sending a letter to his Captain accusing him without foundation of ‘scandalous conduct.’ He went to Uganda where he was appointed 3rd Class Assistant, Uganda Protectorate, in July 1896. He was Assistant Collector at Port Victoria, January to September 1897, and was at Lubwa’s during the Sudanese mutiny in November 1897. The mutineers were invested in Lubwa’s Fort by Captain E. M. Woodward, Leicester Regiment, with a very small force, and after several skirmishes they evacuated Lubwa’s and moved by launch and canoes up the Nile towards Mruli. Included in the medal rolls is Lieutenant Fowler, R.N., in command of 58 Swahilis. He was appointed 2nd Class Assistant and Superintendent of Marine in April 1898, and invested with the C.M.G. in January 1899 ‘for services rendered during the Uganda Mutiny’. The following extracts are taken from Major J. R. L. Macdonald’s official report and despatches: ‘Lieutenant C. W. Fowler, late R.N., was especially mentioned for his conduct in the engagement at Lubwa’s Hill, 19th October, 1897, again distinguished himself on the 24th November, though ill at the time. He was present at the fights of the 7th and 11th December, 1897, made a gallant effort to sink the enemy’s dhow on the 5th January, 1898, and subsequently served with the Unyoro column, and commanded in the minor engagement of the 10th April, 1898, when he inflicted a severe defeat on Mwanga’s Mahommedans.’ In more detail: Early October 1897: ‘Lieutenant Fowler, late R.N., at Port Victoria, also took steps to defend his fort, and to cut the bridges over the Sio River; but he was only able to partially carry out this step. On hearing that Lieutenant Fowler was in danger, Mr Jackson and I [Macdonald] advanced to his assistance with all the men we could raise.’ ‘On the 19th instant the mutineers, to the number of 300, assisted by some 150 Waganda Mahommedans, attacked our camp. The engagement commenced at 6 a.m. by a fierce attack on two sides of the camp, the mutineers coming on with the greatest determination. This attack was repulsed, but not until some had got within 50 yards of our line. The fight then continued until nearly 11 a.m., the mutineers bringing up supports, and making repeated attacks. About 11 a.m. when they appeared to have somewhat exhausted their attack, I made a counter-attack on the left with 100 Swahilis under Captain Kirkpatrick and Mr Mayes, on the right a few Swahilis under Lieutenant Fowler, assisted by some fifty Wasoga under a sub-Chief called Kyrania. This counter-attack was completely successful, and the enemy were driven down the hill, and retired to the fort, where they have since remained. Our total loss amounted to 16 killed, 18 severely wounded, and 12 slightly wounded. I cannot speak too highly of the gallantry of the Europeans and Indians. The Wasoga, as a result of our victory, came forward in large numbers, and on the 20th we were joined by an army of Waganda under the Sekebobo. The enemy are now invested in the fort.’ ‘Lieutenant Fowler kept his men incessantly at hand, assisted in repulsing the first attack on our right, and took part in the final counter-attack, when his courage and judgement were productive of the best results.’ ‘On the 14th January [1898] Lieutenant Fowler took the steam-launch and a sailing boat which had meanwhile arrived close to the enemy’s new fort under a heavy fire, and shelled their dhow, with a view to rendering it useless.’ ‘On the night between the 4th and 5th January the mutineers began effecting their escape from the fort by means of this vessel. A party of some sixty embarked and crossed to a small promontory lying north of the station... and proceeded to intrench themselves. On the second night Lieutenant Fowler, late R.N., made efforts with canoes and a Maxim to sink the dhow but without success, as the gun jammed, with a broken mainspring, and from that moment his canoemen absolutely refused to go anywhere near the dhow.’ ‘On the 14th January Lieutenant Fowler succeeded in getting near enough to the dhow to severely damage it with Hotchkiss fire, and on the following day the mutineers themselves destroyed it.’ ‘On the 10th April, 1898, Lieutenant Fowler and Corporal Brodie, acting under the orders of Captain Harrison, with a column of under 100 men, surprised the Mahommedan camp in Bugoma, and, after a brisk fight, in which he lost eleven killed and wounded, completely defeated the enemy and vigourously pursued them. The enemy lost fifty-five killed and twenty prisoners, and their camp and baggage.’ His last appointment appears to have been as Sub-Commissioner of the Nile Province. He died on 19 March 1907. The group is accompanied by two fine portrait photographs of Fowler wearing these medals; original letter notifying him of his appointment to be Commander of St Michael and St George ‘for services rendered during the Uganda Mutiny’; and original warrant for C.M.G. and accompanying transmission document, 23 January 1899.
The Second War submariner’s D.S.M. group of five awarded to Engine Room Artificer A. J. Cooper, Royal Navy, who was decorated for his gallant deeds in H.M.S. Snapper, prior to her loss with all hands in the Bay of Biscay in February 1941 Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (M.35070 A. J. Cooper., E.R.A.1. H.M.S. Snapper.) impressed naming, small correction to ship’s name; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, extremely fine (5) £1,400-£1,800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.S.M. London Gazette 9 May 1940: ‘For daring, endurance and resource in the conduct of hazardous and successful operations in His Majesty’s Submarines against the enemy.’ Arthur John Cooper was born in Sheerness, Kent, on 1 December 1903, and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy Artificer in August 1919. Having volunteered for submarines in the summer of 1926, he was awarded the L.S. & G.C. medal in December 1936 and joined H.M.S. Snapper as an E.R.A. 1 in the following year. He was to remain likewise employed up until her loss in February 1941. Snapper was commanded by Lieutenant W. D. A. King, R.N., on the outbreak of hostilities, and commenced her operational career with a series of patrols off the Dutch coast. As related by King in his wartime memoir The Stick and The Stars, it was not until her transfer to Norwegian waters in April-July 1940 that Snapper fired her first shots in anger. ‘We planted one round of high explosive from the 3-inch gun into her forepeak. The result could hardly have been more spectacular. She was carrying aviation spirit and went up in a sheet of flame. Half a dozen figures raced to the side and hurled themselves into the still, ice-blue, ice-cold water which had just thawed and poured out from the frozen Baltic. As they swam towards us a mast appeared on the horizon and I reckoned the hour for enemy aircraft was nigh. I hesitated between my desire to rescue the swimmers and fear of risking my crew and ship. We nosed gently from one survivor to another, with two men hauling them in over the saddle-tanks and lowering the exhausted wet bodies down the forehatch, which is about 20 ft. lower than the conning tower and a dangerous place for the crew to be when there is a likelihood of an emergency dive. The last swimmer was dragged over our casing just as the first aircraft appeared. Deciding to abandon this one man and get the vital forehatch closed, I ordered, “Clear the foredeck and dive.” But Geoffrey Carew-Hunt, my third officer, begged, “Let me get him down, sir.” Weakly I snapped, “Do it quick.” Looking back, I think I should have been heartless. The risk to my ship was unjustifiable. While perhaps fifteen seconds ticked by, Carew-Hunt bravely dragged the wet German down the steep cluttered forehatch and shut it. I waited with my eyes fixed on that approaching black dot in the pale sky, then we gurgled under the translucent sea, urgent to slink away from the huge column of smoke which must draw attention for miles.’ Of the six Germans dragged aboard, two succumbed to their icy ordeal. Snapper went on to sink several other German ships in her favoured hunting grounds of the Skagerrak and Kattegat, among them the merchantman Florida, the auxiliary minesweepers M 1701 H.M. Behrens and M 1702 Carsten Janssen and the armed trawler V 1107. She also attacked the armed merchant cruiser Widder but her torpedoes on that occasion were wide of the mark. Command of Snapper having then passed to Lieutenant G. V. Prowse, R.N. on Christmas Eve 1940, she was ordered to patrol the Bay of Biscay off Ushant in February 1941. Nothing further was heard from her, and it is possible she fell victim to a minefield. Another possibility is that she was sunk by a depth-charge attack delivered by the German minesweepers M-2, M-13 and M-25 on the night of the 10th-11th, west-south-west of Brest. Either way, there were no survivors. The son of Lieutenant-Commander A. J. Cooper and his wife Ada, and the husband of May Katheleen Cooper of Weymouth, Dorsetshire, Arthur is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. The whereabouts of his L.S. & G.C. medal remains unknown, but it may have been among his possessions at the time of Snapper’s loss. More certain is the fact he never received his D.S.M., the award being sent to his next of kin. Sold with copied war patrol reports for April-May 1940, extracts from The Stick and the Stars by Commander William King, R,N., who had moved to the command of another submarine before Snapper was lost, and several copied photographs of Snapper.
The rare Great War Baltic operations submariner’s D.S.M. group of six awarded to Stoker Petty Officer H. W. Aldridge, Royal Navy, who was also twice decorated by the White Russians for his gallant deeds in the E-19 under Lieutenant-Commander F. N. A. Cromie, D.S.O.; by the time of Cromie’s murder by a Checka Guard on the steps of the British Embassy at Petrograd in August 1918, Aldridge was serving in the G-7, in which he was lost in the North Sea just 10 days before the Armistice Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (222882 H. W. Aldridge, Sto. P.O. Submarine Service 1917.); 1914-15 Star (222882 H. W.Aldridge, Act. L. Sto. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (222882 H. W. Aldridge. S.P.O. R.N.); Russia, Empire, Cross of St George for Bravery, 3rd Class, officially numbered ‘No 72 128’; Russia, Empire, Medal of St George for Bravery, 4th Class, officially numbered ‘No 269703’, together with Memorial Plaque (Henry William Aldridge) nearly extremely fine (7) £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.S.M. London Gazette 2 November 1917: ‘For services in submarines in enemy waters.’ The recommendation states: ‘H.M. Submarine E19, H.M.S. Dolphin and H.M.S. Ascot. Submarine service 1917. For long and arduous service and successful action with enemy armed vessels.’ Henry William Aldridge was born in Camberwell, London on 24 January 1887 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in December 1902. Transferring as a Stoker 1st Class to the submarine branch in October 1912, he likely joined the E-19 on her commissioning in the summer of 1915, although his service record makes no individual mention of E-19 until an entry dated 4 August 1916. It is not unusual for submarine depot ships to be used for seagoing appointments on such records, besides which Aldridge’s D.S.M. reflected ‘long and arduous service and successful actions against enemy armed vessels.’ In September 1915, under her famous skipper Lieutenant-Commander F. N. A. Cromie, D.S.O., E-19 was one of the last five submarines to manage the passage through the Oresund into the Baltic Sea, where she went on to sink several enemy vessels. Most notably, south of Oland on 11 October, she sank four German freighters within a few hours of each other, a memorable ‘bag’ which commenced with the Weston Leongardt, bound from Lulea to Hamburg with iron ore. She was sunk with a charge of guncotton after the crew had been taken off by a Swedish vessel. Two hours later, E-I9 was chasing the Germania, bound with iron ore for Stettin. She refused to stop and was driven ashore, whereupon E-I9 went alongside to take off her crew, but they had already scrambled over the rocks to safety. Cromie then tried to tow the Germania off in order to sink her, but failing in this he left her so damaged that she could never sail again. Just an hour later, E-19 set off in pursuit of the Gutrune, whom she caught after two hours. She, too, was loaded with iron ore and sent to the bottom, E-I9 taking off her crew and transferring them to another Swedish ship. The next ship stopped was the Swedish Nyland, but her papers showed her bound for Rotterdam and she was allowed to proceed. Ten minutes later, however, E-19 caught the Direktor Rippenhagen, yet another iron ore ship and she too followed her predecessors to the bottom. Cromie embarked her crew in E-19 until he was able to stop a Swedish ship bound for Newcastle, whose captain agreed to take the German crew with him. Next on the list was the Nicodemia, the largest of the lot and carrying a very full cargo of iron ore from Lulea to Hamburg. On sighting E-I9 she turned and made for the Swedish coast, hoping to reach the safety of territorial waters before being caught. Two shots across her bows brought a change of mind, and E-I9 sent across a boarding party. The crew was ordered into the boats and a scuttling charge placed on board, which sent her and her cargo of 7,000 tons of ore to the bottom. The submarine then towed the boat loads of survivors to the coast. Early the following morning, E-I9 intercepted the Nike. She was Swedish, but being bound to Stettin with iron ore was a legitimate prize as she was trying to run the blockade with contraband. Cromie put a prize crew aboard, consisting of one Lieutenant and two men, and sent her to Reval to be condemned in prize and her cargo confiscated. In the following month, on the 7th, for good measure, E-19 claimed the S.M.S. Undine. On that occasion, the detonation of E-19’s first torpedo stopped the enemy cruiser and set her ablaze, but to ensure total success Crombie dived under the Undine and came up on the other side, from whence he delivered a second torpedo strike just abaft the enemy’s mainmast, a devastating strike which ignited Undine’s main magazine. It was small wonder that the Germans began to call the Baltic ‘Horton’s Sea’ after the submarine branch’s distinguished commander, for the gallant work of E-19 and her consorts lead to British domination in the region for at least two years. Aldridge returned to the U.K. in August 1917, shortly before the award of his D.S.M. was gazetted, to which he added his two ungazetted Russian decorations, the Cross of St. George being verified by other official sources. Then in September 1918, he joined the G-7, tragically a short-lived appointment, for she was lost to causes unknown in the North Sea just 10 days before the Armistice. Aged 22, he was the son of Florence Aldridge of 13 Riga Terrace, Landport, Hampshire and his name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Sold with copied record of service and other research.
Registration: Y364RFH VIN: VF3232A2215881773 Milage Showing: 57,000 Transmission: Manual MOT: 01/04/2025 Number of Keys: 2 V5 on Site: YesFirst registered June 2001 this 2 litre petrol engined model converted from new by Auto-Sleepers to its "symbol" camper. Well equipped and fitted with gas hob and oven, sink, fridge, WC with toilet and shower and lifted roof for additional head room.Showing just 57,000 miles and MOT till April. Sold with 2 sets of keys and original Auto- Sleepers user guide.Please see our walk around video for more information and engine start upGUIDE PRICE £4,500 - £5,500
Circa 1970's Sindy Dolls and Accessories, comprising three Sindy 2nd Generation 1077 dolls, an early example in a red and white spotty dress stamped 'Model Toys Ltd, Hong Kong P',household furniture and accessories in original boxes including wardrobe, dressing table and stool, hairdryer, armchair, rocker sideboard, bed, bedside table, settee, Eastham E-Line hob unit, sink unit and floor cupboard, loose items including a horse (glued leg), house appliances and clothing,(in two boxes)
Christiane Baumgartner, Markus Lüpertz, Kurt Mühlenhaupt & Bernard Schultze, 4 x sign. Graphik mit KunstbändenChristiane Baumgartner, *1967, "Joseph Brodsky - Less than one", 5 Holzschnitte nach Videostills, epreuve artiste (Künstlerabzug), insges. 99 Ex., signiert, Buchmaß 30 x 24 cm // Markus Lüpertz, *1941, "Apoll", Radierung, 21 x 12 cm, 2/30, sign. zu Kiev Stingl "Sink Skin" - Gedichte, edition Galrev 1995 // Kurt Mühlenhaupt, 1921 Klein Ziescht - 2006 Zehdenick, "Eine Bartgeschichte aus Berlin", Originalholzschnitte, 38/380, sign., Polyphem Handpressendruck/ Berlin 1968 // Bernard Schultze, o.T., Radierung, 20 x 14 cm, 42/100, sign. u. dat. 91, beigelegt dem Katalog: "Bernard Schultze", Staatl. Kunstsammlungen Dresden 1991, ladenfrisch im Schuber, alle Arbeiten in bester Erhaltung
Princeton, WI: Kitchen Sink Press, 1989. A beautifully bound hardcover edition of Nancy Eats Food, a collection of classic Nancy comic strips by Ernie Bushmiller, housed in its original slipcase. Featuring an introduction by Bill Griffith, this volume presents a nostalgic look at the humor and charm of Nancy's adventures centered around food. A must-have for collectors of classic comic art. ISBN: 0-87816-062-0.Artist: Ernie BushmillerIssued: 1989Dimensions: 11"HCountry of Origin: United StatesCondition: Age related wear.
Top Dollar, Vertigo Comics - A collection of comics to include: "The Crow" books by Tundra Publishing,Volumes 1 to 3 (some creasing and wear to the spines). Top Dollar/Kitchen sink comics "The Crow" - Dead Time, Flesh & Blood, City of Angels, Wild Justice, (all 3 of 3s). Walking Nightmares 4 of 4 and "The Crow" #0. Vertigo comics: (held within closed clear bags) "Punk Rock" 6 of 6. Dynamite "Terminator RoboCop Kill Human" 1 to 4. "Zombie Kid #1 Free. Boom "Fanboys Vs Zombies" #1 comic and volume #1 (Wrecking Crew - shows some slight curling) and one more comic. Items appear in generally very good condition unless stated otherwise. (This does not constitute a guarantee) [L]
SINDY; four boxed home accessories by Pedigree including Eastham E-Line wall oven no. 44550, bath no. 44540, sink unit no. 44548 and a floor cupboard no. 44549 (4).Condition Report: The box of the bath is defective, comes with three sizes of bath rugs, stool, soap tray and television. The floor cupboard looks intact, a little bit dirty but with comes with chopping board, rolling pin, knife and fork, three plastic utensils and a mixing bowl. Boxes are a little bit worn through storage, items a little bit dirty and would benefit from a clean, otherwise look good.
Airfix - Four boxed plastic model ship kits in 1:600 and 1:1200 scales. Lot consists of Airfix #04214 HMS Manxman & HMS Suffolk; AO4202 HMS Hood; #05204 Naval Destroyer of WWII; and A50120 Waterline Sink the Bismark set. Kits are presumed to be in Mint condition being in factory sealed boxes which themselves appear generally Very Good (This does not constitute a guarantee) (K)
A GROUP OF SEVEN MIXED NINETEENTH CENTURY MISCELLAENOUS CERAMICS to include a miniature salesman's sample sink with a printed pattern and marked 'The Improved Progress' height 11cm width 24cm (hairline cracks), a Sandringham Cold Cream pot (chips to the rims), a Corbridge pewter lidded jug a Copeland ale jug with a printed image to the front (hairline crack to the base), and two Wedgwood style jugs of varying form (some cracks to the white patterns), etc (7) (Condition Report: itemised conditions above)conditions above
Naval General Service 1793-1840, 1 clasp, Trafalgar (William Martin Midshipman.) edge nicks, good very fine £8,000-£12,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- William Martin was born at Glanmire, County Cork, on 3 December 1783 and entered the Royal Navy on 15 October 1799, under the auspices of General Myers, as First Class Volunteer in H.M.S. Dryad, 36 guns, under Captain Charles John Moore Mansfield, with whom he served until transferred, in H.M.S. Hercule, 74 guns, under Captain Solomon Ferris, lying at Portsmouth. He assisted during that period, at the capture of privateer Le Premier Consul, 14 guns and 150 men, and of a Swedish frigate mounting 34 guns. Rejoining Captain Mansfield, in 1803, in H.M.S. Minotaur, 74 guns, he witnessed the surrender, on 28 May 1803, of the French frigate La Franchise, 36 guns, and was present as Midshipman in the same ship during the major fleet action off Cape Trafalgar between the British fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral P. C. de Villeneuve on 21 October 1805. Minotaur’s Captain, Charles Mansfield, famously pledged to his crew that he would stick to any ship engaged 'till either she strikes or sinks - or I sink.' At the climax of the battle, he deliberately placed Minotaur between the damaged Victory and an attacking French ship; he was later awarded a Patriotic Sword and Gold Medal for this gallant act. Martin was promoted Lieutenant in H.M.S. Saturn, 74 guns, under Captain Lord Amelius Beauclerk, in August 1806, and was employed in this ship for nearly 18 months in the Mediterranean. From there he proceeded to H.M.S. Lion, 64 guns, under Captain Henry Heathcote, on 18 January 1808, and when in command of the launch of that ship he succeeded, in the vicinity of Manilla, in defeating five large piratical boats, carrying between them 20 small guns and about 200 men, after a desperate action of two hours, in which greater part of his crew, only 20 in number, were wounded. He saw further service from 20 March 1810 in H.M.S. Magnet, stationed, for the protection of the trade, off Heligoland and the German rivers; from 13 December 1810 in H.M.S. Aboukir, employed in the blockade of Flushing; from 11 February 1812 in H.M.S. Calliope, lying at Chatham; from 16 April 1812 to H.M.S. Ardent, armée-en-flûte, in which ship, after conveying troops to Bermuda, he was nearly lost in an awful gale in the Bay of Biscay, during which his presence of mind and courage were most conspicuous, leading him aloft when no other could be found to attempt it; from 3 March 1813 in H.M.S. Albion, fitting for service on the coast of North America; from 29 January 1814, as First Lieutenant of H.M.S. Sceptre, in which ship he returned home in time to participate in the grand naval review held at Spithead; from 29 July 1818, in H.M.S. Creole, in which ship he proceeded to the River Plate, where his nautical skill in a great measure saved the ship from wreck; and from 8 January 1819 in H.M.S. Amphion, a leaky old vessel, whose hand-pumps were obliged to be kept going during the whole of her passage home. On 18 November 1819, six months after the Amphion had been paid off, Martin was given the command of the gun-brig H.M.S. Clinker. While in that vessel on the Newfoundland station he was in discharge, from October 1820 to April 1821, of the important duties of Surrogate at Harbour Grace, where his impartial administration of justice in more than 300 cases that came before him for adjudication, gave so much satisfaction, that on his departure he was presented with a most flattering address signed by all the principal inhabitants. In the following summer he was ordered by Sir Chas. Hamilton, Governor of Newfoundland, to explore the Grand Esquimaux Inlet, and then to proceed to the northward in order to find out and communicate with the different stations of the Morovian missionaries on the coast of Labrador. These instructions he carried into effect in a complete and most successful manner. His conduct on arriving among the missionaries, after encountering many dangers and hardships, was such as to endear him greatly to them, and to elicit the earnest thanks of the Church of the United Brethren in England. His advent took place during their jubilee-year; and the occasion was the first of their having been visited by a man-of-war. Promoted Commander on 19 July 1821, he returned home in May 1822, and transferred to the Half-Pay List. Promoted Captain on the Retired List, he died in 1866. Sold with two small portrait miniatures of the recipient, both housed in oval glazed frames; and a photograph of the recipient taken in alter life, showing him wearing his Naval General Service Medal, this mounted in a a heavy gilt glazed display frame.
Three: Stoker First Class W. J. Hill, Royal Navy, who was killed in action in H.M.S. Formidable in January 1915 1914-15 Star (K.20990, W. J. Hill, Sto. 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (K.20990 W. J. Holl. Sto. 1 R.N.); Memorial Plaque (William John Hill) in its card envelope, very fine (4) £140-£180 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- William John Hill was born in Lambeth, London on Christmas Day 1894 and entered the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class in October 1913. By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he was serving as a Stoker 1st Class in the battleship H.M.S. Formidable and he was likewise employed at the time of her loss on New Year’s Day 1915, when she was twice torpedoed in the English Channel by the U-24. The second attack caused her to capsize and sink with a loss of 35 officers and 512 men. Hill is commemorated by name on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Sold with a poignant letter in which the recipient tells his sister of his pending engagement to a ‘young lady’, as sent from H.M.S. Formidable at Sheerness, together with three postcards, one of Formidable.
A Great War ‘Q-ship operations’ D.S.C. group of four awarded to Artificer Engineer F. H. Knowles, Royal Navy, who was Mentioned in Despatches for his conduct when the ‘Q’ ship H.M. Patrol Craft 61 rammed and sunk the German U-boat UC.33 on 26 September 1917 Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1918, unnamed as issued; 1914-15 Star (Art. Eng. F. H. Knowles. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Art. Eng. F. H. Knowles. R.N.) about extremely fine (4) £1,600-£2,000 --- D.S.C. London Gazette 5 October 1918: ‘For services in vessels employed on escort, convoy, and patrol duties between 1 January and 30 June 1918.’ The recommendation from his service papers states: ‘For marked zeal, initiative and valuable assistance rendered on all occasions ... his name has been brought to notice on 2 or 3 occasions for the high state of efficiency that exists on board in his department, for the promptitude displayed whenever called upon.’ M.I.D. London Gazette 17 November 1917: ‘For services in action with enemy submarines.’ The recommendation from his service papers states: ‘For the sinking of a German Submarine by P.C.61 on 26 September 1917.’ Frank Henry Knowles was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, on 27 February 1881 and joined the Royal Navy as an Acting Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class on 16 February 1903 for 12 years. Advanced Chief Engine Room Artificer in H.M.S. Ajax on 12 February 1914, he was promoted to the Officers Section on 1 September 1914, being commissioned Acting Artificer Engineer. Posted to H.M.S. Temeraire, he was promoted Artificer Engineer on 7 September 1915, and was present in the Temeraire at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, before being assigned to the Patrol Craft “Q” Ship 61 as an original member of that ship on 28 December 1916. ‘Q’-Ships - Mentioned in Despatches and D.S.C. H.M. Patrol Craft 61, also known as Downton & Chesney, was a purpose built heavily armed Naval Vessel designed to resemble a Merchant Ship and was intended to act as a Decoy Vessel or “Q” ship. In their construction they were provided with bilge protection and special fillings which were intended to keep them afloat after being torpedoed, to enable them to dispose of their attackers. It was also hoped that their shallow draft of only 8 feet would cause the torpedoes to run under them. The Captain of the ship was the famous Arctic Explorer, Captain Frank Arthur Worsley, D.S.O. and Bar, O.B.E., and Polar Medal Recipient, who had just return from the Imperial Trans-Antartic Expedition under Shackleton. With Joseph Stenhouse as his First Officer, and Frank Knowles as the Artificer Engineer, P.C.61 was commissioned on 31 July 1917, and was equipped with a semi-automatic 4-inch gun that was hidden by a tarpaulin suspended from crane derricks when not in use. She also had a ram at her bow. Shortly after its commissioning, Worsley took his new command to sea on patrol. Most patrols were uneventful, sometimes U-boats were sighted and pursued, but these invariably got away. In late September 1917, Worsley and the PC.61 were on patrol to the south of Ireland. On 26 September 1917, a nearby tanker, the S.S. San Zeferino, was struck by a torpedo from the German mine-laying submarine, UC-33, commanded by Ober Leutnant E. A. Arnold, which had left Germany on 16 September with a full load of mines. Observing the explosion, Worsley gradually slowed his propellers, hoping to deceive the U-boat's crew into thinking his P-boat was leaving the area and luring the submarine to the surface. The deception was successful and the UC-33 surfaced, intending to sink the tanker with its deck gun. Worsley immediately ordered full speed ahead and, realising that he would lose time in manoeuvring his ship into a position in which she could use her guns, set a collision course with the U-boat, intending to ram the submarine. At high speeds the bow of the PC.61, to which the ram was fitted, lifted out of the water considerably, and Worsley had to reduce speed at the right moment in order for it to be at the right height to strike the submarine. He timed the reduction of speed of the PC.61 perfectly and she struck the UC-33 midship as it was submerging. The submarine rapidly sunk with nearly all hands, the exception being the captain, who was rescued and later gifted Worsley a silver whistle. The damaged San Zeferino was towed to Milford Haven in Wales, which took 12 hours in an area where other U-boats were known to be lurking. For this action Lieutenant Commander Worsley received the Distinguished Service Order (with Shackleton sending him a telegram congratulating him on his success); the First Lieutenant, Lieutenant J.R. Stenhouse R.N.R., was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; and Petty Officer Cook was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. For his part in the action Knowles was Mentioned in Despatches. He was also recommended for promotion by Worsley on 6 November 1917: ‘Commanding Officer, PC61, Recommends that Art Eng F Knowles be promoted to Engineering Lieutenant. He is in my opinion a very capable officer and this officer is suitable in every respect for his engines and with electrical steering gear he showed great skill and judgement in towing the 6500 ton San Zeferino after it had been torpedoed.’ Remaining in PC61, the recommendation for Knowles’s promotion was regretfully turned down on the basis that the Admiralty was unable to promote him over the heads of other deserving officers. Consolation arrived the following year, however, with the award of the Distinguished Service Cross. Following the cessation of hostilities Knowles volunteered for the Mine Clearance Service, before retiring at his own request on 19 June 1920. Sold with the recipient’s original Mention in Despatches certificate; a photograph of the recipient prior to his D.S.C. Investiture; copied service papers; and other research.
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