CAMPAIGN GROUPS AND PAIRS
713
The important Palestine, Second World War and Yangtze incident group of seven awarded to Chief Petty Officer
Stoker Mechanic Owen Aubrey, Royal Navy, the senior of Amethyst’s 18 ratings killed in action during the Yangtze
incident of 1949
NAVAL GENERAL SERVICE 1915-62, 2 clasps, Palestine 1936-1939, Yangtze 1949 (KX. 80796 O. F. C. Aubrey, Sto.1 R.N.);
1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR; AFRICA STAR, clasp, North Africa 1942-43; ITALY STAR; WAR MEDAL; ROYAL NAVY L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R.,
2nd issue (KX. 80796 O. F. C. Aubrey, Ch. Sto. H.M.S. Boscawen) mounted for display, extremely fine (7) £6000-8000
Sold with original Certificate of Service, tunic ribbons, named condolence slip for WW2 medals, another named condolence slip for
the ‘clasp to the Naval General Service Medal previously awarded to…’, this last an extreme rarity, and a copy of Coxswain Leslie
Frank’s diary of the Yangtze incident.
Owen Frederick Charles Aubrey was born at Fovant, Wiltshire, on 24 July 1912. He entered the Royal Navy in October 1930 as a
Stoker 2nd Class, serving aboard H.M.S. Hood, from March 1931, before volunteering for service in submarines from November 1934.
After completing his training course Aubrey served aboard H.M. Ships Cyclops and Douglas, including service in Palestine, before
rejoining the submarine service at H.M.S. Dolphin, serving in the submarine H32 up to the outbreak of war. In November 1939 he
joined the destroyer Antelope and served in her until April 1944, shortly afterwards joining Boscawen, in which ship he received his L.
S. & G.C. medal in December 1945.
Aubrey joined Amethyst on 9 November 1947, by now a Chief Stoker Petty Officer Mechanic. At 0832 on 20 April 1949, Amethyst
was fired upon by communist Chinese forces on the north bank of the river Yangtze. Firing ceased at 0845, so far without casualties to
the ship, but recommenced half an hour later when several direct hits were registered and serious casualties occurred. The following
extracts are taken from Coxswain Leslie Frank’s diary entry for 20th April:
‘As the casualties still continued to mount it was decided to abandon the ship…
About sixty ratings swam ashore but were fired upon in the water both by small arms and artillery, and no one else was allowed to
leave the ship…
Of those that swam ashore it was later learnt that about 50 of them reached Shanghai, about 10 remained on the bank and later
returned to the ship, one was killed (Ch. Sto. Aubrey), and three were carried down river and picked up by Consort, one is missing and
two were taken to hospital ashore.’
Chief Stoker Aubrey was the senior rating killed from Amethyst’s crew from the total of 22 killed, which includes Lieutenant-
Commander Skinner, Surgeon-Lieutenant Alderton, and two Chinese ratings.
714
Pair: Marine D. M. N. Pascoe, Royal Marines
NAVAL GENERAL SERVICE 1915-62, 1 clasp, Brunei (R.M.20638 D. M. N. Pascoe, Mne., R.M.); GENERAL SERVICE 1962, 2 clasps,
Borneo, South Arabia (RM.20638 D. M. Pascoe, Mne., R.M.) slight variation in initials, mounted as worn, good very fine
(2) £250-300
715
Pair: Petty Officer Radio Electrician (Air) J. F. Selleck, Royal Navy
NAVAL GENERAL SERVICE 1915-62, 1 clasp, Near East (L/FX.833998 P.O.R. El. (Air), R.N.); ROYAL NAVY L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd
issue (FX.833998 Ch. R. El. (A)., H.M.S. Goldcrest) this last with corrections to service number and ship’s name mounted
as worn, good very fine (2) £120-160
H.M.S. Goldcrest was the R.N.A.S. Station at Brawdy, Pembrokeshire. The base was utilised by the Royal Navy during 1952-71.
716
Four: Rifleman F. G. Cole, Rifle Brigade, who died on active service in North Africa in January 1940
GENERAL SERVICE 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (6913899 Rfmn. F. G. Cole, Rif. Brig.); 1939-45 STAR; AFRICA STAR; WAR MEDAL
1939-45, good very fine or better (4) £180-220
Frederick George Cole who died on active service in North Africa on 26 January 1940, while serving in the 2nd Battalion, the Rifle
Brigade. Just 18 years of age, and the son of Frederick and Caroline Cole of Islington, London, he is buried in the Ismailia War
Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
www.dnw.co.uk
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