CAMPAIGN GROUPS AND PAIRS
735
Three: Lieutenant M. R. Branwell, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, who, having survived the loss of the Courageous in
September 1939, was killed in action off Dunkirk in June 1940
1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR, clasp, Air Crew Europe; WAR MEDAL 1939-45, in their original addressed card forwarding box,
the reverse further inscribed ‘DNA (Wills) 49/339’, with related Admiralty condolence slip in the name of ‘Lieutenant
Michael Reeve Branwell, R.N.’, extremely fine (3) £250-300
Michael Reeve Branwell was born in April 1911 and was educated at Winchester and Dartmouth, from which latter establishment he
graduated as a Midshipman in 1928 - a fine batsman, he was for several years considered one of the Royal Navy’s best, and scored 162
runs against the Army at Lords in 1932.
Having entered the submarine service as a Lieutenant in 1934, Branwell transferred to the Fleet Air Arm and was serving in the aircraft
carrier Courageous on the outbreak of hostilities, a short-lived appointment on account of that ship’s loss off south-west Ireland on 17
September 1939, when she was attacked by the U-29, two torpedo hits amidships causing her to go down in 20 minutes with a loss of
518 officers and ratings - Hitler was on hand to personally congratulate and decorate the U-Boat’s crew on their return to
Wilhelmshaven.
Branwell, who was among the survivors, was next posted to 825 Squadron (F.A.A.), with whom he operated out of Worthy Down and
Detling against enemy troop concentrations in France and Belgium but, sometime in the course of May 1940, was transferred to the
Fleet Air Arm tender Grive, a privately owned yacht (ex-Narcissus) which had been requisitioned by the Admiralty in September of the
previous year. And it was in the same vessel that he made four trips to Dunkirk, under the watchful eye of Captain Hon. Lionel
Lambart, D.S.O., R.N. (Retd.), the brother of the Earl of Cavan:
‘Courteous, gentle, musical, loathing any sort of self-advertisement, he came back to his old service aged 67 and was given command
of H.M.S. Grive. In his 816 tons yacht he performed magnificent work. Although such a vessel was neither young nor spacious, he
enabled her during three hectic days and nights to rescue no less than 2000 of the B.E.F. Then at last on her fourth trip to Dunkirk the
enemy sank her, himself, and most of her crew of 43, though Sub. Lieutenant J. K. B. Miles, R.N.V.R., survived and received the D.S.C.’
But 29-year-old Branwell was not among the handful of survivors, the Grive having been ‘blown to pieces’ by a magnetic mine at
22.30 hours on 1 June 1940. His body was washed ashore some way down the French coast a few days later and, after temporary
burial in the sand dunes at Bray, was removed to the Marquise Communal Cemetery. He was the son of Auckland and Anita Branwell
of Putney Heath, London, the above forwarding box being addressed to his father at his family business in the City of London.
736
Three: Sergeant G. R. Collett, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a
Spitfire pilot who was killed in action while serving in No. 54
Squadron on 22 August 1940
1939-45 STAR, privately engraved ‘745500 Sgt. G. R. Collett, R.A.F., K.I.
A. 22.8.1940, “One of the Few”’; AIR CREW EUROPE STAR, privately
engraved ‘A.C.E. & W.M. 745500 G. R. Collett’; WAR MEDAL 1939-45,
privately engraved as per the last, in their original (damaged) addressed
card forwarding box with related Air Council condolence slip in the
name of ‘Sergeant G. Collett, R.A.F.’, together with metalled R.A.F. cap
badge and post card format portrait photograph, all late issues,
extremely fine (4) £300-500
George Richard Collett was enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in
March 1939 as an airman for pilot training. Called up in September of the same
year, and his training complete, he was posted to No. 54 Squadron in July 1940.
He subsequently claimed a 109 destroyed on 24th, but was compelled to make a
forced-landing on the beach at Dunwich later in the same day, after running out
of fuel while pursuing another enemy aircraft. And it was during another pursuit
and combat with enemy fighters on 22 August that he was killed in action, his
Spitfire crashing into the Channel. The son of George C. and Elizabeth Collett of
Luton, Bedfordshire, he was 24 years of age and is buried in Bergen-op-Zoom
War Cemetery, the Netherlands; the above described forwarding box is
addressed to ‘Mr. G. L. Collett, 1 Bassett Road, North Kensington, London W.
11’, quite possibly a brother.
737
Six: R. Gasson, Royal Artillery
1939-45 STAR; AFRICA STAR; ITALY STAR; FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS, these all privately engraved,
‘1610170 Gasson R. R.A.’
EFFICIENCY MEDAL, G.VI.R., 1st issue, Territorial (6746289 Gnr. H. Withers, R.A.)
A mounted set of five miniature dress medals attributed to Captain Hauxwell, Royal Army Medical Corps
BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS, M.I.D. oak leaf; TERRITORIAL FORCE WAR MEDAL 1914-18; JUBILEE 1935; CORONATION 1937,
mounted as worn; together with an ornate silver identity bracelet engraved, ‘Capt. Hauxwell, R.A.M.C.(T)’, good very
fine and better (13) £50-70
Captain F. Hauxwell, R.A.M.C., mentioned in despatches, London Gazette 30 December 1918.
www.dnw.co.uk
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