GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
856
A Second World War ‘Italian operations’ M.M. group of five awarded to Serjeant G. Erskine, Royal Artillery
MILITARY MEDAL, G.VI.R. (1549005 Sjt., R.A,); 1939-45 STAR; AFRICA STAR, clasp, 8th Army; ITALY STAR; WAR MEDAL 1939-45,
minor contact marks, good very fine (5) £700-900
M.M. London Gazette 3 August 1944.
Recommendation states: ‘Sgt. Erskine is Detachment Commander of a 40mm. sited in defence of a big ammunition dump at Mignano.
At about 2200 hour on April 25th the area was shelled by a German 150mm. A small dump near the gun was set alight, and the sentry
on the gun was wounded. While Sgt. Erskine was attending to the wounded man, further shelling set alight another dump beside the pit
and a shed about 20 yds. away containing a large quantity of explosive. In view of the great danger Sgt. Erskine told the detachment to
take cover but himself went to the pit, the sandbags of which were alight, to see if the gun could be saved. While he was there the shed
blew up with a terrific explosion which threw him across the pit and burnt the back of his neck. Undeterred by this, and in spite not
only of the shellfire, but of the very great danger from the large number of exploding dumps, Sgt. Erskine, having sent his detachment
away mounted the tractor which was nearby, backed it, and drove it away. Sgt. Erskine’s coolness and courage not only saved a
valuable vehicle but was a magnificent example to his detachment’.
At the time of his act of bravery, Serjeant Erskine was serving with 57 L.A.A. Battery, 14th L.A.A. Regiment. With copied
recommendation.
857
A Second World War B.E.M. group of five awarded to Electrical Artificer 3rd Class Bertram J. Humphrey, Royal Navy
BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (Elec. Art. 3rd Cl. Bertram J. Humphrey, P/MX 78684 R.N) mounted as
worn; 1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR, clasp, France and Germany; DEFENCE AND WAR MEDALS, these unnamed, mounted as
worn, very fine and better (5) £300-350
B.E.M. London Gazette 26 June 1945. ‘For bravery, determination and great devotion to duty, whilst serving in H.M.S. Affleck, when an
explosion caused the whole of the ship to be penetrated by chlorsulphonic acid fumes. In spite of the appalling conditions the ship was
brought back to safety’.
The frigate H.M.S. Affleck, ex U.S.N. Buckley, was torpedoed and badly damaged by the German submarine U-486, off Cherbourg, on
27 December 1944. Two M.B.E’s. and three B.E.M’s. were awarded for this action. Probably as a result of the inhalation of toxic fumes,
Bertram John Humphrey died on 6 December 1946, aged 25 years. He was buried in Bells Hill Burial Ground, Hertfordshire. He was
the son of Bertie John and Eleanor Humphrey and husband of Eliza Jane Hollywood Humphrey, of Belfast, Northern Ireland. With some
copied research.
858
A fine Second World War B.E.M. awarded to Seaman H. J. George, Merchant Navy, who remained at his post
manning the Trinity House vessel Reculver’s wireless set throughout a devastating air attack - an incident described in
one wartime publication as ‘one of the most savage of Nazi air force attacks on unarmed ships’ yet
BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL, (Civil) G.VI.R., 1st issue (Harry J. George), good very fine £500-550
B.E.M. London Gazette 25 February 1941:
‘When his ship was attacked by enemy aircraft Seaman George remained at his post in spite of repeated attacks by bombs and
machine-gun fire. His reliability and devotion to duty gave the Master the greatest help.’
Harry John George was decorated for his bravery in the unarmed Trinity House vessel Reculver during the above attack off Great
Yarmouth on 9 January 1940, an action which also resulted in the award of the M.B.E. to the ship’s Master, Captain W. J. Lees, and of a
commendation to the Chief Officer, J. J. E. Woolnough. In his report on the incident, Captain Lees stated that his ship had been bound
to the relief of the lightships to the east and north of Yarmouth when a German aircraft appeared on the scene:
‘By the time I had reached the bridge and taken over from the Chief Officer, I saw the aircraft to the westward in line with the Caister
Water Tower ... He passed over us then in a deep dive from east to west towards the sun. As he made each steep dive towards us he
was little more than mast high. Immediately I realised that he intended attacking us I relieved my wheelman [George] because he was
the only Wireless Operator available, and I then took the wheel. After passing over the ship the plane made a steep bank again from
east to west for the second attack. The approach was more from the south this time. At the time we were zig-zagging. When he was
approaching for the second attack I gave the ship some port helm. He certainly approached us diagonally from the starboard bow to
port quarter. The ship was swinging at the time and he dropped one bomb which hit the waterway moulding on the starboard side
immediately between the forward davits. It slid from there and exploded immediately after off the motor launch. A considerable
amount of damage was done as a result of this and the motor launch was wrecked. The plane then passed diagonally over and dropped
another bomb on the port quarter, but as we were swinging to starboard the bomb exploded about 10 feet from the ship, underneath
the water, and on the port quarter.
The concussion from these bombs put my helm out of action and also the engines. Previously I had heard my W./T. operator [George]
getting out a message that we were being attacked by enemy aircraft. Between us we tried to get more helm movement but we realised
that it was hopeless. The rudder was jammed hard aport. The plane swerved round again and made a run to the north into the land,
steep banked near the land and made an attack again from west to east. In this third attack the engines were put out of action. The
plane made a last dive and dropped a third bomb immediately amidships and they now machine-gunned us from the tail. The he
ascended into the clouds and went away to the east. This third bomb was actually seen by one man to lay on top of two water tanks
situated amidships on the boat deck before exploding. The man in question had time to jump from the boat deck on to the lower deck
before the bomb exploded. This bomb caused the death of the 2nd Officer. The force of the explosion of this bomb ran down and
damaged the Lightship Officers, Seamen and Firemens’ Quarters, and the engine room and tunnel, at the same time causing quite a
considerable amount of damage to the boat deck, and both the port and starboard boats were wrecked. Both engine room vents were
blown to pieces and the port vent fell on top of the 2nd Officer who was cutting away the griping arrangement of the port forward boat.
This caused his death and he was killed instantly.
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