GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
‘At 0958 hours, Truculent sighted smoke bearing 266. Two minutes later it was noticed that an aircraft was circling in the same direction. Truculent closed for an attack. Later it became clear that Truculent was closing a Japanese convoy made up of one merchant of about 4000 tons, three merchants of about 1500 tons, escorted by two submarine chasers and a motor launch. Overhead a twin- engined aircraft was circling.
At 1112 hours, four torpedoes were fired against the 4000-tons merchant vessel from 3500 yards. Two hits were obtained. Truculent went deep but hit the bottom at 58 feet.
At 1116 hours, the first depth-charges were dropped, a pattern of six, but these were not close. At 1124 hours two more depth charges were dropped, this time much closer. At 1159 more depth charges (at least three) were dropped, also close aboard. After these no more depth charges were dropped and Truculent was able to slip away.’
Booty was recommended for a Bar to his D.S.M. by his skipper, Lieutenant Robert Alexander, D.S.O., R.N., on 21 July 1944, and remained actively employed in the Far East until November 1944. Alexander and his Engineering Officer won D.S.Cs and another rating, in addition to Booty, a D.S.M., while eight others received “mentions”.
Remaining a submariner post-war, his final appointment was as an instructor at Dolphin, and he came ashore for a final time in June 1949. The gallant Booty died in July 1982; sold with a fine array of original career photographs, some 28 images, many of wartime interest, together with a file of research.
980
An early Second World War minesweeping operations D.S.M. group of four awarded to Chief Engineman G. W. Sanderson, Royal Naval Patrol Service
DISTINGUISHED SERVICEMEDAL,
G.VI.R. (LT/KX. 101750 Ch. Engn. G. W. Sanderson); 1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR;WARMEDAL 1939-45, extremely fine (4)
£600-800 D.S.M. London Gazette 3 September 1940: ‘For bravery, skill and enterprise in minesweeping operations off the coasts of Holland, Belgium and France.’
George William Sanderson, almost certainly a pre-war Lowestoft trawlerman, was decorated for services in H.M. Trawler Asama in 1940, her operational agenda having included sweeps outside St. Nazaire when that port was evacuated in mid-June, an operation that took several days and nights, with our ships being regularly subjected to heavy and accurate bombing - thus, famously, the loss of the S.S. Lancastria. Indeed it was the Asama, and another trawler, who “swept” the way out of St. Nazaire when the final convoy of 10 merchantmen and a destroyer departed the scene at the end of the operation, the whole laden with thousands of troops.
But the plucky trawler’s luck ran out in March 1941, when she was sunk by enemy aircraft off Plymouth with a loss of at least six of her crew - ‘ship was struck on starboard side, near funnel and sank immediately. Presume bomb detonated on the ship’s bottom. 17 survivors were picked up’ (Admiralty report refers). If aboard her at the time, Sanderson survived, and was invested with his D.S.M. at Buckingham Palace on 5 April 1941.
981
A Western front M.M. group of four awarded to Lance-Corporal H. G. Kimber, The Queen’s R. W. Surrey Regiment, who was killed in action at Paschendaele in October 1917
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (10740 L.Cpl. H. Kimber, 2/The Queen’s R.); 1914 STAR, with clasp (L-10740 Pte. H. G. Kimber, The Queen’s R.); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (L-10740 Pte. H. G. Kimber, The Queen’s R.) together with BRONZE MEMORIAL PLAQUE (Henry George Kimber) nearly extremely fine (5)
£1000-1200 M.M. London Gazette 26 May 1917.
Lance-Corporal Henry George Kimber, 2nd Battalion, The Queen’s, was killed in action at Paschendaele on 26 October 1917, aged 31. His name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
982
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of seven awarded to Temporary Warrant Officer Class 1 C. G. Bennett, Royal Army Service Corps
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (S-18771 S.Q.M. Sjt., A.S.C.); 1914 STAR, with copy clasp (S/18771 S. Sjt., A.S.C.); BRITISHWAR AND VICTORYMEDALS, M.I.D. oak leaf (S-18771 T.W.O. Cl. 1, A.S.C.); ARMYMERITORIOUS SERVICEMEDAL, G.V.R. (S-18771 S.Q.M. Sjt.-T.S.S. Mjr., M.M., R.A.S.C.); ARMY L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (S-18771 S.Q.M. Sjt., R.A.S.C.); BELGIUM, CROIX DE GUERRE, ‘A’ cypher, mounted for display, very fine and better (7)
£450-500
M.M. London Gazette 3 June 1916. M.S.M. London Gazette 22 February 1919.
Staff Serjeant Charles Gordon Bennett, A.S.C., entered the France/Flanders theatre of war on 11 August 1914. With copied m.i.c. entries. M.I.D. not confirmed.
983
A Great War M.M. group of four awarded to Lance-Bombardier J. Walker, Royal Artillery, who was killed in action in September 1918
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (96681 Gnr. J. Walker, D. 102/Bde. R.F.A.); 1914-15 STAR (96681 Gnr. J. Walker, R.F.A.); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (96681 Gnr. J. Walker, R.A.), generally very fine (4)
£300-350 M.M. London Gazette 18 July 1917.
James Walker, who first entered the French theatre of war in late August 1915, was killed in action on 28 September 1918, while serving as a Lance-Bombardier in ‘D’ Battery, 157th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. The son of Mrs. Annie Walker of Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire, he was 25 years of age and is buried in Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Ypres, Belgium.
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