GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
Astern of Navarino, Bellingham hauled out of her line to avoid the settling ship, her gunners leaning over the side as she steamed through the British seamen in the water. One gave the Communist salute and bawled defiantly, ‘On to Moscow – see you in Russia!’
Meanwhile the blazing Heinkel hit the water ahead of Keppel and, as the El Capitan passed, her burning crew could be seen dying in her sinking airframe. The men on deck shouted abuse as the shattered Heinkel sank. One by one the ships in the outer port columns overtook the spot, and by the time the Troubadour had gone by, all that remained was a dark swirl of oily water and a curling, ghostly flame. Leutnant Hennemann was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross, and scarcely a witness in P.Q. 17 was unimpressed with his daring.’
And a glimpse of Latch at work is too be found in Captain Kelso’s subsequent report to the Admiralty:
‘The torpedo struck the ship amidships under the bridge on the starboard side. It was not a very loud explosion as the torpedo struck but a great deal of water and all the bunkers were thrown into the air. The ship immediately took a list of 30 to 40 degrees, so that the Bridge keel came right out of the water on the starboard side.
Every ship in the convoy and and the escorting vessels opened fire at the attacking aircraft, the aircraft that attacked my ship must have been riddled with machine-gun bullets and cannon fire. We opened fire when it turned astern of us, there were three ships astern of me and they all opened fire as the aircraft approached. This aircraft went round my bow and landed in the water ahead of my ship in a sheet of flame. My Gunnery Officer claimed we brought down this aircraft, but so many guns were firing at the time that I would not like to say that any particular Gunner was responsible.
My starboard lifeboat was got away with most of the crew and I was left on board with four Gunners [including Latch] and an Ordinary Seaman. We went back to the port lifeboat as the ship was righting itself and managed with great difficulty to get the lifeboat into the water, my ship was sunk by a destroyer at 1845, my crew and myself were picked up by the Russian rescue ships Rathlan and Zamalek, and we arrived at Archangel with the convoy on 9 July.
Latch received his decoration at a Buckingham Palace investiture held on 18 May 1943.
1225
A Great War M.M. group of four awarded to Private A. Thompson, 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (15213 Pte., 7/Bedf. R.);1914-15 STAR (15213 Pte., Bedf. R.(15213 Pte., Bedf. R.); BRITISHWAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (15213 Pte., Bedf. R.) worn through polishing (4)
£300-350 M.M. London Gazette 22 January 1917. 1226 A Great War M.M. group of four awarded to Serjeant W. A. E. Monk, 6th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment
MILITARY MEDAL, G.V.R. (12443 L. Cpl., 6/Bedf. R.); 1914-15 STAR (12443 Pte., Bedf. R.); BRITISH WAR AND VICTORY MEDALS (12443 Sjt., Bedf. R.) good very fine (4)
£350-400 M.M. London Gazette 9 July 1917. 1227 A Great War M.M. group of three awarded to Private J. Reid, 6th Battalion Royal Scots
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (251446 PTE., 6/R. SCOTS); BRITISHWAR ANDVICTORYMEDALS (4147 Pte., R. Scots) mounted court style for display, good very fine (3)
£300-350 M.M. London Gazette 17 June 1919. Private Joseph Reid, 6th Battalion Royal Scots came from Edinburgh. With copied m.i.c. and gazette extracts. 1228
A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.M. group of three awarded to Gunner J. Flynn, 219 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
MILITARYMEDAL, G.V.R. (38220 Gnr., 219/Sge. By. R.G.A.); BRITISHWAR AND VICTORYMEDALS (38220 Gnr., R.A.) slight edge bruising, very fine (3)
£200-240 M.M. London Gazette 4 February 1918. The recipient came from Cork. With copied gazette and roll extracts and m.i.c. 1229
A Great War M.M. pair awarded to Lance-Corporal J. R. Sissons, 9th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, who died of wounds, France/Flanders 10 October 1918
MILITARY MEDAL, G.V.R. (39279 Pte., 9/York. R.); VICTORY MEDAL 1914-19 (39279 Pte., York. R.) good very fine (2) £300-350 M.M. London Gazette 17 December 1917.
James Robert Sissons was born in and enlisted at York and came from Hungate. Serving with the 9th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment he gained the Military Medal. As a Lance-Corporal in the battalion he died of wounds on 10 October 1918. He was buried in the Roisel Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France. He was the son of Robert and Louisa Sissons of 3 Garden Court, Hungate, York. With copied casualty details and m.i.c.
1230
A Great War M.M. pair awarded to Driver A. V. Rowley, Royal Field Artillery, killed in action, 23 August 1917 MILITARY MEDAL, G.V.R. (4542 Dvr., D.75/Bde. R.F.A.); 1914-15 STAR (4542 Dvr., R.F.A.) very fine (2)
M.M. London Gazette 8 December 1916.
Albert Vering Rowley was born in and enlisted at Penarth, Glamorgan. Serving with “D” Battery 75th Brigade R.F.A. he won the Military Medal. Serving with the same unit he was killed in action on 23 August 1917, aged 33 years. He was buried in the Canada Farm Cemetery, Elverdinghe, Ieper, Belgium. He was the son of George and Matilda Anne Rowley of 5 Windsor Arcade, Penarth, Cardiff.
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