A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties 264
Three: Able Seaman G. R. Frewer, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M.S. Zinnia, as part of an escort group to convoy OG-71 from the U.K. to Gibraltar, was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-564 in the Bay of Biscay, 23 August 1941, events later portrayed in the novel The Cruel Sea
1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR; WAR MEDAL 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. H. S. Frewer, 13 Grenvile Road, Braintree, Essex’, extremely fine (3)
£100-140
George Reginald Frewer served during the Second World War in the flower class corvette H.M.S. Zinnia. In August 1941 Zinnia was assigned as part of an escort group to convoy OG-71, from the U.K. to Gibraltar. Sailing through the Bay of Biscay, the convoy was spotted by a Focke Wulfe long range aircraft, which summoned a U-boat wolf pack. Over the next four days from 19-23 August 1941, a running battle ensued, and during the various actions the convoy lost 9 merchantmen including the S.S. Aquila and two escorts, the Destroyer H.M.S. Bath, and the Corvette H.M.S. Zinnia. The Zinnia was torpedoed by U-564 commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Reinhard Suhren at 5:25 a.m. on the 23 August, and blew up immediately; only 17 of her complement of 85 officers and crew survived. Frewer was amongst those killed, and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
The author Nicholas Montsarrat, who was serving in another of the convoy’s escorts, claimed that this convoy was his worst experience of the war, and he incorporated the events surrounding the sinking of H.M.S. Zinnia into his famous novel The Cruel Sea, later turned into a film.
265
Four: Leading Stoker W. Buckingham, Royal Navy, killed in action during the First Battle of Sirte when H.M.S. Neptune, on convoy duty to Malta, struck four mines in quick succession off the Tripoli coast, 19 December 1941, and sank within minutes; of the 764 Officers and crew in Neptune only one man survived
1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR; AFRICA STAR; WAR MEDAL 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. D. Buckingham, 58 Ringer Terrace, Clowne, Chesterfield, Derbyshire’, extremely fine (4) £100-140
William Buckingham served during the Second World War in the Leander class light cruiser H.M.S. Neptune, as part of Force K deployed as convoy support to Malta. On 17 December 1941 the supply ship MV Breconshire was being escorted to Malta by Force K near the Gulf of Sirte, when the British ships sighted Italian battleships escorting a convoy to Tripoli. After seeing Breconshire safely into Malta, Force K sailed again to search for the Tripoli convoy. At 1:0 a.m. on 19 December 1941, whilst approximately 20 miles off the Tripoli coast, Neptune hit a mine. She then went full speed astern and struck two more mines, seriously damaging her propellers and rudder. The destroyer H.M.S. Kandahar went to assist but in doing so she herself struck a mine. At about 4:00 a.m. Neptune was struck by a fourth mine and sank within a few minutes. Only 16 men from a compliment of 764 survived the initial sinking and managed to climb aboard a raft; however, all but one man succumbed whilst on the open seas. The Neptune’s sole survivor, Able Seaman Norman Walton, was picked up by the Italians on Christmas Eve and made a prisoner of war. The loss of H.M.S. Neptune represented the greatest single tragedy for both the Mediterranean Fleet and the New Zealand Navy of whom 151 men were part of Neptune’s crew.
Buckingham was amongst those killed, aged 22. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
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Four: Acting Leading Stoker J. A. Jackman, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M. Submarine Olympus struck a mine off Malta, 8 May 1942; only 9 of the 98 men on board managed to swim the 7 miles back to Malta in the dark, with only the glow of German bombs showing them the way
1939-45 STAR; ATLANTIC STAR; AFRICA STAR;WARMEDAL 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. V. E. Jackman, 37 Tintern Road, Gosport, Hants’, extremely fine (4)
£140-180
James Alfred Jackman joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 22 June 1931, and was promoted Stoker 1st Class on 6 June 1932. He joined submarines on 14 May 1940, and served during the Second World War in H.M. Submarine Olympus from 30 January 1941. Promoted temporary Acting Leading Stoker on 20 May 1941, he was killed in action when Olympus struck a mine and sank off Malta on the night of 8 May 1942. Of the 98 crew and passengers on board (the passengers being the survivors from the crews of H.M. Submarines Pandora, P -36, and P-39 which had been sunk in air raids) most of the men on board managed to escape by leaping into the sea, but 89 were killed, the vast majority drowning, the only survivors being those that managed to swim the 7 miles back to Malta in the dark. Ironically it was the glow caused by German bombs falling on Malta (which of course was subject to the blackout) that showed them in which direction to swim. In terms of men killed, the loss of Olympus ranks as one of the worst Royal Navy wartime submarine losses. Jackman was one of those killed, aged 28. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Sold with a photograph postcard of the recipient, taken at Hong Kong in December 1933.
www.dnw.co.uk
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