Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry 53


A rare Great War D.S.M. and Second Award Bar awarded to Leading Signalman I. Overton, Royal Navy: having been decorated for his part in H.M.S. Wear’s gallant rescue of the survivors of mined consorts in the Dardanelles in March 1915 - under a heavy fire - he became the first man to win a Bar to the D.S.M. for his deeds as a member of a boarding party a little over two months later


Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar, the reverse of this original Bar unofficially engraved with the date ‘30 May 1915’ (225837 I. Overton, Sign., H.M.S. Wear), very fine


£2,400-£2,800 Provenance: Glendinings, June 1930 and Dix Noonan Webb, December 2006.


D.S.M. London Gazette 16 August 1916: ‘For services on 18 March 1915.’ D.S.M. Second Award Bar London Gazette 6 September 1916:


‘The undermentioned has been awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Medal for a subsequent act of gallantry.’ Just 67 Second Award Bars to the D.S.M. for the Great War.


Isaac Overton was born in Newark in January 1888 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in April 1903. A Signalman by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914 , he joined the destroyer H.M.S. Wear in the following month, aboard which ship he would witness extensive action in the Dardanelles and win a brace of D.S.Ms, in addition to advancement to Leading Signalman.


His first D.S.M. was awarded in respect of the Wear’s part in the rescue of around 600 officers and ratings during a combined Anglo- French attempt to force the Dardanelles on 18 March 1915, an episode recounted by “Taffrail” in Endless Story:


‘The large grey hulls of the bombarding battleships wreathed themselves in orange flashes and billowing clouds of tawny cordite smoke as they wheeled and circled amid forests of dazzling white spray fountains flung up by the enemy shell.


So far everything had gone well. Though various ships had been badly knocked about, the Gaulois having been forced to discontinue the action with much damage forward, and the Bouvet having been heavily hit, the injury was no more than had been expected and the casualties in personnel were comparatively light.


And just before 2 o’clock, as the French battleship Bouvet was following the Suffren out of the Straits, onlookers were appalled to see a great spout of flame and smoke and spray rise up at her side. Her magazine had exploded. In two minutes she rolled over and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and steam.


The River-class destroyer Wear, Captain Christopher P. Metcalfe, which had been in attendance on the Queen Elizabeth throughout the operation, and frequently under heavy fire, at once dashed at full speed to the Bouvet’s assistance. By the time she reached the spot the battleship had sunk, but, lowering her whaler under a storm of dropping shell, she succeeded in rescuing 66 men.


At 4.14 p.m. the battleship Irresistible also struck a mine, and at once took up a heavy list and was unable to move. The old vessel was slowly sinking, and obviously could not last long. Seeing her stopped and heeling over, the enemy reopened their fire, but within a few minutes Captain Metcalfe was alongside with the Wear. At 4.50 he was back alongside the Queen Elizabeth with his decks crowded with 28 officers and 582 men of the Irresistible’s crew, the remainder having elected to remain on board their ship, in case the unexpected happened and she remained afloat.


While the retirement was in progress, the Ocean, standing by the stricken Irresistible, struck another mine, and was seriously damaged. The time was 6.05 p.m., but, in spite of the very heavy fire which was being poured upon her from both sides of the Straits, destroyers went to her assistance. The names of these destroyers were ... the Wear, Captain Christopher P. Metcalfe.


The enemy gunfire at this period has been described as “terrific,” and it is surprising that none of the rescuing destroyers was sunk, and that they sustained comparatively few casualties ... ’


In point of fact as the destroyers circled the stricken Ocean, it was rather a nasty situation, as she was under fire from a battery of fairly big guns and was turning slowly round and round in the current, while salvos of five or six heavy shells, about 8 or 10-inch, arrived frequently. So ended the Wear’s memorable part in the action of 18 March 1915, Captain C. P. Metcalfe being awarded the D.S.O., and Overton, among others, the D.S.M.


The Bar to his award was granted in respect of his services as a volunteer at the cutting out of a Turkish caique off Eleos Island on 30 May 1915, when the Wear’s guns went into action. On this occasion, eight crew, including Overton, went off in the whaler and there was a ‘fierce scrap’, for there were many hands on the Turkish vessel:


‘The tars had only rifles, with penetrating bullets, which were employed with such good effect, that before long they were able to use hatchet’s, until the Turks surrendered, when they towed the enemy ship to one of the isles by the Gulf of Smyrna. The British had used mine piercing ammunition, and despite resistance, they won the day. Overton was not then aware that this would mean any extra honour for him, nor did he know until some months afterwards, when he was informed that his name had gone in for further recognition.’ (Newark Herald 12 May 1917 refers).


Although the award was not gazetted until September 1916, it was, in fact, the first Bar ever earned (The first gazetted to Leading Seaman Alfred Button actually related to another action in 1916).


Overton returned to the U.K. with an appointment in Pembroke in April 1916 and was invalided in January 1917.


www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227  |  Page 228  |  Page 229  |  Page 230  |  Page 231  |  Page 232  |  Page 233  |  Page 234  |  Page 235  |  Page 236