Campaign Groups and Pairs 385 Three: Petty Officer (Sonar) John Robinson, Royal Navy
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (PO (S) J Robinson D159882L HMS Cardiff); Gulf 1990-91, no clasp (PO (S) J Robinson D159882L RN); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue (PO (S) J Robinson D159882L RN) all in their respective named card boxes of issue, extremely fine (3)
£600-£700
H.M.S. Cardiff, a Type 42-class Destroyer launched in 1974, served during the Falklands War under the command of Captain M. Harris. On 13 June 1982 H.M.S. Cardiff shot down what proved to be the last Argentine aircraft to be lost in the Falklands War, and the following day she accepted the surrender of the 700-strong Argentine garrison at Port Howard on West Falkland island.
John Robinson was born on 14 January 1951 and joined the Royal Navy on 22 April 1966. He was finally discharged from the Navy at H.M.S. Nelson on 3 March 1992. Sold with copied interim Certificate of Discharge.
386
Pair: Petty Officer Marine Engineering Mechanic C. P. Close, Royal Navy
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (POMEM (M) C P Close D125360L HMS Hermes) in its named card box of issue; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue (POMEM (M) C P Close D125360L RN) nearly extremely fine (2)
£500-£600
The 28,000-ton aircraft carrier H.M.S. Hermes was launched in 1953 and served during the Falklands War as the flag-ship of Rear- Admiral Sandy Woodward, under the command of Captain L. E. Middleton, D.S.O. Hermes shared in the provision, alongside H.M.S. Invincible, of almost all the air power of the campaign, her operational capacity amounting to 15 Sea Harriers and six Harrier GR3’s, in addition to assorted helicopter types.
387
Pair: Petty Officer Steward G. Holland, Royal Navy
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (POSTD G. Holland D094636Q HMS Plymouth); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue (POSTD G. Holland D094636Q HMS Plymouth) good very fine (2)
£500-£600
H.M.S. Plymouth was a ‘Rothesay’ Class type 12 anti-submarine frigate of 2,800 tons, launched at Devonport in 1959 and commissioned in 1961. Heavily involved in the Falklands War, she sailed with tanker R.F.A. Tidepool and destroyer H.M.S. Antrim to South Georgia with Royal Marines and S.A.S. aboard. She then provided cover for the aircraft carriers and amphibious vessels and was one of the first Royal Navy ships to enter San Carlos Water. On 21 May 1982 she went to the assistance of the frigate H.M.S. Argonaut that had suffered bomb damage. On 8 June she was attacked by five Mirage aircraft. In the ensuing action she managed to destroy two and damage two others but was hit by four bombs and numerous shells; five men were injured in the attack.
Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins give their account of these events in The Battle for the Falklands: ‘Even as the rescue operation was being mounted at Fitzroy, urgent efforts were being made to save the frigate Plymouth, which had been heavily attacked that afternoon. It is still uncertain whether the Argentine air force deliberately conceived the attack on the frigate as a diversion to distract attention from their imminent attack on Bluff Cove, but it undoubtedly had that effect on the British Harrier Combat Air Patrol. Plymouth was warned to break off her bombardment of Mount Rosalie on West Falkland before an imminent air attack, expected at 1.30 but it was some minutes short of that time when five Mirage Vs raced towards her up the Falkland Sound, turned and attacked from the port quarter. To the men on the ship’s bridge, Plymouth seemed agonisingly slow to answer the call for full speed. A Sea Cat struck the leading Mirage, and an oerlikon gunner hit the second, but the ship was hit by four 1000-pound bombs of the ten that were dropped. One hit a depth charge which exploded, caused major damage and started a fire. One passed through a funnel. The others passed two feet above the heads of a horrified group of men caught on the upper deck manning an anti-submarine mortar. Bleeding smoke, Plymouth limped into San Carlos Water and set about controlling her fires and patching her holes, in which she was eventually successful. The Harrier Combat Air Patrol which had been covering Fitzroy all that morning had been drawn off to meet the attack on Plymouth, only minutes before the Skyhawks struck Galahad.’
After emergency repairs she returned to the fleet and was able to provide gunfire support to the land forces. She returned home on 21 June. During the course of the Falklands War she had steamed 34,000 miles, fired 900+ 4.5 inch shells and destroyed five aircraft. H. M.S. Plymouth was decommissioned on 28 April 1988 and was preserved, being opened to the public at Birkenhead in 1992. By 2012, however, she was seen to be rusting in Victoria dock in Birkenhead, funds for her preservation being unforthcoming. In August 2014 she sailed from Birkenhead on her final voyage to an overseas breakers yard.
388
Pair: Second Cook P. J. Smith, Royal Fleet Auxiliary
South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (Ck/Asst P J Smith RFA Fort Grange); General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Gulf (2nd Cook P J Smith RFA Service) the latter in its named card box of issue, extremely fine (2)
£500-£600
389
Three: Lance-Corporal M. A. Lake, Welsh Guards
General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland (24676521 Gdsm M A Lake WG); U.N. Medal, on UNAVEM ribbon; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 1994, E.II.R. (24676521 LCpl M A Lake WG) court mounted as worn, some edge bruises, otherwise good very fine (3)
£180-£220
In May 1995 a force of 642 British personnel deployed to Angola for 3 months, as the British contribution to the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM). The British deployment was codenamed Operation Chantress and its purpose was to establish an enduring logistics infrastructure to support the later deployment of a 7,200-strong UN force.
Sold with several copied pages from the regimental magazine with mention of Lance-Corporal Lake.
www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)
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