A Collection of Medals for the Battle of Jutland, Part 1 246 Three: Able Seaman E. Wells, H.M.S. Acasta, Royal Navy
1914-15 Star (J.13891, E. Wells, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.13891 E. Wells. A.B. R.N.) contact marks, nearly very fine (3)
£80-£1203
The destroyer H.M.S. Acasta was launched on 10 September 1912 and was part of the 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she was hit and badly holed.
Edward Wells was born in Lymington, Hampshire, on 22 November 1895 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 18 September 1911. Advanced Able Seaman on 7 August 1914, he served during the Great War in H.M.S. Acasta from 27 December 1915 to 30 June 1916. At Jutland the destroyer Acasta, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander John Barron, went to the assistance of Loftus Jones, V.C., in the Shark, but was famously rebuffed by the latter’s plea, “Don’t get sunk for us!” - even in the time taken for this brief exchange she was hit badly fore and aft. Worse was to follow when the Lutzow came up on Acasta’s port bow, the light cruiser’s secondary armament unleashing a ‘storm of shell’ at the inferior destroyer, a storm to which was added the combined fire-power of fast approaching enemy battle-cruisers and destroyers: ‘For 20 minutes the Acasta endured a withering fire ... Hit repeatedly, a shell burst in the engine room, killing or wounding the Engineer Officer and four men, and cutting several steam pipes. The engine room became filled with a scalding steam and had to be evacuated. As the steering-gear was shot away, Barron was unable to steer or to stop his engines until 6.30 ... As the Acasta lay stopped she was passed within a few hundred yards by division after division of battleships steaming at full speed into the action. Some passed to port some to starboard ... “We passed a disabled destroyer on our starboard bow, very close to us,” writes an officer in the Marlborough. “She was badly holed forward and aft, and was much down by the bows, but the crew were clustered aft cheering us and the other ships as we passed, and then disappeared astern, rolling heavily in the wash of the Battle Fleet, but with her ensign still flying, apparently not done for yet.” The Galatea and Fearless stood by Acasta for a time; but she eventually managed to get moving at a slow speed, and made off to the westward ... ’ (Endless Story refers).
247 Three: Able Seaman E. Lightfoot, H.M.S. Agincourt, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
1914-15 Star (T.3-154, F. Lightfoot. A.B., R.N.V.R.); British War and Victory Medals (T.3-154 E. Lightfoot. A.B. R.N.V.R.) nearly extremely fine (3)
£60-£80 Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, September 2010.
The dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Agincourt, originally order by the Brazilian Navy as the Rio de Janeiro, was launched on 22 January 1913 and was part of the 1st Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she successfully evaded two torpedoes and engaged several German ships during the battle, firing a total of 144 twelve-inch shells and 111 six-inch shells.
Frederick Lightfoot was born on 1 April 1893 and joined the Tyneside Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 28 March 1912. He served throughout the Great War in H.M.S. Agincourt, and was promoted Able Seaman on 11 April 1915. At Jutland, Agincourt had several lucky escapes from enemy torpedoes, as described in The Fighting at Jutland: ‘As far as Agincourt was concerned, our excitement started at 7.08 p.m., when with a sharp turn of the ship a torpedo passed just under our stern, and later on another broke surface about 150 yards short on our starboard beam. At 7.35 p.m. the tracks of two more torpedoes were reported approaching on the starboard side, but by good co-operation between the fore-top and the conning tower they were both avoided. Aloft the tracks were clearly visible, and acting on the reports from there the ship was gradually turned away, so that by perfect timing one torpedo passed up the port side and one the starboard side; after which we resumed our place in the line. A fifth torpedo was successfully dodged by zigzagging at 7.47 p.m.’
Lightfoot was shore demobilised on 24 February 1919. 248
One: Able Seaman A. E. Child, H.M.S. Ajax, Royal Navy, who drowned on 2 July 1919, whilst serving in M-24 as part of the North Russian Expeditionary Force
1914-15 Star (J.31371. A. E. Child. Boy.1., R.N.) good very fine £70-£90
The dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Ajax was launched on 21 March 1912 and was part of the 2nd Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland.
Archibald Ernest Child was born in Croydon, Surrey, on 21 March 1899 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 25 May 1914. He served during the Great War in H.M.S. Ajax from 5 February 1915 to the end of the War, and was advanced Able Seaman on 16 August 1917. He drowned on 2 July 1919, whilst serving in H.M.S. M-24, as part of the North Russian Expeditionary Force, and is buried in Archangel Allied Cemetery, Russia.
249 Three: Able Seaman D. Driscoll, H.M.S. Barham, Royal Navy
1914-15 Star (197713. D. Driscoll. A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (197713 D. Driscoll. A.B. R.N.) nearly very fine (3)
£100-£140
The dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Barham was launched on 31 December 1914 and was flagship of the 5th Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she fired a total of 337 twelve-inch shells and 25 six-inch shells during the battle. She was hit six times during the battle, suffering casualties of 26 killed and 46 wounded. It is believed that Barham and H.M.S. Variant made 24 hits between them, making them the two most accurate warships in the British fleet during the battle.
Denis Driscoll was born in Skibbereen, co. Cork, on 3 March 1882 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 28 January 1898. Advanced Able Seaman on 11 July 1901, he joined the Royal Fleet Reserve on 7 July 1912, but was recalled following the outbreak of the Great War and served in H.M.S. Barham from 19 August 1915 to 25 July 1916. At Jutland, Barham acted as flagship of the 5th Battle Squadron and was heavily engaged with Hipper’s battle cruisers, scoring hits on the Lutzow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz, but also getting badly mauled in the process, several hits causing her serious casualties, among them four officers and 22 ratings killed. Driscoll was finally shore pensioned on 12 June 1922.
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
