A Collection of Medals for the Battle of Jutland, Part 2 60
One: Leading Stoker A. le Vack, H.M.S. Active, Royal Navy Victory Medal 1914-19 (K.2550 A. le Vack.
L.Sto. R.N.) nearly very fine
£30-£40 The destroyer H.M.S. Active was launched on 14 March 1911 and was part of the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland.
Alexander le Vack was born in King’s Cross, London, on 7 December 1890 and joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 8 April 1909. Advanced Leading Stoker on 4 November 1915, he served during the Great War in H.M.S. Active from 6 April 1916 to the end of the War, and was shore pensioned on 6 May 1921.
61 Four: Able Seaman Rigger F. Morley, H.M.S. Agincourt, Royal Navy
1914-15 Star (199742 F. Morley. Smn. Rigger., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (199742 F. Morley. Smn. Rigger. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (199742 Frederick Morley, A.B. (Rigger) H.M.S. Agincourt.) name of ship officially corrected on last, nearly very fine (4)
£100-£140
The dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Agincourt, originally ordered 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 Morley was born in Lewes, Sussex, on 3 March 1883 and joined the Royal Navy as a a Boy 2nd Class on 15 June 1898. Advanced Able Seaman on 1 December 1902, he served throughout the Great War in H.M.S. Agincourt, and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 28 March 1916. 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.’
Morley was shore pensioned on 2 March 1923. 62 Three: Private W. H. Mitchell, H.M.S. Birkenhead, Royal Marine Light Infantry
1914-15 Star (Ch.10218, Pte. W. H. Mitchell, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Ch.10218 Pte. W. H. Mitchell. R.M.L.I.) very fine (3)
£70-£90
The light cruiser H.M.S. Birkenhead was launched on 18 January 1915 and was part of the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland.
Walter Harry Mitchell was born in Hereford on 30 July 1879 and joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry on 4 April 1898. He served during the Great War in H.M.S. Birkenhead from 26 August 1915 to 3 October 1917, and was demobilised on 2 August 1919. He died on 5 March 1962.
63 Seven: Petty Officer Cook A. Jones, H.M.S. Calliope, Royal Navy
1914-15 Star (M.10990, A. Jones, Ck. Mte., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (M.10990 A. Jones. Ck. Mte. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (M.10990 A. Jones. P.O. Ck. H.M.S. Royal Sovereign.) minor official correction to ship on last, generally nearly very fine and better (7)
£120-£160
The light cruiser H.M.S. Calliope was launched on 17 December 1914 and was part of the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she received a number of hits before nightfall, and ten of her crew were killed.
Arthur Jones was born at Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, on 9 July 1892 and joined the Royal Navy as a Probationary 2nd Cook’s Mate on 1 December 1914. He served during the Great War in H.M.S. Calliope from 13 November 1915 to the end of the War, and was advanced Cook’s Mate on 1 December 1915.
Under the direct command of Commodore Le Mesurier, the Calliope acted as the flagship of the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron at Jutland and was heavily engaged throughout the battle. But it was not until the evening that she started to take her first casualties, the result of a duel with two Kaiser class battleships. The Fighting at Jutland takes up the story: ‘ ... only our speed and zigzagging saved us from annihilation. As it was, we seemed to be in the middle of splashes, and the noise of the bursting shell and flying fragments was absolutely deafening. We were hit five times in all, three of which did serious damage to personnel. One shell, bursting against the breech of the port after 4-inch gun, smashed the fittings and gun shield and killed practically all the gun’s crew, the notable exception being the sight-setter, a Corporal of Marines, who had the gun between him and the burst and only suffered a slight scalp wound. The second hit on us burst near No. 3 4-inch gun under the bridge, disabled the gun, killing and wounding some of the crew, and fragments of this shell penetrated the deck of the lower bridge and wounded a signalman and a bugler. The third shell penetrated the upper deck, and burst in the boys’ mess deck, almost in the middle of the after dressing station, killing some and wounding many others, including the Staff Surgeon. For the last five minutes that we were under fire we were in sight of our own ships, although the two battle fleets were invisible to each other, and we were told afterwards that at times we were hidden in spray from the splashes. Altogether, we had 10 killed and 23 wounded, some seriously. We were ordered to take station on the port beam of the battle fleet for the night, and in the morning resumed our cruising station ahead during the search for disabled enemy ships. On reaching Scapa afterwards, we were ordered in first, instead of waiting for the battle fleet to enter, to land our wounded. Our dead we buried at sea the morning after the action, the Commodore leaving the bridge for a few minutes to read the burial service, the one time he was ever known to leave the bridge at sea.’
Jones was advanced Leading Cook on 1 February 1921, and joined H.M.S. Royal Sovereign on 17 April 1928.
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