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Auction: 12002 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 105

Eight: Yeoman of the Signals J.G. McCabe, Royal Navy, Killed in Action Whilst Serving in H.M.S. Fiji Off Crete, 23.5.1941 1914-15 Star (J.10616 J.G. McCabe Sig. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.10616 J.G. McCabe Sig. R.N.); 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal; Naval Long Service & G.C., G.V.R., 1st ´Admiral´s bust´ type (J.10616 J.G. McCabe. Sig. H.M.S. Curacoa), nearly extremely fine (8) Estimate £ 200-300 J.10616 Yeoman of the Signals James Graham McCabe was killed in action when H.M.S. Fiji was sunk by German aircraft off Crete, 23.5.1941; on the latter date she participated in the battle of Crete - working inconjunction with H.M.S. Kandahar and Kingston, the Fiji closed towards the stricken Gloucester, in an effort to pick up survivors after she had been hit, ´and dropped all her floats and boats. She could do no more. The Fiji had practically no ammunition left, the Kingston and Kandahar were not much better off, and their oil fuel was running low. With heavy hearts the little force withdrew to the southward, and the Glouceter´s crew, most of whom were then in the water awaiting machine-gunning, cheered them as they went. For three hours after that, air attacks on the Fiji and her attendant destroyers never ceased. For three hours they wove their paths through near-misses and far-misses, through deluges of water and flying splinters, as if sustained by some enchantment. The Fiji had only pom-pom and machine gun ammunition left. At 7pm when the sky was overcast with low-lying cloud, a bomb struck her, flooding one boiler room and putting the compasses out of action. She listed slowly to port and for a while struggled on at a reduced speed, but at last she lay stopped: the only remaining effective pom-pom continued firing while she waited for the inevitable end. Her company were not kept long in suspense. Another bomb crashed into her, bringing down the mast and tearing open the deck from end to end. Captain P.B.R.W. William-Powlett, R.N., gave the order to abandon ship and the men who had fought so good a fight obeyed calmly and cheerfully´ (The Mediterranean Fleet, refers); McCabe is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Provenance: Spink, April 1993

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