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Auction: 24112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 664

A Great War O.B.E. group of five awarded to Engineer Rear-Admiral A. W. McKinlay, Royal Navy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 1st Type, Military Division, Officer's (O.B.E.) breast Badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1917; China 1900, no clasp (Asst. Engr. A. W. McKinlay, R.N., H.M.S. Goliath.); 1914-15 Star (Eng. Lt. Commr. A. W. Mc Kinley, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Eng. Commr. A. W. Mc Kinley. R.N.), good very fine (5)

O.B.E. London Gazette 11 June 1919, the original recommendation states:

'For valuable services as Engineer Officer of Destroyers, and in charge of repairs to machinery of Grand Fleet Destroyers.'

The original recommendation adds:

'Services rendered in the organisation of Port Edgar as a Repair Base for grand Fleet Flotillas - the skill with which repairs to machinery etc. of Destroyers have been carried out under this officers supervision from May '17 to date. Other services during war as follows.
August '14 to May '15 HMS Minstrel Nov '15 to Dec '16 HMS Lochenvar
Harwich Flotilla
Operations off Zeebrugge
Belgian Coast Present during bombardment of Lowestoft with Dover Patrol'

Alfred White McKinlay was born at Portsmouth on 20 July 1877, the son of Adam McKinlay, who founded the well known Portsmouth engineering firm of the same name. The younger McKinlay was educated at Oliver's School, Mile End before graduating to Keyham Naval Engineering College. Appointed Assistant Engineer on 23 June 1893 McKinlay joined Goliath on 27 March 1900 two months before she departed for China.

Arriving at Weihaiwei in June the ship served during the Boxer Rebellion, McKinley qualified as Engineer Lieutenant while in China but was not promoted until his return in July 1903. Joining Cornwall on 1 December 1904 he was present with her during the Second Cruiser Squadron's international tour visiting the United States. Continuing to serve McKinlay passed several engineering courses throughout the next five years, before being posted to H.M.S. Minstrel on 1 August 1910.

Promoted Engineer Lieutenant-Commander on 31 March 1911 McKinlay was to enter the Great War in that rank, still with Minstrel. This ship was attached to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla at the time and McKinlay would surely have been kept busy with her as the Flotilla reported a high number of steerage problems between 1914-15. He was posted away to the destroyer Lochinvar on 25 April 1915 with Harwich Force.

With this formation he saw action off Zeebrugge as part of the escort for the coastal bombardment monitors Erebus and Terror. McKinlay was noted to have been serving with the Dover Patrol in April 1916, being present for the Bombardment of Lowestoft on 24 April. Promoted Engineer Commander on 30 December he was posted to Port Edgar on 24 February 1917. McKinlay proceeded turn this into a destroyer base serving the Grand Fleet with a focus upon repair work. Interestingly while the base was initially named H.M.S. Columbine it was reopened during the Second World War with the name Lochinvar, McKinlay's old ship.

After the war he was posted to Caledon on 13 February 1920 and received the thanks of the admiralty:

'in connec. with collection of information on the occasion of the visit of Second Light Cruiser Sqdn to the Baltic'

Posted to Revenge on the Atlantic Station he was further advanced Engineer Captain on 31 December 1923. Later ordered to China, McKinlay found himself on the books of Hawkins as Port Engineer Officer. Returning to Britain in 1927 he was promoted Engineer Rear-Admiral on 26 January 1929 and posted to the Staff of the Commander in Chief at Devonport. He held this role until his retirement on 24 April 1933.

The 1939 census places McKinlay at a hotel in Bristol although he does not appear to have returned to serve during the Second World War. Instead, he accepted a role in the Ministry of Supply which he was forced to leave in 1943 due to ill health. He died at the Royal Naval Hospital Plymouth on 21 July 1959, McKinlay was survived by his wife Emma, daughter of Engineer Rear-Admiral North; sold together with copied census data, service papers and newspaper extracts.

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Sold for
£450

Starting price
£280