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Auction: 25003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 177

The well-documented Coastal Forces Alexandria Special Flotilla Aegean 1945 Motor Launch Commanders D.S.C. group of five awarded to Lieutenant R. 'Schultz' Hylton, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

A veteran of Operation Jubilee - the Dieppe Raid - he then served as Skipper of ML-307, being tasked with 'behind the lines' drops of cargo of the Special Forces nature - namely inserting the men of the Long Range Desert Group and the Special Boat Service onto the occupied Aegean islands at night; they would lay up under camouflage netting by day before taking off the operators

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated '1945'; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted court-style as worn, good very fine (5)

D.S.C. London Gazette 14 August 1945.

Richard Hylton, known as Dick or Schultz to his comrades, was born at Leeds, Yorkshire in January 1919, the youngest of six children, his father being a local builder and entrepreneur, who died when Richard was just six months old, leaving the family with a small but successful chain of cinemas. Educated at Bridlington Boys School he later joined his brother in his accountancy practice, Armistead and Hylton, becoming an articulated clerk to the practice in Leeds. Hylton also played rugby for Roundhay until a severe leg break in March 1939.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, Hylton joined the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman (No.P/JX20171), and after training saw service aboard a destroyer on Atlantic convoy duties, and then as an Able Seaman on a minelayer based in Scotland. Hylton was then put forward for a commission, and on 29 May 1942 joined King Alfred as a Temporary Sub Lieutenant with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, having passed into the commissioning course with a score of 790 out of 1000 in the examination, being then confirmed in the rank of Sub Lieutenant.

His first active Coastal Forces appointment was to ML-291, which had been commissioned in September 1941. Apart for conducting escort duty in the Channel, she also took part in the assault at Dieppe.

Operation Jubilee

ML-291 was commanded by Lieutenant J. B. C. Lumsden D.S.C. and played an active role in the disastrous Dieppe raid on 19 August 1942. Having steered through a mine field to successfully extract soldiers from Green Beach, extracts from her Log Book suggest that they opened fire on an enemy trawler and later picked up survivors and enemy airmen, transferring them to Berkeley & Albrighton, before searching for further aircrew. The Naval Force Commander ordered Goulding to take a Motor Launch for support and to attempt an evacuation. The Lieutenant-Commander duly boarded ML-291 at 1100hrs and as none of his own landing craft were in the vicinity he collected some L.C.A. and one L.C.S. and proceeded towards the beach. Lieutenant-Commander McMullen was sent to assist him. Very heavy fire was opened as the craft approached and they were forced to retire.

Aegean adventures

Hylton was next despatched to Alexandria, Egypt in January 1944 with an appointment to join Mosquito, the Coastal Forces base there, and there commissioned and assumed command of ML-307, which joined the Special Flotilla, Alexandria and tasked mainly with ferrying the men of the Long Range Desert Group and the Special Boat Service onto the occupied Aegean islands at night. They would then extract them, having a nail-biting time hidden during the day in bays of the nearby islands under camouflage netting. Original photographs of the boat on operations during this period, as taken by Hylton, accompany the Lot.

Promoted to Temporary Lieutenant on 20 January 1944 still in command of ML-307 but under its new number of ML-1307, the original boat number being allotted to another vessel now serving in the waters of western Europe, and as such continued-on operations from Mosquito in the clearance of the Aegean and the relief of Greece.
On 9 August 1944 he was detailed together with ML-1252 to perform Operation R10 in the Western Cyclades, the objective being to strike enemy caique shipping in the Western Cyclades on the Piraues to eastern Crete run, and also to carry out reaches of Milos, Siphnos and Seriphos, as well as gaining information on Keos, Thermia and the Cyclades in general. ML-1307 was also tasked with embarking one Captain France and five commandos to reinforce the troops already on Siphnos and Seriphos, and some additional troops to act as caique guards in case one of these vessels was captured.

Amongst the other tasks which Hylton found himself involved with, was when he accepted the surrender of the Greek Island of Kalymnos, which was held by a German garrison and a photograph of this occasion, later published in the Harrogate Advertiser in February 2013 shows the bearded Hylton, dressed in Royal Navy white uniform, together with the local Greek mayor of the island and the decorated German commander negotiating the terms of the surrender in May 1945. He took his richly-deserved D.S.C..

With the War in Europe over, Hylton was briefly appointed for service in the Far East against the Japanese, but the war ended before he had a chance to join the forces out there, and instead he was appointed Resident Naval Officer to Salonika before being released from service on 11 March 1946.

Returned to Armistead, he qualified as a chartered accountant. He was also a first-class sailor and returned many times to the Greek Islands, sailing yachts with his family. A skilled cricketer, he was President for many years of Romany C.C and died in 'God's Own County' in 2012.

Sold together with the following archive of original material comprising:

i)
Buckingham Palace Forwarding Letter for the Distinguished Service Cross, named to: 'Lieutenant R. Hylton, D.S.C., R.N.V.(S).R.'

ii) Admiralty Letter notifying him of the award of the Distinguished Service Cross, dated 22nd August 1945.

iii)
Telegram from his parents on Greek Cable and Wireless headed paper congratulating him on his award, dated 19th August 1945.

iv)
Appointment Form for Hylton to join H.M.S King Alfred for officer training, dated 29 May 1942.

v)
Passing Out Examination Certificate for H.M.S King Alfred, dated 29 May 1942.

vi)
Confidential Report for Hylton for his service aboard H.M.S Hornet, dated 30 September 1943.

vii)
Admiralty Confidential Notice ordering him to take up his appointment with H.M.S Mosquito in the Eastern Mediterranean, dated 5 January 1944.

viii)
Correspondence concerning his promotion to Temporary Lieutenant, dated 11 July 1944.

ix)
Top Secret Operational Orders for ML-1307 and ML-1252 to take part in Operation R10 in the Western Cyclades, dated 9 August 1944.

x)
Ministry of War Transport Movement Letter dated 15 February 1945.

xi)
Appointment notice for him to assume command of ML-360.

xii)
Hand drawn sketch map of Phalgonera and Kleftavlako.

xiii)
Some handwritten notes concerning ML-1307.

xiv)
Typed version of a message he wrote for the crew of his ship on the occasion of the Japanese surrender.

xv)
Order of Release from Naval Service (Officers) Form, dated 11 March 1946.

xvi)
12 x wartime snapshot photographs taken on the occasion that he was involved in the liberation of the Greek island of Kalimnos.

xvii)
30 x wartime snapshot photographs taken whilst on operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, including images of ML-360.

xviii)
An unusual handmade carved plaque for ML-1307 adorned with a horse shoe and the engraved silver plaque: 'Good Luck Good Hunting Happy Landings'.

xix)
Reunion photograph showing Hylton and one other DSC recipient taken in 1996.

xx)
Typed version of the Coastal Forces song.

xxi)
Letter concerning the Reunion of the 23rd Motor Launch Flotilla 'Convoy Starlight' dated 20 October 1974.

For his miniature dress medals, please see Lot 326.




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Estimate
£2,400 to £2,800

Starting price
£2200