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Auction: 25003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 182

'Two muffled depth-charges were heard shortly after the first two explosions, but the hit on the destroyer seemed to have demoralised the screen, as no further attempt at a counter-attack was made. I was able to watch the whole affair quite happily from a range of two miles or so, and Petty Officer E. R. Evans, the T.G.M., was able to have a look at his victim burning furiously.'

(Edward Young Commander of the submarine Storm relates the destruction of a Japanese destroyer by Petty Officer Evans in his wartime autobiography One of our Submarines, refers)

A Far-East Submariners D.S.M. group of seven awarded to Petty Officer E. R. Evans, Royal Navy who served with H.M.S. Storm in the Far East


Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (P.O. E. R. Evans. P/JX.131965); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Naval L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R. (JX.131965 E. R. Evans. P.O. H.M.S. Storm), good very fine (7)

D.S.M. London Gazette 8 September 1944, the original recommendation states:

'This rating has shown outstanding zeal and efficiency in charge of the torpedo armament of H.M.S. "Storm" in successful attacks. He is largely responsible for the satisfactory results achieved by torpedoes fired.'

Edward Robert Evans served as the Torpedo Gunner's Mate with H.M.S. Storm during here immensely successful tour of the East starting in January 1944 in Ceylon. The Award recommendations document for her cruise state the following of their success:

'During the course of her war patrols in Far Eastern waters H.M.S. Storm is known to have sunk a Japanese destroyer and two supply ships by Torpedo. She also sank a 500 ton ship by gunfire and took part in a special Operation. Outstanding skill, judgement and courage were shown by her commanding officer, Lieutenant-Commander Young, D.S.C., who is the first R.N.V.R. Officer to have commanded a submarine on operational patrols'.

Notably as is made clear in the quote above Evans was responsible for sinking a Japanese destroyer. Young goes into further detail:

'0837. Fired two torpedoes. Range on firing 5,000 yards. Three and a half minutes later there were two sharp explosions. The periscope was dipped at the time of the bangs, but a moment later this is what I saw;
Target turning hard-a-port just past the line of fire, half hidden by a veil of thin smoke; the destroyer, this side of the target, also just past the line of fire with a column of what looked like spray or white smoke astern of him. I thought at first that this must have been the aftermath of a shallow depth charge, until I looked at him again two minutes later and saw black smoke and orange flame pouring out of his stern. He was obviously hit.'

Sold together with copied research and an extract from One of our Submarines including several photographs of the submarine and one of the recipients.

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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,400

Starting price
£800