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Auction: 25111 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 676

The Great War D.S.C. group of four awarded to Skipper J. Mair, Royal Naval Reserve, whose vessel was one of seven sunk by the enemy whilst patrolling the Dover Strait on 15 February 1918

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., silver with hallmarks for London 1917; 1914-15 Star (1323 W.S.A, J. Mair, Skr., R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals (W.S.A. 1323 J. Mair Skr. R.N.R.), light contact marks and some pitting, Victory medal polished, otherwise very fine (4)

D.S.C. London Gazette 15 March 1918, the original citation states:

'Displayed great coolness and presence of mind when his ship was sunk with the loss of seven hands and he himself was injured.'

John Mair was born on 16 October 1883 at Portknockie in Banff, Scotland. He joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 30 March 1915 and commenced his service aboard H.M.S. Helena, with whom he was later rated Skipper. She was a drifter built in 1906 that was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1915 after the outbreak of the Great War and served near Banff for the duration of the conflict.

Mair served with her for a few years before joining H.M. Trawler W. Elliot, likely in early 1918, as Skipper. She was engaged in the Dover Patrol in the Strait of Dover, and was later sunk during an action with the enemy on the night of 14-15 February 1918. A number of U-boats had been sunk in the Channel due to the combined efforts of mines and a squadron of Royal Navy trawlers and drifters on patrol. The German Imperial Navy in response sent a flotilla of destroyers to the Channel to attack the Royal Navy ships. The large, well-equipped enemy destroyers launched an attack on the Dover Patrol, with the help of U-boats, early in the morning on 15 February. After a period of intense fire the Germans had sunk a total of nine Royal Navy vessels, amounting to seven drifters, a trawler, and a minesweeper. The enemy escaped to the North before they were able to be engaged by British forces. One of the Navy vessels that was lost that night was W. Elliot under the command of Mair. Seven members of the crew were killed during the action, and Mair himself was wounded before escaping the sinking vessel.

After the conflict in which his ship was lost, Mair appears to have joined Adventure-Class scout cruiser H.M.S. Attentive III, who during the war was also involved in the Dover Patrol. After just a couple months of service he was invalided in to H.M.S. Pembroke, the shore base at Chatham, for hospital. It is unclear if this was a new injury or due to complications with the wound sustained in the action of February 1918. He was subsequently discharged five days later on 30 May 1918 as a result of his being invalided. His address given upon discharge was 12 Victoria Street, Portknockie.

Mair survived his wound and later received an award of over £56 in naval prize money in December 1922, with a further supplementary award of over £7 in September 1923. He is further entitled to a silver war badge; sold together with copied research.

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Sold for
£1,300

Starting price
£700