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Auction: 25113 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 571

A Superb 'Operation Harpoon, Malta Convoys 1942' D.S.M. awarded to Ordinary Seaman T. R. Griffin, Merchant Marine, who was serving as gunner with the steamship S.S. Burdwan during the Battle of Pantelleria on 15 June when she was disabled and sunk by air attack

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (JX.301717 T. R. Griffin. O.Smn.), the last three digits of the service number officially corrected; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, heavy contact wear and marks overall, edge bruising, nearly very fine (4)

D.S.M. London Gazette 20 October 1942, the original citation states:

'For Distinguished Services during the passage to Malta of an important convoy.'

The recommendation, apparently the recipient's own account, states:

'On the 14th June at about 0900 attack commenced with a high level bombing raid, together with a torpedo bomber plane attack. We shot down one of these planes, practically all the ships guns were bearing on it. Aircraft attack was fairly continuous throughout that day, and one aircraft seemed to be hit by us, as smoke was seen coming from it; it was not seen to crash. I was wounded by splinters from machine gun bullets, in the early afternoon, and was taken to the sick bay for attention. Another crew was made up for the gun and I then spent the remainder of the time assisting in feeding the men and getting ammunition ready for the guns. At dusk a dive bomber war hit and crashed. The following day units of the Italian Fleet attacked, coupled with aircraft, and in the late morning about six dive bombers made a concentrated attack on the ship, which was then steaming at about seven knots. Very near misses disabled her, and the blast threw me over, damaging my left hand. When I recovered I was told to abandon the ship and left in No. 5 lifeboat.'

Thomas Richard Griffin was serving with the merchantman Burdwan during Operation Harpoon, an attempt to resupply Malta in June 1942. Leaving Gibraltar on 13 June they were spotted by Italian Agents in the port of Algecrias and almost immediately came under attack as a result. The first air attack, which was launched from Sardinian the day after the convoy left managed to damage the cruiser Liverpool so severely that she was forced to turn back and sank on of the freighters.

Meanwhile an Italian Squadron was assembling under Admiral Alberto Da Zara, preparing to pounce upon the convoy as they passed through the Sicilian channel. They attacked just off the island of Pantelleria early on 15 June, commencing the Battle of Pantelleria.

Two destroyers were ordered to go after the freighters whilst the rest of the Squadron were to engage the escort. The British meanwhile saw their enemy coming and began to lay down a smoke screen to protect the convoy. Despite the smokescreen the Italian ships managed to land hits on the cruiser Cairo and two destroyers, crippling H.M.S. Bedouin which was finished off by the ever present Axis air attacks. The British in turn managed to cripple the destroyer Vivaldi, slowing the Italian efforts to attack the freighters.

Despite this the enemy air attacks did manage to sink damage freighters including Burdwan, Griffin was fortunate to escape the action alive, despite having been twice wounded. The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys outlines her fate after the battle stating:

'Gunfire destroyed one of the German, and one or two were shot down afterwards by the relieving Spitfires, which arrived during the attack; but the Burdwan was disabled. There was still 150 miles to go, with the likelihood of further attacks from the air and with the Italian ships not far away, so Captain Hardy resolved to sacrifice the damaged Kentucky and Burdwan as the best way to save the rest of the convoy, whose speed would be otherwise reduced to about 6 knots; he ordered the Hebe and Budsworth to sink the cripples, which enabled the two good ships remaining to go on at their best speed.'

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Estimate

Starting price
£700