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Auction: 8010 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 140

Four: Petty Officer First Class J.V Horn, Royal Navy 1914-15 Star (184345 J.V. Horn. P.O.1.R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (184345 J.V. Horn. Act. C.P.O. R.N.); Royal Naval Long Service & G.C., G.V.R. (184345 J.V. Horn, P.O.1 CL. H.M.S. Vanguard), generally very fine or better Seven: Petty Officer H.A. Sampson, Royal Navy 1914-15 Star (J.27270 H.A. Sampson, Boy. 1. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.27270 H.A. Sampson, A.B., R.N.); 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Italy Star; War Medal, the first three worn therefore fine, otherwise good very fine, mounted for wear, with a Royal Ancient Order of Buffalos Medal, engraved ´Bro H.A. Sampson Unity Lodge No2073´; and the following original documentation: - Parchment Certificate of Service - Enclosure slip for Second War Campaign Awards - Named letter of appreciation from the Admiralty to the recipient on his release from service - Telegram informing recipient of his mobilisation, dated 26.8.1939; Trade Certificate and Certificate of Education Pair: Mr. W.H. Waring British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (William H. Waring), good very fine (13) Estimate £ 120-160 Petty Officer Herbert Alfred Sampson, Royal Navy, born Aldershot, Hampshire, 1898; joined Royal Navy 1913; service during the Great War included in H.M.S. Britannia, 22.7.1915 - November 1918, ´´Great Horwood people are very pleased to see Herbert A. Sampson, A.B., home again after his long absence at sea. He is a tall young man of 20 and has had some most interesting experiences having been in the Navy since 1913. During the last two years he has travelled 87,000 miles on H.M.S. Britannia, visiting Gibraltar, Malta, Sierra Leone, Cape Town, Bermudas and American ports, sometimes carrying gold and at other times convoying troopships. During the recent influenza epidemic 28 of the vessel´´s men died at Sierra Leone and as the negroes had yellow fever the sailors had to dig the graves. H.M.S. Britannia reached Gibraltar on November 8th having convoyed eight ships which she then gave over to the American cruiser Chester. Wireless messages told her that no submarines had been seen near. At 7.15am on the 9th November there was a loud report followed by terrific explosion of one of the magazines. Every man rushed to his post, water-tight doors were closed and the magazines flooded. The stern began to sink slowly and soon the vessel was sloping at an angle of 45 degrees. H.M.S. Defender came to assist, and for one and a half hours kept steaming around. There was imminent danger of the magazines blowing up, but the sailors showed the greatest calmness and got cutters, ropes and rafts ready. They had just come from the Equator, so that with scarcely any clothes on, they felt chilled to the bones as they stood at their posts. Then the Defender came alongside and her gallant captain was gassed by the fumes from the sinking ship. Britannia´´s sick and wounded were lowered first and others climbed down ropes on to rafts and to the rescuing vessel. Forty were killed outright by the explosion and about forty more died subsequently. H.M.S. Defender kept by till Britannia sank, stern first, turning a complete somersault, her funnels dropping out´´ (Newspaper article included in the lot refers); re-engaged 1930 to complete time for pension, recalled for service 1939, discharged Class "A" 28.9.1945.

Sold for
£220