Beschreibung:

A Great War M.B.E. group of six awarded to Telegraphist Lieutenant-Commander W. S. Bloodworth, a Jutland veteran who served in Naval Intelligence for much of the 1939-45 War The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) Member’s 1st type breast badge, silver, hallmarks for London 1919; 1914-15 Star (Wt. Tel. W. S. Bloodworth, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Wt. Tel. W. S. Bloodworth, R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45, good very fine (6) £350-400 Footnote M.B.E. London Gazette 17 July 1919: ‘For valuable services in the Flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron.’ William Snow Bloodworth was one of the first members of the Royal Navy’s Telegraphist Branch, being appointed a Warrant Telegraphist in March 1912. He served in that rate aboard H.M.S. Marlborough from August 1914 until February 1917 and was present at Jutland. The flagship of Vice-Admiral Burney Commanding the First Battle Squadron, Marlborough was the only ship of the Grand Fleet to be hit by torpedo in the battle, a remarkable point that was not lost on Admiral Jellicoe in his despatch: ‘One of the features of the action was the large number of torpedoes that crossed our line without taking effect on any ship except Marlborough. Sir Cecil Burney estimates that at least twenty-one torpedoes were seen to cross the line of his squadron. All were avoided by skilful handling, except that single one, and it is notable that the Marlborough herself evaded seven. Similarly the Fifth Battle Squadron, in rear of the First Battle Squadron, avoided a considerable number and the other squadrons had similar experiences.’ The following narrative of events were noted by an officer from the fore-top of H.M.S. Marlborough: ‘At 6.54 we were hit by a torpedo. We thought at the time it might have been a mine, for we saw no track of a torpedo whatsoever, but we know now for certain that it was a torpedo as bits of one were found later in the ship. It hit on the starboard side, and aloft the top swayed a lot and finally took up a list to starboard, so that I imagined one strut of the tripod mast had been shot away; but looking over the side of the top I saw that it was the whole ship that had taken a list to starboard. The shock caused some of the switches on the electrical switchboard to jump, and one of the gunnery control instruments got out of step; also some fuses of the telephone circuits went, but they were very quickly, replaced. A few minutes after we were hit we passed a destroyer, the Acasta, close on our port hand, flying 6 flag - “Am in danger of sinking” - and the “Not under control” signal; she had a collision mat stretched out over her starboard quarter. I was afraid for a moment that we were going to collide with her, as we passed so close to her that from aloft she was almost hidden by our ram, and we seemed to be practically on top of her. But she came by all clear, and her men cheered as we passed. At about 7 o'clock, when we were just getting “square” again after the torpedo explosion, three tracks of torpedoes were seen approaching on the starboard side, all three apparently going to cross our track. The bridge were informed, and the ship was turned to port to avoid them, so that two passed ahead and one astern of us. Five or ten minutes before this some German destroyers had appeared on our starboard bow, so presumably these torpedoes, as well as the one that had hit us, came from them. Directly after we had dodged these three torpedoes a four-funneled cruiser of apparently the Roon class came into sight on our starboard beam, range 9,800 yards, bearing exactly on the beam, Green 90. She was stopped and already badly damaged, but we opened fire on her and fired four salvoes. The third and fourth salvoes hit her, opened up her sides, and revealed a deep red flame inside her hull. This was at 7.3, and two minutes later we ceased fire, as she appeared to be completely disabled and was sinking fast. We now sighted three battleships, and at 7.6 sh