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Auction archive: Lot number 1442

An emotive submariner’s group of eight

Estimate
£1,000 - £1,200
ca. US$1,662 - US$1,994
Price realised:
£3,200
ca. US$5,318
Auction archive: Lot number 1442

An emotive submariner’s group of eight

Estimate
£1,000 - £1,200
ca. US$1,662 - US$1,994
Price realised:
£3,200
ca. US$5,318
Beschreibung:

An emotive submariner’s group of eight awarded to Petty Officer Telegraphist F. G. Woods, Royal Navy, who was mentioned in despatches for services in H.M. Submarine P. 34 of Malta’s famous “Fighting Tenth” Flotilla, and who died in H.M. Submarine Affray when she was lost with all hands in April 1951 Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-39 (JX. 136971 F. G. Woods, Tel., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (JX. 136971 F. G. Woods, P.O. Tel., H.M.S. Sea Eagle), mounted as worn, minor official correction to the recipient’s number on the last, generally good very fine (8) £1000-1200 Footnote Frederick George Woods who was born in June 1916, entered the Royal Navy in June 1934. Having joined the submarine branch in February 1938, he was serving as a Telegraphist in H.M. Submarine Otus on the outbreak of hostilities but, in June 1941, he transferred to the P. 34 (afterwards Ultimatum), then being commissioned at Barrow. “P. 34” and the “Fighting Tenth” In October the P. 34 arrived at Malta, joining the famous “Fighting Tenth” Flotilla, with whom she would serve with distinction over the coming year, under the command of Lieutenant P. R. H. Harrison, R.N., who would win a D.S.O. and a Bar to his D.S.C. during the period in question. For his own part, Woods was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 29 December 1942 refers). P. 34’s first encounter, following uneventful patrols off Lampedusa, Cephalonia and Calabria, was a torpedo strike against a merchantman on 5 December, although it appears to no avail. But the new year brought fresh opportunities and on 26 January 1942, during a patrol off the Straits of Messina, she torpedoed and sank the Italian Dalmatia - luckily her destroyer escort mounted an ineffective counter-attack, and Harrison slipped away as two enemy flying-boats arrived on the scene. Again on patrol, off the south Calabrian coast, on 14 March, the P. 34 sighted the conning tower of an Italian submarine, the Ammiraglio Millo, and Harrison quickly attacked with four torpedoes, two of which found their mark, one forward and the other amidships. Harrison later wrote in his patrol report: ‘After the attack, the P. 34 surfaced and closed the position and those on board Millo who managed to escape - there had been many on her bridge when hit - were rescued from the sea: fourteen survivors were picked up. Rescue operations were in full view of the shore and took some time as P. 34 had to be manoeuvred alongside each survivor in the water; whilst this was going on we believed that ineffectual fire from the beach was being directed against the submarine, and she was no doubt reported. In due course, the expected flying-boat arrived over the area but not, again fortunately, until after rescue operations had been completed and the submarine submerged. In view of the numbers of survivors on board a small submarine, P. 34 returned to Malta and landed them the next day. She then resumed her patrol.’ Harrison was awarded an immediate D.S.O., while for like services in P. 34’s eight war patrols since arriving at Malta in October 1941, other crew members received a D.S.C., six D.S.Ms and four ‘mentions’. Woods turn was to follow shortly, but in the meantime, damaged by a mine whilst submerged off the tip of Italy in a another patrol in April, the P. 34 put in for repairs back at Malta and later at Alexandria. The recommendation for the Bar to Harrison’s D.S.C. takes up the story of her next major engagement: ‘On 24 June 1942, P. 34 was returning to Alexandria from a convoy operation in the Ionian Sea and at 0735 was submerged some 30 miles south of the western point of Crete, when hydrophone effect was heard. Five minutes later a U-Boat was sighted to the north-eastward on a southerly course, and though at great range was identified as German. During the ensuing 20 minutes of attack the enemy altered c

Auction archive: Lot number 1442
Auction:
Datum:
25 Mar 2014 - 26 Mar 2014
Auction house:
Dix Noonan Webb
16 Bolton St, Mayfair
London, W1J 8BQ
United Kingdom
auctions@dnw.co.uk
+44 (0)20 7016 1700
+44 (0)20 7016 1799
Beschreibung:

An emotive submariner’s group of eight awarded to Petty Officer Telegraphist F. G. Woods, Royal Navy, who was mentioned in despatches for services in H.M. Submarine P. 34 of Malta’s famous “Fighting Tenth” Flotilla, and who died in H.M. Submarine Affray when she was lost with all hands in April 1951 Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-39 (JX. 136971 F. G. Woods, Tel., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (JX. 136971 F. G. Woods, P.O. Tel., H.M.S. Sea Eagle), mounted as worn, minor official correction to the recipient’s number on the last, generally good very fine (8) £1000-1200 Footnote Frederick George Woods who was born in June 1916, entered the Royal Navy in June 1934. Having joined the submarine branch in February 1938, he was serving as a Telegraphist in H.M. Submarine Otus on the outbreak of hostilities but, in June 1941, he transferred to the P. 34 (afterwards Ultimatum), then being commissioned at Barrow. “P. 34” and the “Fighting Tenth” In October the P. 34 arrived at Malta, joining the famous “Fighting Tenth” Flotilla, with whom she would serve with distinction over the coming year, under the command of Lieutenant P. R. H. Harrison, R.N., who would win a D.S.O. and a Bar to his D.S.C. during the period in question. For his own part, Woods was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 29 December 1942 refers). P. 34’s first encounter, following uneventful patrols off Lampedusa, Cephalonia and Calabria, was a torpedo strike against a merchantman on 5 December, although it appears to no avail. But the new year brought fresh opportunities and on 26 January 1942, during a patrol off the Straits of Messina, she torpedoed and sank the Italian Dalmatia - luckily her destroyer escort mounted an ineffective counter-attack, and Harrison slipped away as two enemy flying-boats arrived on the scene. Again on patrol, off the south Calabrian coast, on 14 March, the P. 34 sighted the conning tower of an Italian submarine, the Ammiraglio Millo, and Harrison quickly attacked with four torpedoes, two of which found their mark, one forward and the other amidships. Harrison later wrote in his patrol report: ‘After the attack, the P. 34 surfaced and closed the position and those on board Millo who managed to escape - there had been many on her bridge when hit - were rescued from the sea: fourteen survivors were picked up. Rescue operations were in full view of the shore and took some time as P. 34 had to be manoeuvred alongside each survivor in the water; whilst this was going on we believed that ineffectual fire from the beach was being directed against the submarine, and she was no doubt reported. In due course, the expected flying-boat arrived over the area but not, again fortunately, until after rescue operations had been completed and the submarine submerged. In view of the numbers of survivors on board a small submarine, P. 34 returned to Malta and landed them the next day. She then resumed her patrol.’ Harrison was awarded an immediate D.S.O., while for like services in P. 34’s eight war patrols since arriving at Malta in October 1941, other crew members received a D.S.C., six D.S.Ms and four ‘mentions’. Woods turn was to follow shortly, but in the meantime, damaged by a mine whilst submerged off the tip of Italy in a another patrol in April, the P. 34 put in for repairs back at Malta and later at Alexandria. The recommendation for the Bar to Harrison’s D.S.C. takes up the story of her next major engagement: ‘On 24 June 1942, P. 34 was returning to Alexandria from a convoy operation in the Ionian Sea and at 0735 was submerged some 30 miles south of the western point of Crete, when hydrophone effect was heard. Five minutes later a U-Boat was sighted to the north-eastward on a southerly course, and though at great range was identified as German. During the ensuing 20 minutes of attack the enemy altered c

Auction archive: Lot number 1442
Auction:
Datum:
25 Mar 2014 - 26 Mar 2014
Auction house:
Dix Noonan Webb
16 Bolton St, Mayfair
London, W1J 8BQ
United Kingdom
auctions@dnw.co.uk
+44 (0)20 7016 1700
+44 (0)20 7016 1799
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