Beschreibung:

An extremely rare Second World War O.B.E. group of seven awarded to Captain H. H. Golding, Merchant Navy, one of a handful of recipients of the Southern Railway Company's M.S.M - for his gallant deeds as Master of the S.S. Isle of Sark in St. Peter Port, Guernsey in June 1940, when his ship came under attack while embarking evacuees The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer's 2nd type Breast Badge, silver-gilt, in its Royal Mint case of issue; British War Medal 1914-20 (Hervy H. Golding); Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-18 (Hervy H. Golding); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45; Southern Railway Company's Meritorious Service Medal, silver-gilt, the reverse officially engraved, 'H. H. Golding', in its fitted Royal Mint case of issue, the Great War awards lightly polished, otherwise generally good very fine and better (7) O.B.E. London Gazette 3 January 1945. Southern Railway Company's M.S.M.: 'Delayed the departure of the S.S. Isle of Sark from Guernsey, during intense bombardment of the Island on 28 June 1940, in order that as many passengers as possible might be embarked.' The Southern Railway Company's M.S.M. was instituted by the Company's directors soon after the outbreak of hostilities, 18 awards being presented at a ceremony held on 16 August 1940 and thereafter just six further awards. Hervy Hardinge Golding was born in Tongham, near Farnham, Surrey in October 1887, and 'sailed out of Greenock as an apprentice aboard the Samoena, a three-masted ship, and for four years survived the life, sailing and the dreaded Southern Ocean, learning the skills that would one day enable him to join that exclusive society of men - the Cape Horners' (The Evening Echo, Bournemouth, 22 June 1974 refers). Having passed his 2nd Mate's examination in London in November 1908 and his 1st Mate's examination in Hong Kong in November 1910, Golding was next employed in vessels of the British Steam Navigation Company and Seang Line, trading routes from Rangoon to China. In April 1914, he entered the service of the London & South Western Railway fleet as a 2nd Officer in the Bertha (afterwards merged with the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, and the South Eastern & Chatham Railway companies to form the Southern Railway Company). Actively employed in the Mercantile Marine in the Great War, he was employed on the Southampton-Le Havre run, latterly in the Normannia and Hantonnia. He stayed in the Company's employ for the remainder of his career, his otherwise peaceful voyages to France and the Channel Islands coming to an abrupt end on the renewal of hostilities. The Evacuation of Guernsey - June 1940 On the renewal of hostilities, Golding was in command of the Isle of Jersey, shortly to be refitted as a hospital carrier, but in early 1940 he was given command of the Isle of Sark, which appointment led to his part in the evacuation of the Channel Islands. The ship's matter-of-fact official log entry for 28 June 1940 states: '6.55 p.m., St. Peter Port, Guernsey: At time and place stated, while passengers were beginning to embark, enemy planes appeared and commenced a bombing and machine-gun action on harbour and shipping. A wireless transmission message was transmitted and acknowledged. The attack was maintained for an hour, during which no damage was done to the ship. Vessel sailed for Southampton at 10.15 p.m. according to schedule.' A more extensive account of events that evening at St. Peter Port was later published in the Great Western Railway Magazine: 'On 28 June 1940 enemy bombers attacked in earnest. About 7 o'clock in the evening a number came over, flying at about 3,000 feet. Diving lower, they then machine-gunned the jetty and its vicinity, and bombed the harbour very intensely. As it was low tide, the area under the jetty provided reasonably good shelter for those who were able to get there, but casualties were nevertheless considerable. Three of the Company's staff