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Auction archive: Lot number 1522

Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from

Estimate
£3,000 - £3,500
ca. US$4,844 - US$5,652
Price realised:
£9,500
ca. US$15,341
Auction archive: Lot number 1522

Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from

Estimate
£3,000 - £3,500
ca. US$4,844 - US$5,652
Price realised:
£9,500
ca. US$15,341
Beschreibung:

Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte A rare Great War Baltic operations D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Commander (E.) T. W. Collis, Royal Navy, who was decorated for gallant services in the submarine E. 9 Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (272395 T. W. Collis, E.R.A. 2 Cl., H.M. Sub. E 9); 1914-15 Star (272395 T. W. Collis, E.R.A. 2, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Art. Eng. T. W. Collis, R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Russia, St. George’s Cross for Bravery, 3rd Class, the reverse officially numbered ‘72121’; Russia, St. George’s Medal for Bravery, 4th Class, the reverse officially numbered, ‘269690’, mounted as worn, good very fine (8) £3000-3500 Footnote D.S.M. London Gazette 19 November 1915. Thomas William Collis was born in Limehouse, London, in April 1882 and entered the Royal Navy as an Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class. Transferring to the fledgling submarine service in September 1912, he was serving as an E.R.A. 2nd Class borne on the books of the depot ship Maidstone at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, but in all probability already as a member of E. 9’s crew - if so, he was present in her, under Max Horton, at the destruction of the German light cruiser Hela in the Heligoland Bight on 23 September, when a brace of well-delivered torpedoes sent the enemy ship to the bottom in 15 minutes. Moreover, three weeks later, the E. 9 accounted for the German destroyer S. 116 off the mouth of the Ems, fine work that won Horton the D.S.O. Still under Horton’s command, the E. 9 was ordered to the Baltic in mid-October 1914, and in common with other submarines called upon to make the same journey, she was pursued over many hours by enemy destroyers, but she got through and joined the Russian naval forces at Lapvik, where she came under the overall command of Admiral von Essen, the Russian naval C.-in-C. And the latter was quickly impressed by Horton’s determination to get to grips with the enemy, however icy and perilous the conditions: thus, in January 1915, a masterful attack from 600 yards against a German destroyer, when E. 9 was shaken by the resultant explosion and the former went down in three minutes. And E. 9’s successes continued apace. We Dive at Dawn takes up the story: ‘On 5 May 1915, both E. 1 and E. 9 left their base for a real offensive operation against the Germans, who were known to have been concentrating a naval force at Danzig. E. 9 was to operate to the south of the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, whilst E. 1 went farther south to the neighbourhood of Bornholm. Five days later, after the Germans had captured Libau, E. 9 moved south to work on the line of communication between Danzig and Libau. Almost immediately E. 9 fell in with the enemy. She sighted a convoy of three large transports, escorted by three cruisers. Both the convoy and the escorting cruisers were strongly screened by destroyers. Horton attacked at once. He dived under the destroyer screen on the port bow of the cruisers and fired both his bow torpedoes at one of the cruisers. Both torpedoes ran deep and missed. By this time E. 9 was right in the middle of the enemy ships. With the helm hard over, Horton brought his port-beam tube to bear on the leading transport and fired. The range was only 200 yards, and again the torpedo passed under its target. Still turning at high speed, and by this time under heavy fire from the warships, Horton fired his stern torpedo at the second transport. At last a hit! A column of water and smoke shot up just before the funnel. But she did not sink at once, and Horton was in no mind to leave her to be towed to safety. From the moment he had fired his bow torpedoes his crew had been straining to reload. The tube was reloaded and ready. Horton turned E. 9 and, in spite of the storm of shells falling round his periscope making it very difficult to see, fired the bow tube at the crippled transport. That finished her. E. 9 dived deep and set

Auction archive: Lot number 1522
Auction:
Datum:
12 Dec 2012 - 13 Dec 2012
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:

Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte A rare Great War Baltic operations D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Lieutenant-Commander (E.) T. W. Collis, Royal Navy, who was decorated for gallant services in the submarine E. 9 Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (272395 T. W. Collis, E.R.A. 2 Cl., H.M. Sub. E 9); 1914-15 Star (272395 T. W. Collis, E.R.A. 2, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Art. Eng. T. W. Collis, R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Russia, St. George’s Cross for Bravery, 3rd Class, the reverse officially numbered ‘72121’; Russia, St. George’s Medal for Bravery, 4th Class, the reverse officially numbered, ‘269690’, mounted as worn, good very fine (8) £3000-3500 Footnote D.S.M. London Gazette 19 November 1915. Thomas William Collis was born in Limehouse, London, in April 1882 and entered the Royal Navy as an Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class. Transferring to the fledgling submarine service in September 1912, he was serving as an E.R.A. 2nd Class borne on the books of the depot ship Maidstone at the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, but in all probability already as a member of E. 9’s crew - if so, he was present in her, under Max Horton, at the destruction of the German light cruiser Hela in the Heligoland Bight on 23 September, when a brace of well-delivered torpedoes sent the enemy ship to the bottom in 15 minutes. Moreover, three weeks later, the E. 9 accounted for the German destroyer S. 116 off the mouth of the Ems, fine work that won Horton the D.S.O. Still under Horton’s command, the E. 9 was ordered to the Baltic in mid-October 1914, and in common with other submarines called upon to make the same journey, she was pursued over many hours by enemy destroyers, but she got through and joined the Russian naval forces at Lapvik, where she came under the overall command of Admiral von Essen, the Russian naval C.-in-C. And the latter was quickly impressed by Horton’s determination to get to grips with the enemy, however icy and perilous the conditions: thus, in January 1915, a masterful attack from 600 yards against a German destroyer, when E. 9 was shaken by the resultant explosion and the former went down in three minutes. And E. 9’s successes continued apace. We Dive at Dawn takes up the story: ‘On 5 May 1915, both E. 1 and E. 9 left their base for a real offensive operation against the Germans, who were known to have been concentrating a naval force at Danzig. E. 9 was to operate to the south of the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, whilst E. 1 went farther south to the neighbourhood of Bornholm. Five days later, after the Germans had captured Libau, E. 9 moved south to work on the line of communication between Danzig and Libau. Almost immediately E. 9 fell in with the enemy. She sighted a convoy of three large transports, escorted by three cruisers. Both the convoy and the escorting cruisers were strongly screened by destroyers. Horton attacked at once. He dived under the destroyer screen on the port bow of the cruisers and fired both his bow torpedoes at one of the cruisers. Both torpedoes ran deep and missed. By this time E. 9 was right in the middle of the enemy ships. With the helm hard over, Horton brought his port-beam tube to bear on the leading transport and fired. The range was only 200 yards, and again the torpedo passed under its target. Still turning at high speed, and by this time under heavy fire from the warships, Horton fired his stern torpedo at the second transport. At last a hit! A column of water and smoke shot up just before the funnel. But she did not sink at once, and Horton was in no mind to leave her to be towed to safety. From the moment he had fired his bow torpedoes his crew had been straining to reload. The tube was reloaded and ready. Horton turned E. 9 and, in spite of the storm of shells falling round his periscope making it very difficult to see, fired the bow tube at the crippled transport. That finished her. E. 9 dived deep and set

Auction archive: Lot number 1522
Auction:
Datum:
12 Dec 2012 - 13 Dec 2012
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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