Beschreibung:

Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte The Great War D.S.C. group of five awarded to Lieutenant J. C. K. “Shiner” Wright, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was decorated for his magnificent courage as “Jimmy the One” in Percy Dean’s M.L. 282 in the Zeebrugge raid in April 1918: her decks crowded with the dead and dying, she took appalling punishment from point-blank fire, Wright’s own stomach wound being rated as fatal - as a result, at Sir Roger Keyes’ behest, the King was contacted for his approval of an immediate D.S.C., a request gladly approved within 48 hours of the raid Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1917, in its Garrard & Co. case of issue; 1914-15 Star (L. 9 882 J. C. K. Wright, C.P.O., R.N.V.R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut. J. C. K. Wright, R.N.V.R.); Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (882 J. C. Wright, Ch. P.O., London Divn., R.N.V.R.), good very fine and better (5) £6000-8000 D.S.C. London Gazette 23 July 1918: ‘Lieutenant James Courtenay Keith Wright, R.N.V.R., second in command of H.M. Motor Launch 282, showed great courage in embarking the crews of the Intrepid and Iphigenia. It was largely due to the magnificent manner in which he and others carried out their duties that so many officers and men were rescued from the blockships in the canal at Zeebrugge. He was dangerously wounded during the operations.’ Footnote James Courtenay Keith “Shiner” Wright was born in December 1881 and entered the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve’s London Division in June 1904. Thereafter, until the outbreak of hostilities, he served on active duty for a month each year, gaining advancement to Chief Petty Officer in January 1911. According to a fellow member of the “Wavy Navy”, ‘his great love was training a field gun crew for competing with the teams of the Royal Navy - this he did most successfully in so much as our team ran in the final at Olympia against H.M.S. Excellent.’ Commissioned as a Temporary Sub. Lieutenant in July 1916, Wright served in M.Ls 268 and 416 prior to becoming Percy Dean’s “Jimmy the One” in 282 for the famous Zeebrugge raid on St. George’s Day, 1918. Of her part in that memorable action, Sir Roger Keyes wrote: ‘The rescue work of M.L. 256 [Littleton] and M.L. 282 [Dean and Wright] was simply magnificent, and but for them, very few of the blockships’ crews would have escaped ... Owing to the breakdown of M.L. 128, and the sinking of M.L. 110, Dean was left with the task of bringing out all the rest of the blockships’ crews, about double the number he anticipated. His skill and heroic determination was simply incredible. Under a deadly machine-gun and heavy fire, he embarked over 100 officers and men in his frail craft. Hearing that an officer had been left behind in the water, he returned into the canal and picked him up. Having no room to turn, he went out full speed astern, towing a cutter from his stem, handling his with his engines, his steering gear having been damaged. When about to pass the Mole end battery, he ran in under the Mole and rounded the extension so close, that the guns could not be depressed to fire on him, and he kept them in line while he went to seaward. Throughout the escape, the M.L. was under constant machine-gun fire; Dean’s Second-in-Command [Wright] and three of his four deckhands were shot down beside him, and a great many of his passengers were killed or wounded. Among the dangerously wounded on board were Sub. Lieutenants Lloyd (of the Iphigenia) and Keith Wright, R.N.V.R. (Deans’ Second-in-Command). They were both shot through the middle and the doctor declared that they could not survive. Lloyd had the Iphegenia’s White Ensign wrapped around his waist, and it was saturated in blood. I think he knew that his number was up, but was perfectly happy and fearfully proud of having been able to bring away the ensign, which I told him he should keep. Keith Wright was suffering