A fine Second World War Bay of Biscay night action D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Chief Petty Officer E. W. Perfitt, Royal Navy, Director-Layer in the cruiser H.M.S. Bellona

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (C.P.O. E. W. Perfitt, C./J. 70779); British War and Victory Medals (77079 Boy 1, R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage head (J. 77079 P.O., H.N.S. Calcutta), minor official correction to surname on the first, the Great War pair with contact wear, edge bruising and polished, thus fine, the remainder very fine and better (8) £1200-1500

D.S.M. London Gazette 14 November 1944:

‘For courage and determination in a series of successful attacks on enemy escorted convoys off the coast of France.’

The original recommendation states:

‘For services as Director-Layer in H.M.S. Bellona, during the night action on 5-6 August 1944, when an enemy convoy was destroyed, and damage inflicted on another. He displayed steadiness and skill in action.

Edward Walter Perfitt, a native of Gillingham, Kent, was in a very true sense personally responsible for the destruction of several enemy ships, such being the seniority of his post as Director-Layer aboard the cruiser H.M.S. Bellona, commanded by Captain (afterwards Vice-Admiral Sir) C. F. W. Norris, D.S.O., R.N. The action for which he received his D.S.M. was fought out in the Bay of Biscay, south-west of St. Nazaire, on the night of 5-6 August 1944, when eight ships from an enemy convoy were sunk by elements of “Force 26” - but for the conditions and the nearby safe haven of St. Nazaire, a second enemy convoy which was engaged later that morning may have met a similar fate. An idea of the rapid and ferocious nature of the former encounter is to be gleaned from Captain Norris’ official report:

‘At 0044 on the 6th, at a range of about 8000 yards, Bellona sighted and engaged her first target. This ship was just visible in a smoke screen which the enemy was laying and which was drifting to the Southward. The target was soon obscured by smoke and firing was continued for a short time using “Blind procedure”. As Bellona was on the southern flank of our force, I decided to pass through the smoke at 0050 with the intention of acting as “stopper” to prevent the enemy’s escape to the Southward. On emerging from the smoke, the first target was re-engaged with close range weapons and at 0052 main armament fire was re-opened at a range of 2900 yards. The enemy, which had by now been almost certainly recognised as an ‘M’ class minesweeper, was hit and set on fire.

At 0056 fire was shifted to a second target, range 3200 yards. Hits were obtained with the first four slavoes out of five and the enemy disappeared in a cloud of dense smoke. My impression was that the ship blew up.

At 0059 it appeared that all enemy ships on the south western flank had been accounted for, and to avoid Bellona getting rather ahead of bearing and fouling the fire of the destroyers, a turn to port was started at 16 knots. At 0106 a Schuyt was sighted and engaged at a range of 2000 yards. With her low freeboard this ship proved an illusive and difficult target, and an exasperating time was experienced before she could be induced to burn really well.

At 0127 fire was opened on a fourth target, a largish ship, which was already burning, range 4000 yards ... At 0129 at least five burning ships were in sight on various bearings, and I decided that the time had come to concentrate the Force and finish off the damaged ships - it was clear by then that the majority of, if not all, the enemy had been satisfactorily fixed and awaited final despatch. Accordingly, the destroyers were ordered to join Bellona. Concentration was completed by about 0148 and, with the destroyers in line ahead, astern of Bellona, the Force was led at moderate speed on a tour of the battle area with a view to completing the destruction of the enemy ships ... Burning ships were engaged in turn by the concentrated Force until it was clear that their total destruction was ensured. During this period I was impressed with the fire discipline of the Force - no unnecessary waste of ammunition occurred; the target was given the required hammering and fire then ceased. In this final stage only one enemy ship gave any indication of internal explosion, this ship appearing to be a larged sized armed trawler whose ammunition went up in all directions.

As a result of this action, I consider the enemy suffered the following losses: 2 ‘M’ class minesweepers; 1 large armed trawler; 2 merchant vessels of about 3-4000 tons, one of which may have been a flak ship; 1 medium to large sized coaster; 2 Schuyts.’

In addition to her Battle Honours for “Normandy 1944” and “Biscay 1944”, the Bellona won similar honours for “Norway 1944-45” and “Arctic 1944-45”, all titles relevant to Perfitt’s time aboard and all reflecting further close encounters with the enemy.

Off Norway one night in November 1944, so close to the coast that ‘some of those on board felt compelled to speak in whispers’, and as part of a combined cruiser-destroyer force commanded by Rear-Admiral R. McGrigor, Bellona participated in another spectacular 20-minute attack on an enemy convoy, this time nine of the latter’s eleven ships either being blown-up or sunk, and another of them driven ashore - as McGrigor put it, “We caught the Hun in his nightshirt.”

Yet again, just two months later off Norway, and once more in a combined force under McGrigor, the Bellona contributed to an impressive score sheet. Gordon Holman’s The King’s Cruisers takes up the story:

‘ ... This time, however, the Germans, with vivid memories of the previous occasion, were on the alert. As soon as the attack opened, coastal batteries answered our guns. The convoy escort attempted to lay a smoke-screen and powerful searchlights were switched on to “blind” the British force ... There were seven or eight ships in the convoy, including a large tanker and two “M” class minesweepers. Although the smoke made it difficult to get an exact estimation of the final situation, three of four of them were claimed as sunk and the others were either set on fire or driven ashore. The attack was pressed home very close to the rugged Norwegian shore and when the British force was withdrawing at high speed Captain Norris made a signal from the Bellona, “We thought the Admiral was going to call on the Mayor when he made that turn to port” ... Another element did enter into this action, and it was fortunate that Admiral McGrigor had with him two escort carriers. Enemy aircraft shadowed the withdrawing force and, when daylight came, followed up with torpedo-bombers. Naval fighter aircraft from the carriers intercepted the enemy and broke up the attack. One enemy plane was shot down and we lost tewo aircraft, but both pilots were rescued.’

Sold with original Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the D.S.M., the reverse of which is inscribed with ‘C./J. 77079 E. W. Perfitt, D.S.M., H.M.S. Bellona, 14th November 1944’, holed over coat of arms and somewhat worn.