Five: Warrant Shipwright R. Reed, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (Carp., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Wt. Shpt., R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (James Reed, Ch. Car. Mte., H.M.S. Vivid); Russia, Medal for Zeal, Nicholas II, small silver (144341 J. Reed, Ch. Shpt., H.M.S. Jupiter), this last with edge bruising, very fine and better (5) £250-350

James Reed was born in Porthleven, Cornwall on 20 March 1867. He entered the Royal Navy as a Shipwright on 21 February 1888. He was ranked as Chief Carpenter’s Mate, whilst on the Katoomba in December 1897. He was posted to the old battleship Jupiter as Chief Shipwright on 2 August 1914 and remained with her until July 1915, participating in her ‘ice-breaking’ exploits. As a result of this service, on 14 June 1915, he was promoted ‘as a special case for meritorious service’ to Acting Carpenter (Temporary) and was one of a number of men awarded the Medal for Zeal by the Tsar. Reed was demobilised on 1 April 1920 and died on 27 August 1936.

In January 1915 the Admiralty received a request for assistance from the Russian Government, the latter’s icebreaker used to keep open the passage to Archangel in the White Sea having broken down. In response the Royal Navy sent out the Tyne Guard Ship H.M.S. Jupiter, an old Majestic-class battleship. She departed for Archangel in February 1915, freeing en route a number of vessels stuck in the ice, occasionally by using explosive charges. She, too, sometimes became icebound, but still managed to make a major impression on the problem, improving the safe passage of numerous vessels, many of them laden with highly important war materials, among them the S.S. Thracia. The latter was taken in tow after the use of explosive charges to free her. Throughout these operations it was not unusual for the temperature to fall as low as minus 20 degrees, a hard test indeed on the morale and well being of the Jupiter’s crew. Her mission completed by May 1915, the Tsar expressed his gratitude by the presentation of a variety of Russian Honours and Awards to her crew. Sold with copied service papers.