Six: Lieutenant M. H. S. Hume, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who saw extensive action in the 31st, 35th and 59th M.T.B. Flotillas 1943-45, latterly winning a “mention” as C.O. of M.T.B. 706 in the Adriatic

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, extremely fine (6) £250-300

Michael Hoskyn Shapcott Hume, who was born in November 1921, was appointed a Midshipman in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in March 1941, and joined the armed merchant cruiser H.M.S. Ausonia in the following month, an ex-Cunarder employed on the Halifax, Nova Scotia run. Appointed a Temporary Acting Sub. Lieutenant in November of the same year, Hume removed to Skirmisher, the training base at Milford Haven, in March 1942, where he gained experience in small coastal craft and qualified as a Watch Keeper.

A month later, he joined Midge, the Coastal Forces base at Great Yarmouth, and in April 1942 was appointed to M.T.B. 629 of the 31st M.T.B. Flotilla. Commanded by Lieutenant C. A. “Tony” Law, R.C.N.V.R., an experienced and aggressive Canadian C.O., 629 saw considerable action during Hume’s time aboard, not least off Terschelling on the night of 26-27 May 1943, in a spirited “firefight” with four armed trawlers - one of the latter was severely mauled, but 629’s Petty Officer James Marshall was killed; and again, off Smith’s Knoll on 24 October 1943, when Law was awarded his second “Mention” - he later added a D.S.C. to his accolades off Normandy.

In December 1943, and having been advanced to Temporary Sub. Lieutenant in November 1942, Hume removed to M.T.B. 706 of the 35th M.T.B. Flotilla, commanded by Lieutenant John Montgomerie, R.N.V.R., again seeing action in the Dover Straits in the period March to May 1944, and shortly afterwards off Normandy. Advanced to Temporary Lieutenant, he assumed command of 706 in December 1944 and sailed for Malta to join the 59th M.T.B. Flotilla, in which capacity he remained actively employed until the War’s end, seeing action in the Adriatic off the Dalmatian coast - a case in point being the destruction of three E-Boats off Unie Island at the northern end of Lussin on 15-16 January 1945. Hume was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 11 December 1945 refers), and commanded M.L. 459 before being demobbed in 1946. He is believed to have died in Cuckfield, Sussex in 1975.

Sold with the recipient’s original M.I.D. certificate, in the name of ‘Ty. Lieutenant Michael Hoskyn Chapcott-Hume, R.N.V.R.’, the ‘C’ overwritten with a red inked ‘S’ by way of correction.