A fascinating Great War military C.B.E. group of five awarded to Captain C. A. W. Wrightson, Royal Navy, who was awarded the Italian Al Valore di Marina for the Utopia disaster of 1891

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Military) Commander’s 1st type neck badge, silver-gilt and enamel, centre loose, with neck cravat; 1914-15 Star (Commr. C. A. W. Wrightron (sic), R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. C. A. W. Wrightson, R.N.); Italy, Al Valore di Marina, silver, reverse inscribed, ‘Charles A. W. Wrightson, Aspirante R.N., Gibilterra 17 Marzo 1891’, last four mounted as worn, with space for a fifth award; together with miniature dress medals of the Italian Al Valore di Marina, silver, and the Danish Order of the Dannebrog, Christian X, gilt and enamel, good very fine (7) £1600-2000

C.B.E. London Gazette 16 September 1919. ‘Capt., R.N.’ ‘For valuable services in command of H.M. Ships whilst employed on Ocean Escort duties’.

Charles Archibald Wise Wrightson was born on 17 July 1874, the second son of Sir Thomas Wrightson, Baronet. He was educated at Stoke House, Slough, and H.M.S. Britannia, Dartmouth. In January 1891 he joined the Royal Navy as a Naval Cadet on H.M.S. Rodney. On 17 March 1891 whilst serving on the ship off Gibraltar, Wrightson was involved in the rescue of passengers and crew of the Italian emigrant ship Utopia.

The Anchor Line liner Utopia had left Naples on 12 March, bound for New York, with three saloon passengers, 815 Italian emigrants, three stowaways and a crew of 59. At about 7 o’clock on the evening of the 17th, with a full gale blowing and with a strong current, the ship sailed into the Bay of Gibraltar close to where the Mediterranean Fleet was riding at anchor. Through a grave error of judgement, the master of the Utopia, Captain J. McKeague, allowed his vessel to get too near to the battleship Anson and making no allowance for her underwater ram, a giant hole was torn from the side of the liner. With the Utopia sinking fast, the fleet sent boats to the rescue with all speed but in the dark and terrible conditions, the passengers panicked and many were drowned. Many acts of heroism were performed by the Royal Naval rescuers, and two from the Immortalite were killed in the attempt. From the Utopia, 520 emigrants, one saloon passenger, and 12 of the crew were lost. The Anson barely registered a scratch to her paint work. Amongst those noted for their brave actions during that night was Naval Cadet Wrightson, and for his services he was awarded the Italian Al Valore di Marina in Silver. At the annual dinner of the Civil Engineers in London soon after, Admiral Sir R. Vesey Hamilton said of him, ‘Mr Wrightson, naval cadet, considering his age and time of service, behaved with the greatest pluck and coolness throughout the night’. In July the same year, the sunken Utopia, considered a hazard to navigation was refloated.

In a letter to his mother, dated 22 March 1891, Wrightson writes of the incident, ‘... I was sitting in the gun room at about 5 min to 7 reading a paper when suddenly I heard the pipe “Away the boats crews” so I knew something was wrong so I rushed up on the quarter deck thinking that a man had fallen overboard. But, what to my horror I saw a large steamer simply packed with people .. actually sinking, the cries and groans of the drowning people were simply sickening, just after I came on deck the Captain came up he ordered all boats to be lowered & I knew that would include my boat so up I went & tumbled into it ... they then lowered us down & I thought we were going to capsize as they lowered us with the stern in the water & our bows right in the air ... I must tell you it was blowing & raining tremendously hard & the sea was getting up very fast, well when we were lower I managed to put the rudder on & began steering the boat towards the wreck, it was very hard to see as it was very dark, but our search lights were put on to the wreck & lit it up, we first of all got hold of a man who turned out to be a Scotch Dr. then we got 2 women & a small boy & 2 other men ... we then tried to pull up to the ship but could not so we turned & landed at a pier ... I think we were very lucky not getting capsized as the sea was very rough & there were thirteen in the boat wh is not a big one.....’

In 1892 he was appointed a Midshipman on the Victoria, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. In June 1893 it was his good fortune to be ashore in the Royal Naval Hospital, Malta, suffering from a fever, when the Camperdown tragically rammed the Victoria and sank her during fleet manœuvres off Tripoli. The disastrous collision cost the lives of Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, 22 other officers and 336 men. In one of his letters to his mother in April 1893 whilst in hospital, Wrightson writes, ‘... I have had such a lot of visitors, old Tryon has been up twice & last last time he as good as told me I was going back to the Victoria ....’

Wrightson was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1897 and to Commander in June 1909. As Commander, and Captain of the destroyer Recruit, he was awarded the Knight’s Class of the Order of the Dannebrog in May 1914, on the occasion of the Danish Royal Visit to England. During the Great War he was Commander and the Captain of the destroyer Recruit, when on 1 May 1915, she was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-6, off the Galloper Light Vessel in the southern North Sea. The explosion cut the vessel in two and the two halves quickly sank. Commander Wrightson was one of 4 officers and 22 men out of a complement of 60 to be saved. He attained the rank of Captain on 31 December 1917 and was latterly Captain of the armed merchant cruiser Ebro, employed on blockade and convoy work. Rear-Admiral T. D. L. Sheppard said of his work, ‘Has performed his duties of ocean escort to Sierra Leone & Dakar convoys in a very capable manner, & with much success.’ For his wartime services, he was awarded the C.B.E. in 1919. He commanded the cruiser Dunedin, March 1920-March 1921 and was placed on the Retired List in 1922. Captain Wrightson died after a short illness on 7 February 1953.

Sold with original C.B.E. bestowal document, 16 September 1919, with associated slip and envelope; Order of the Dannebrog, Knight’s Class, bestowal document, 13 May 1914, with envelope; letter to accompany the Order of the Dannebrog, 13 May 1914; and Buckingham Palace letter giving private permission to wear, 20 May 1914; papers reporting on the loss of the Recruit, with a list of survivors, signed by Wrightson, dated 1 May 1915; Card bearing a photograph of the Ebro, giving her war record and signed, ‘C. Wrightson, Capt., R.N., Xmas 1918’; another Christmas card bearing a photograph of a Royal Naval ship; together with seven letters (three with stamped envelopes): one written by the recipient, dated 22 March 1891, giving an account of the ‘Utopia disaster’; one written from the Royal Naval Hospital, Malta, 3 April 1893; another written by the recipient to his mother, dated 14 January 1917, concerning his promotion and bewailing the way Admiral Jellicoe had been treated. With copied service papers and other research.

Lastly, with the recipient’s impressive ‘Log and Journal of H.M. Ships Rodney, Collingwood, Victoria, Inflexible, Victory, Anson, Empress of India, Calypso, kept by C. A. Wrightson, Mid., From January 17th, 1891 to November 14th, 1894’. The large leather bound volume contains a fascinating array of maps, sketches and diagrams, together with a list of of the recipient’s duties day by day. His entry for the 17th March 1891 reads, ‘.... 6.50 pm S.S. “Utopia” fouled bows of “Anson” and passing on sank. Boats of fleet out rescuing people. Slipped Pt. anchor with 12 (?) and weighed St. 12 (?). Came to in 12��1/2 ftms. 589 drowned. Lost dingy, 4 fenders & 6 oars by accident’.