A Second World War Arctic Convoy O.B.E. and Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea group of eight awarded to Captain Wilfred Geoffrey Perrin, Merchant Navy, for services aboard the S.S. Dover Hill when she was bombed in the Kola Inlet - he led a team of volunteers to locate and defuse an unexploded 1000lb. bomb which had penetrated some 22 feet into her cargo of coal, a feat accomplished after two days and two nights hair-raising work, often under repeated bomb attacks

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge, silver-gilt; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Pacific Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45; Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea (Captain W. G. Perrin, S.S. “Dover Hill”, 4th April 1943),together with a Merchant Navy Officer’s cap badge, nearly extremely fine (9)
£1600-1800

O.B.E. London Gazette 12 October 1943:

‘For services when the ship was bombed and damaged.’

Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea Lloyd’s List and Shipping Gazette 5 September 1944:

‘Captain Wilfred Geoffrey Perrin, Master, Dover Hill. For dangerous work in hazardous circumstances.’

The S.S. Dover Hill, was a cargo vessel of 5,815 tons. She formed part of convoy JW. 53 bound for North Russia heavily laden with a cargo of fighter aircraft, tanks, lorries, guns and ammunition. The convoy comprised of 28 merchant vessels with an escort of three cruisers, one anti-aircraft cruiser, one escort carrier, 16 destroyers, two minesweepers, three corvettes and two trawlers. Such a heavily defended convoy reflected the importance of the cargo and the expectation of trouble from enemy attack.

The convoy set off on 15 February 1943, in a gale which developed into such a severe storm that six of the merchant ships were so damaged that they were forced to return to Iceland. The S.S. Dover Hill lost much of her deck cargo overboard, including oil drums and crated lorries, but managed to save the tanks and continue her difficult passage northwards. Despite a concerted attack by Ju-88 bombers a few days later the remaining 22 merchant ships of the convoy arrived at the Kola Inlet on 27 February. A few days later S.S. Dover Hill discharged her cargo at Murmansk, still being subjected to frequent attack from enemy bombers, and afterwards moved out to an anchorage in the Kola Inlet where the ships lay about a mile apart. The German front being only about ten miles away, these ships came under frequent low-level attack by Me. 109s and the D.E.M.S. gunners were kept very busy as they patiently awaited their escort home - indeed the gunners aboard S.S. Dover Hill successfully claimed one destroyed and one shared destroyed before the incident occurred whereby the names of several members of her crew appeared in the London Gazette. The personal account that follows is that of the ship’s Radio Officer David Craig, who related his experiences for the online BBC archive WW2 People’s War:

‘I feel that the story should be told why the names of these men should appear in the London Gazette. I write the story as I remember it but I write on behalf of the nineteen men, as we all worked together and none of us did anything different from anyone else.

On Sunday, 4 April we were anchored in Misukovo Anchorage a few miles north of Murmansk and I was playing chess in the Officers’ Mess when Action Stations sounded and our guns opened up at the same time. I went through the pantry, looked out of the door, and saw two Ju. 88 bombers coming up from astern, high up. Our Bofors shells were bursting below them and when they turned away I assumed we had beaten them off and stepped out on deck. This was a foolish thing to do as, unknown to me the planes had released their bombs before turning away. Four bombs exploded close on the port side and one on the starboard side and I was blown off my feet. As I got up our gunlayer came down from one of the bridge oerlikons and pointed out a large round hole in the steel deck a few yards from where I had been standing. It was obvious that the sixth bomb had gone through the main and ‘tween decks into our coal bunkers and had not exploded. We informed the S.B.N.O, Murmansk of the situation and were advised that there were no British Bomb Disposal people in North Russia. We then realised that we would have to dig the bomb out ourselves in order to save our ship. The minesweeper H.M.S. Jason was ordered to anchor astern of us and to come alongside to render assistance if the bomb should explode, although I doubt if there would have been much to pick up. Incidentally, I did enjoy talking to the Jason by Aldis lamp during this time. You must understand that though the Dover Hill was only a battered old Merchantman she was our home and no German was going to make us leave her while she was still afloat.

The Captain [Perrin] lined the whole crew up on the after deck and asked for volunteers, and 19 of us including our Captain formed our own Bomb Disposal Squad. We had no bomb disposal equipment, in fact we only had a few shovels borrowed from our stokehold and 19 stout hearts when we started digging back the coal, trying to find the bomb. The bunker was full of good British steaming coal which we were saving for the homeward run so we used a derrick to bring it up on deck, hoping to replace it when we got the bomb out. When the Russian authorities heard what we were doing, although they had many unexploded bombs to deal with in the town, they kindly offered to send one of their Bomb Disposal officers to remove the detonator if we could get the bomb up on deck. When we dug about ten feet down into the coal we found the tail fins and, by their size, decided our bomb must be a 1000lb one. Unfortunately the Germans also discovered what we were up to and came back and bombed us again, hoping to set off the bomb we were digging for. Between bomb explosions and the concussion of our own guns the coal used to fall back into where we were digging and things got difficult at times. We had to dig down approximately 22 feet before we got to the bomb, but after two days and two nights hard work we finally got it up on deck.

I was standing beside the bomb with two of my fellow officers as our Russian friend started to unscrew the detonator when after a few turns it stuck. He then took a small hammer and a punch and tapped it to get it moving. I can honestly say that every time he hit it I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing against my duffle coat hood. After removing the detonator and primer we dumped the bomb into the Kola Inlet where it probably lies to this day. We then moved back to Murmansk for repairs.

Of the 15 ships which had come to Murmansk in February, one had been sunk and four damaged. On 17 May, in company with three other ships we left the Kola Inlet and set out for the White Sea. We arrived in Economia on the North Dvina River where we stayed until 18 July when we moved to Molotovsk (Severodvinsk) and finally on 26 November, with eight other ships, some damaged, we set out for home. Since it was now dark for almost 24 hours each day and we could only do seven knots maximum speed we went north to the edge of the ice. Knowing that a Russian bound convoy was coming up to the south of us we expected the Germans to attack it and leave us alone. This in fact happened and we eventually arrived in London on 14 December 1943, in time to be home for Christmas.’

After returning from North Russia the Dover Hill was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport and was sunk at Arromanches on 9 June 1944 along with other ships to form an artificial port for the invasion of Normandy.