Three: Ordinary Seaman D. M. Taylor, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M.S. Kelly, under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten, was sunk during the evacuation of Crete, 23 May 1941

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. C. H. Taylor, Cartreffe, Shortway, Amersham, Buckinghamshire’, very fine (3) £100-140

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties.

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Derrick Max Taylor served during the Second World War in H.M.S. Kelly, under the command of Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten. On 21 May 1941 Kelly was despatched to Crete with H.M.S. Kashmir and Kipling and began patrols north of the island the following day. On 23 May, during the evacuation of Crete she was bombed and sunk with half her crew killed. The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea gives the following account: ‘The destroyer H.M.S. Kelly, on the night of 22nd May 1941, in company with the destroyer H.M.S. Kashmir was bombarding positions on the island of Crete. At daybreak on the 23rd they destroyed two caiques carrying troops and ammunition. This action bought the two destroyers the unwelcome attention of German dive bombers and from 05.30 a.m. they were repeatedly attacked. The Kashmir was struck amidships by a 1,000-lb bomb and sank immediately. The Kelly was hit soon afterwards and sank with great rapidity taking with her 9 officers and 119 ratings’.

H.M.S. Kelly did succeed in shooting down three of the attacking Stuka's, while a fourth was badly damaged and forced to return to base where it crashed. The survivors were deeply affected by the loss of their ship; Mountbatten shared their loss and tried to console the ships company by reminding them all that ‘we didn’t leave the Kelly, she left us!” Taylor was one of those killed, aged 24. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Sold together with a photograph of the crew of H.M.S. Kelly, taken in Malta two days before she sank, which Lord Louis Mountbatten sent to many of the bereaved families.