Three: Able Seaman C. B. Farmery, Royal Navy, a veteran of the battle of Jutland who afterwards served aboard the Q-ship Stonecrop which sank the U-151 on 17 September 1917, but was herself torpedoed and sunk by the U-43 the very next day; one of only 10 survivors of the sinking, Farmery survived a second sinking when H.M.S. Sword Dance struck a mine in the River Dvina in June 1919

1914-15 Star (J.24615, C. B. Farmery, Ord. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.24615 C. B. Farmery. A.B. R.N.) extremely fine (3) £300-£400

Charles Bertram Farmery was born in York on 28 June 1897, and entered the Royal Navy on 15 May 1913 as a Boy 2nd Class aboard the Training Ship H.M.S. Ganges. He joined H.M.S. Crescent in the Northern Patrol in July 1914, but went ashore again in November 1914 to Victory I where he remained until he joined the battleship King George V on 9 January 1915. In this ship he was present at the battle of Jutland on 31 May-1 June 1916, having been promoted to Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday in 1915 and rated Able Seaman on 1 May 1916. He was also sub-rated Acting Seaman Torpedoman on 10 September 1916. He returned to shore on 1 April 1917 to H.M.S. Vernon, Torpedo School at Portchester Creek, Portsmouth, and then back to the Depot Ship Vivid I on 20 May 1917.

He joined his next ship, H.M.S. Stonecrop, on 1 August 1917. Originally the collier Glenfoyle, she was converted for service as a ‘Q-Ship’ in April 1917 and fitted with one visible 6-pounder gun capable of firing only in the aft direction (as was legitimate defence for a merchant ship) but also with a concealed 4-inch gun, 12-pounder howitzers for projecting bombs, and torpedo tubes.

On 17 September 1917, when some 300 miles south-west of Co. Kerry, she sighted a submarine on the surface at 14000 yards distance. The submarine opened fire and Stonecrop turned away at her top speed of 7 knots, sending out SOS signals. The submarine followed, overtaking and firing, but without making any direct hits. After half an hour of this, Stonecrop lighted her Smoke Apparatus, simulating a very realistic fire, and sent off her ‘panic party’. the submarine then submerged but reappeared later and circled the ship at 600 yards. Stonecrop opened fire with her 4-inch gun, scoring several hits. The submarine then moved away, to sink stern-first. She surfaced again briefly before finally sinking. Her conning-tower hatch had not been opened and no wreckage appeared, just oil and scum, but Stonecrop’s captain was convinced that she had been sunk. The Admiralty awarded £1000 to be distributed amongst the crew, of which Farmery’s share, as an Able Seaman, was £9. 1s. 10d. The submarine is believed to have been the U-151.

On 18 September 1917, at 1 p.m. Stonecrop was some 180 miles south-west of Fastnet when she was struck by two torpedoes, suffering extensive damage and slowly settling by the head. The ‘panic party’ left in the boats and the gun crews went to their concealed posts and waited. A submarine appeared and cruised around at about 3000 yards but never came within the field of fire of any of the ship’s remaining weapons which were still serviceable. The ship continued to settle and at about 2.30 p.m. all those still on board had to abandon her as she tilted into a vertical position and sank. The submarine then approached to enquire the ship’s name and destination, a false answer being given. She then left without taking any further hostile action. The men in the water had two boats, a partly wrecked raft and plenty of wreckage, from which they repaired the raft and constructed another. One boat was sent away towards Ireland to fetch assistance. It arrived safely and ships were sent out the following day to search. Meanwhile, the other boat became separated from the rafts during the night of 18-19 and, since it could be of no help even if it did find them again, it sailed on towards and reached Bantry Bay at 7.30 p.m. The two rafts were not sighted by the searching ships until the afternoon of 23 September. They had been without food and with only a little water since 20 September, and only 10 remained alive out of the 22 who had been on the rafts originally. In all, some 32 of the ship’s complement perished. Farmery was one of the lucky ones and he was kept in Sick Quarters in Bantry, suffering from exposure and shock, until he was transferred to Portsmouth on 28 September.

Farmery was then on Victory I’s books until 5 March 1918, when he went to sea again in H.M.S. Naneric. He left her after two months for another spell in H.M.S. Vernon, during which he earned his first Good Conduct Badge and was sub-rated Seaman Torpedoman. He remained there until after the Armistice but his war was not yet over. On 15 April 1919, he was sent to H.M.S. Sword Dance, a minesweeper of 265 tons and one 6-pounder gun, and originally a War Department Tug. She was sent north to the White Sea, where her parent ship was the cruiser H.M.S. Fox, based at Archangel to operate against the Bolsheviks. On 24 June 1919 while in the River Dvina she struck a mine and sank with the loss of one man. Farmery, having survived his second sinking, returned to Vernon on 7 July 1919. By then he had been sub-rated Leading Tropedo Operator. He was invalided out of the Navy on 11 September 1919, suffering from neurasthenia, or nervous debility.

Sold with full research including copied record of service and official report of Stonecrop’s action and loss.