A fine Second War B.E.M. and Lloyd’s Medal for Bravery at Sea group of eight awarded to Able Seaman S. L. Brown, Merchant Navy, late Royal Navy, who was decorated for his gallantry as a Lewis gunner aboard the S.S. Keynes when attacked by German aircraft in January 1940

British Empire Medal, (Civil) G.VI.R., 1st issue (Samuel Leonard Brown); 1914-15 Star (J.25306 S. L. Brown. Ord. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.25306 S. L. Brown. A.B. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage head (J.25306 S. L. Brown. A.B. H.M.S. President IV); Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea, silver (Able Seaman S. L. Brown, S.S. “Keynes” 11th January 1940) mounted as worn, the Great War trio fine only, otherwise very fine or better (8) £1,800-£2,200

B.E.M. London Gazette 20 March 1940. Joint citation with Captain C. G. West, Master, S.S. Keynes [O.B.E.] and Charles A. Coleman, Esq., Radio Officer, S.S.Keynes [M.B.E.]:

‘Samuel Leonard Brown, Able Seaman, Gunner, S.S. Keynes.

S.S. Keynes was armed with one Lewis gun. She was attacked by enemy aircraft twice in one day. On a fine clear morning, a single aircraft was observed coming from the East, flying low. He was recognised as a Heinkel III. An S.O.S. was sent out. As soon as he was within range, the Lewis gun opened fire. The enemy dropped one bomb, circled the ship and came in again from the starboard quarter with the sun behind him and dropped another three bombs, this time using his front and rear machine-guns before and after passing over the ship. He circled again across the ship, but dropped no bombs. His fore machine-gun had, it seems, been put out of action by the Lewis gun, but the rear gun made hits. Three Spitfires now appeared and drove away the Heinkel, who dropped some forty more bombs into the sea and retired with his tail smoking. The attack lasted some ten minutes, during which the Master swung his ship so that the Lewis gun could be trained on the aircraft. The gunner took all his chances and the Master reckons that some 300 of the 380 tracer bullets fired hit the enemy at close range.

In the middle of the afternoon, the day being still fine and clear, another aircraft swept down from the South-East about a mile and a half on Keynes’s beam, flew round about a mile to the northward, 50 feet above the water, turned sharply, and came in from ahead. At about 300 yards, the Master, realising that it was an enemy aircraft, opened fire. The enemy climbed steeply to avoid Keynes’s masts. He dropped three bombs, one of which hit and put the steering gear out of action so that the Master could no longer use his helm. Three more bombs were dropped, one hitting in much the same place as the first. The ship caught fire, her engines stopped and she was out of control. Her port side had been blown clean away and she took on a list. Her whole deck was aflame, and as there was no way of quenching the fire, the order was given to abandon ship. The crew were picked up by one of H.M. ships.

The Gunner, on an exposed and open bridge in most trying conditions, showed great courage.

The Radio Officer, though severely wounded, tried again and again to send out signals,’

Radio Officer Coleman and Gunner Brown were both awarded the Lloyd’s Medal for Bravery at Sea, announced in Lloyd’s List and Shipping Gazette, Tuesday, March 18, 1941, the very first list of such awards, the joint citation of a similar nature to that published in the London Gazette.

Samuel Leonard Brown was born at West Wickham, Cambridgeshire, on 27 September 1896. He entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 20 June 1913. In September 1914 he joined the battleship Inflexible, remaining in this ship throughout the war until 28 February 1919. He saw action in the Falkland Islands in 1914, in the Dardanelles in 1915, and at the battle of Jutland in 1916. He had been promoted to Able Seaman on 2 November 1915 and sub-rated Acting Seaman Gunner on 21 May 1916, and made substantive Seaman Gunner on 8 March 1917. Sold with copied record of service which ends at 1 January 1929, but notes ‘Traced Medal 30 Jan 1936’ in reference to his eligibility for the L.S. & G.C. medal.