Five: Leading Seaman W. J. Owen, Royal Navy, who was Mentioned in Despatches for services in Submarines in 1918

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (W. J. Owen, Ord. H.M.S. Naiad.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1902-04 (W. J. Owen. A.B., H.M.S. Naiad.); 1914-15 Star (198545, W. J. Owen, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (198545 W. J. Owen. L.S. R.N.) mounted on card for display, edge bruising and contact marks, otherwise good fine and better (5) £460-£550

M.I.D. London Gazette 20 February 1919: ‘Honours for Services in Submarines between the 1st July and 11th November 1918.’

William Joseph Owen was born in Trowbridge on 27 September 1882. He joined Royal Navy on 26 March 1898 as a Boy. He joined Naiad on 19 March 1901, earning his Q.S.A and A.G.S. in that ship. He probably joined the R.N. Submarine Service when he joined the submarine depot ship H.M.S. Mercury on 1 April 1910. He would probably have trained on B and C-class submarines and during W.W.I he is listed as serving on the submarine depot ship H.M.S. Maidstone. This was the depot ship of the 8th and later the 9th submarine flotillas based at Harwich. It is likely that he would have served on E-class submarines during this period. He remained with the submarine service and was promoted to Leading Seaman in 1916 and the final entry on his record of service shows him serving on the submarine depot ship H.M.S. Titania. He was discharged to pension on 9 June 1922, and died in Northumberland on 27 December 1945.

Sold with original framed M.I.D. certificate and copied research including record of service.