Three: Engine Room Artificer F. E. Williams, Royal Navy, who was killed in action in H.M. Submarine E.20 when it was sunk in the Sea of Marmora in November 1915
1914-15 Star (M.3935 F. E. Williams E.R.A.3, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (M.3935 F. E. Williams. E.R.A.3 R.N.) together with flattened card boxes of issue, forwarding letter for medals and Memorial Plaque (Frank Edgar Williams) in card envelope, nearly extremely fine

Frank Edgar Williams was born at Hampstead, London, on 24 June 1890, and joined the Royal Navy on 5 December 1911. He joined the Submarine Service on 27 September 1913, and served aboard H.M. Submarines E.5, October 1913, E.4, October 1914, and E.20 from July 1915. He was killed in action when H.M. Submarine E.20 was torpedoed on 5 November 1915, by the German submarine UB.14 in the Sea of Marmora. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

In October, the Turquoise had ran ashore alongside a Turkish fort and unable to get off, the captain had surrendered with his crew to save unnecessary loss of life. By the greatest misfortune, he omitted to destroy his papers and among them was a note giving the time and position of the rendezvous with E.20. As E.20 lay on the surface waiting for the Turquoise, the German submarine UB.14 arrived submerged and without warning, fired two torpedoes which struck the E.20 amidships, sinking her and killing a number of her crew.

Captain Heimburg, UB.14’s skipper, later gave a vivid eye-witness account of the sinking: ‘We got a perfect shot. A tremendous explosion, a cloud of smoke on the water. When the smoke disappeared, no submarine was to be seen, only men swimming around in the water. We picked up nine Britishers including the captain, a young Lieutenant Warren. Warren, it would seem had been brushing his teeth when the torpedo struck and he was only half conscious as he was dragged aboard the U-boat. He was revived by the German sailors who asked him if there was anything he wanted. “Yes,” he replied, “a toothbrush,” and on being handed one he continued brushing his teeth.’ Heimburg admitted that he could not vouch for the veracity of the anecdote, but “it’s a tip-top yarn whether it’s true or not,” he added!

Sold with flattened card boxes if issue and forwarding letter for campaign medals, together with research including a fine copy photograph of the E.20 with 28 crew on deck.