A rare August 1914 D.S.M. group of five awarded to Stoker Petty Officer A. Britton, Royal Navy, serving aboard H.M.S. Laurel at the battle of Heligoland Bight

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (289893 A. Britton, Sto. P.O., H.M.S. Laurel); 1914-15 Star (289893 D.S.M., S.P.O., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (S.P.O., R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (Sto. P.O., H.M.S. Hecla) mounted as worn, nearly very fine (5) £2000-2500

One of 23 D.S.Ms for the battle of Heligoland Bight on 28th August 1914, the only D.S.Ms gazetted in 1914.

D.S.M. London Gazette 23 October 1914: ‘George H. Sturdy, Chief Stoker, and Alfred Britton, Stoker Petty Officer, both of H.M.S. Laurel, who both showed great coolness in putting out a fire near the centre gun after an explosion had occurred there; several lyddite shells were lying in the immediate vicinity.’

An artist’s representation of Stoker Petty Officer Britton’s action appears in Volume 4 of Deeds that Thrill the Empire. The following was extracted from the accompanying text: ‘When the action was at its hottest, the Laurel, Liberty, Lysander and Laertes found themselves suddenly in action against three of the enemy’s cruisers and a number of destroyers. In the early stages of the action Laurel and Liberty, which had been sent in advance of the light cruisers, were both exposed for some time to an attack of overwhelming strength. The Laurel, under Commander Frank Rose, found herself in action, and almost unsupported, against two German cruisers and a number of destroyers, whose efficiency had not yet been affected by meeting ships that could reply to them on equal terms, and she suffered severely. The first shell that struck her went into the engine room, killing and wounding a number of men. Next, her forward gun was struck, and put out of action, while the troubles of the engineers department were soon after increased by a shot which demolished the after funnel and started a fire which threatened the destruction of the ship. In close action the fore bridge is always the main object of attack; and so it was in this case. Commander Rose was struck in the left leg by a shell splinter early in the action; but he refused to leave his post of danger. His wound was hastily bandaged; and when, some time later, he was struck in the other leg, he still declined to be taken below, although, since he could no longer stand, he was compelled to hand over the command of his ship to Lieutenant Charles Peploe. By the time assistance arrived the Laurel was almost as done as any warship could be - and it was, quite likely, a German shell that saved her. She lay, almost helpless, an easy target for the enemy, when a shot struck her amidships; and, whether it set her oil fuel smouldering, or whether it was a particularly damaging sort of shell that did not quite “come off,” it enveloped her in a thick cloud of black smoke. Before it cleared away to disclose the target more distinctly to the enemy, our cruisers had arrived, and the Laurel was saved.’

Alfred Britton was born at Stanstead, Suffolk, on 23 November 1879, and joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 6 September 1898. He received his L.S. & G.C. medal in September 1913 and joined H.M.S. Laurel in April 1914, serving aboard her throughout the Great War. He was finally demobilised to shore on 13 October 1920.