Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second World War Dieppe raid D.S.M. group of six awarded to Petty Officer G. T. Boothroyd, Royal Navy, who was decorated for his gallant deeds in the destroyer H.M.S. Berkeley, which ship had her back broken by a direct bomb hit that made her rear ‘like a bucking horse’: it is likely that Boothroyd was the Torpedo Gunner’s Mate, ‘who had been below and left behind’, and who was plucked to safety moments before his ship was finished off by torpedo

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (J. 112416 G. T. Boothroyd, P.O.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (J. 112416 P.O., H.M.S. Berkeley), together with addressed campaign medal card forwarding box, with related certificate, two sets of tunic ribands and an inscribed card from “Q” War Office, dated September 1945, generally extremely fine (6) £4000-5000

D.S.M. London Gazette 2 October 1942:

‘For gallantry, daring and skill in the combined attack on Dieppe.’

The original recommendation states:

‘When the Berkeley was hit, Petty Officer Boothroyd immediately, and without further orders, made his way below aft to ensure that water tight doors were closed and that no wounded men remained below. His action required courage of a high order as at the time he went below it appeared that the ship would capsize.’

George Thomas Boothroyd received his D.S.M. at an investiture held on 15 December 1942.

The Hunt-class destroyer H.M.S. Berkeley, commanded by Lieutenant J. J. S. Yorke, R.N., who was awarded a D.S.C., was heavily engaged off Dieppe during the famous Combined Operations raid of August 1942. Having contributed to the preliminary bombardment of enemy positions in the town, in common with other ships of the Naval flotilla she found herself quickly involved in rescue operations, but as the following eye-witness account by Peter Scott reveals - he was then commanding H.M. Steam Gun Boat (S.G.B.) No. 9 Grey Goose - she too fell victim to prowling elements of the Luftwaffe:

‘A good many shells and bullets were whistling both ways and plopping in the water all about us, but miraculously we were not hit. Back on the offshore side of the smoke we engaged a Dornier - then another and at 1308 a formation of three dived down. One of them pressed home his attack on the group of ships all bunched together, which consisted of the Calpe, Fernie, Berkeley, Albrighton and Bleasdale, to say nothing of S.G.Bs 8 (Grey Wolf) and 9. The bombs came out and I saw one slanting down into the water close to the port side of the Berkeley. Its slant took it right under the ship and when it exploded she reared like a bucking horse. The bridge went up and the fo’c’sle went down as if there were a hinge. Then for a few moments as the ship subsided again into the water the half-detached fo’c’sle waggled up and down.

We turned at once towards the damaged destroyer. She was steaming at high speed in a circle, heeling over steeply and with steam escaping with a roar. S.G.B. No. 8 was quite close - indeed she had to go astern to avoid a collision, and as soon as the Berkeley had slowed down she went along side the port side of the sinking destroyer and the crew trooped off on to her fo’c’sle. All the time the Berkeley had been steaming in a circle men had been falling off her steep decks and the wake was dotted with the heads of the swimming survivors. As we closed in towards them we suddenly saw a bunch of three or four FW. 190s coming at us with their nasty little bombs hanging under them. We were close to Calpe at the time, stern to stern, and one of the bombs fell between us - 30 yards from us and 15 yards from her, but it must have been a small bomb. The Calpe lurched, but was none the worse, and nor were we. Neither did any of the other ships appear to be damaged by this last attack in spite of the shocking way in which they were clustered together. We followed the circular string of bobbing heads and threw over two lifebelts and a rubber dinghy (to hold five). Then we went to a Carley float and collected half a dozen men from that. By this time the other swimmers had collected at the rubber boat and we were able to go straight to that and pick them up. This seems a good idea when there are many people to rescue.

The Berkeley was now stopped and down by the bow listing to starboard. “Grif” [Lieutenant I. R. Griffith, D.S.C., R.N. in S.G.B. No. 8] pulled away from her side with the last of her survivors and a signal came from her captain aboard No. 8 “sink and torpedo”, followed shortly after with a negative. Meanwhile the Albrighton placed her stern opposite the Berkeley’s and took off the Torpedo Gunner’s Mate, who had been below and left behind [As stated above, very probably Petty Officer Boothroyd]. About this time a Hurricane crashed in the sea close beside the destroyers. The Albrighton lay off to the north of the Berkeley and fired a torpedo. It hit under the bridge and blew off the bows which sank immediately. The rest of the ship, however, relieved of weight, floated more level. A second torpedo was fired and hit the after magazine which blew up. A huge reddish purple burst of smoke and flame belched out of the wreck and went up into the calm sky in a tall column with a mushroom of dense blackness at its top. This was an extraordinary and unforgettable sight (as indeed is the sinking of any ship - but the curious formation of the smoke cloud was especially unusual). For a few seconds part of the ship floated so that we imagined she was resting on the bottom, then she disappeared altogether’ (The Battle of the Narrow Seas, refers).

Fifteen of the Berkeley’s ratings were killed off Dieppe.