Orders, Decorations and Medals

A good Great War minesweeping operations D.S.C. group of seven awarded to Chief Officer H. Terry, Merchant Navy, late Royal Naval Reserve, who added a King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct to his accolades on the occasion the S.S. Maywood was mined in the Bristol Channel in March 1941

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1919; 1914-15 Star (Lt., R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut., R.N.R.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45; King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct oval plastic badge, good very fine or better (8) £1400-1600

D.S.C. London Gazette 24 March 1919:

‘Honours for minesweeping operations between 1 July and 31 December 1918.’

King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct London Gazette 13 May 1941.

Harry Terry commenced his wartime career in hired paddle minesweepers as a Lieutenant in the Duchess of Montrose in July 1915, removing shortly thereafter to the Duchess of Kent and, in the summer of 1916, as captain, to the Bourne. Then in September of the following year, having also served in the Verdun, he assumed command of his old ship, the Duchess of Kent, in which capacity he appears to have been employed until the end of hostilities. Awarded the D.S.C., he was demobilised from the Royal Naval Reserve in January 1920; for an account of the extremely hazardous nature of these minesweeping operations and mention of Terry and his assorted ships, see Swept Channels, by Captain Taprell Dorling, D.S.O.

Of Terry’s career between the Wars little remains known, other than the fact he must have taken a Chief Officer’s Certificate in the Merchant Navy in same period, and by January 1941 he was serving in that rank aboard the S.S. Maywood. At around 1100 hours on the 15th of that month, while bound from Cardiff to Liverpool with a cargo of coal, she struck a mine and had to be beached. Captain W. S. Harrison later reported:

‘I was on the bridge at the time of the explosion and was knocked unconscious for about five minutes. When I came round the Pilot and Compass Adjuster had gone off in one of the lifeboats. I do not know who gave the order to lower the boat, but the Fireman, Steward and Wireless Operator were also in this boat. The ship continued to steam round and we were unable to stop the engines. The steam pipes were fractured, but after a time we managed to shut off the port boiler ... As I was knocked unconscious by the explosion I did not see exactly what happened, but I am told that there was a loud bang, but no flash or smoke. The crew aft saw a column of water which was thrown to a height of 30 to 40 feet. The ship did not list until she started to take water ... ’

At length, two tugs arrived on the scene, and beached the Maywood about 1440 on the same day, but Captain Harrison and Terry remained aboard until the salvage authorities arrived. Both were duly awarded the King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct.