Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War ‘Submarine Service’ D.S.M. awarded to Able Seaman R. Allen, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (214970 A.B., Submarine Service 1917) slight contact marks, very fine £800-900

D.S.M. London Gazette 2 November 1917. ‘... for services in submarines in enemy waters’.

Robert Allen was born in Limavady, Londonderry, on 5 October 1885. A Message Boy by occupation, he entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 14 May 1901. He was promoted to Boy 1st Class when on the Black Prince in August 1902, Ordinary Seaman when on the Royal Oak in October 1903 and attained the rank of Able Seaman when on the same ship in February 1905. He was discharged to shore by purchase on 3 February 1912 and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve. Recalled to active service in August 1914, he entered the Submarine Service, mostly based on the depot ships Dolphin and Maidstone. He was based on the the cruiser Fearless, March-December 1917, which was the 12th Submarine Flotilla Leader attached to the Grand Fleet based at Rosyth - the flotilla composed of the infamous ‘K’ Class submarines. For his services on submarines during the year 1917 he was awarded the D.S.M. He was again based on the Fearless and served on the submarine K.8, 4 January-8 March 1918. The vesssel was not present at the ‘battle of May Island’ and both Allen and the submarine survived the war; the submarine being sold for scrap in 1923, Allen being demobilised on 9 June 1921. Sold with copied service paper.