Orders, Decorations and Medals

An outstanding Second World War Arctic convoys D.S.M., post-war B.E.M. group of eight awarded to Chief Petty Officer A. T. E. Powell, Royal Navy, who was decorated for his gallantry as Gunner’s Mate in the destroyer H.M.S. Onslow during convoy PQ-18: he was similarly employed during that destroyer’s epic engagement with the mighty Hipper in the Barents Sea in December 1942 - a desperate encounter in which Onslow’s captain won the Victoria Cross and 40 of his crew were killed or wounded in less than two minutes

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (J. 113208 A. T. E. Powell, P.O.); British Empire Medal, (Civil) E.II.R. (Albert Thomas Edward Powell); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Defence and War Medals; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1945-48 (D/J. 113208 A. T. E. Powell, D.S.M., C.P.O., R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (J. 113208 A. T. E. Powell, P.O., H.M.S. Onslow), the seventh with one or two minor official corrections, good very fine and better (8)
£2500-3000

D.S.M. London Gazette 1 December 1942. The original recommendation states:
‘As Gunner’s Mate of the ship he carried out his duties in an exemplary manner and set a fine example of steadiness and efficiency throughout an exceptionally long and arduous operation. His presence and composure never failed and inspired all the young and less experienced ratings who came into contact with him.’

B.E.M. London Gazette 1 January 1973.

Albert Thomas Edward Powell was born in Bangalore, India in November 1909 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in March 1925. Advanced to Petty Officer in the destroyer H.M.S. Zulu in May 1939, he saw action off Norway before coming ashore to the training establishment Drake in January 1941. Further appointments at other shore establishments having followed, Powell joined the destroyer Onslow in October 1941, aboard which ship he remained until July 1944, thereby seeing more than his fair share of active service on the Arctic run, initially under Captain H. T. “Beaky” Armstrong, D.S.C., R.N.

Following the disaster of PQ-17 in July 1942, when 24 of our ships were lost to U-boats and the Luftwaffe, the Admiralty postponed Arctic convoys until September, when PQ-18 was mounted, this time with a Royal Navy escort that employed over 70 ships to defend 40 merchantmen - nonetheless 13 of those merchantmen were sunk. And it was for his gallant deeds in this momentous operation that Powell was awarded the D.S.M., Onslow accounting for one of three U-boats destroyed. Of Onslow’s U-boat victory, the Rear-Admiral (D.) wrote in his official report:

‘Shadowing aircraft and a U-boat were heard making homing signals during most of the forenoon [of 14 September 1942]. At about 0950 one of Avenger’s Swordfish carrying out an A./S. patrol reported she had caused a U-boat to dive about five miles on the starboard of the convoy. Onslow was sent to investigate and 15 minutes later reported smoke and then a U-boat on the surface. The great value of R./T. was here demonstrated in getting ships quickly off the mark. The U-boat dived and Onslow counter-attacked, dropping five patterns. She later reported “oil, air bubbles, wreckage of wooden gratings and some green vegetables” before she reluctantly left the position with only one pattern of depth-charges remaining ... On her way back to the convoy Onslow passed wreckage of an enemy plane with four members of the Luftwaffe enthroned upon it.’

This was the same day the Luftwaffe delivered no less than eight major assaults against PQ-18, large forces of Ju. 88s, He. 111s and He. 115s unleashing a torrent of bombs and torpedoes, many of the latter finding their mark - in fact so thick was the sky with enemy aircraft that the Commodore likened them to ‘a cloud of phantom locusts’, a scene all the more impressive with the intense A.A. fire put up by all ships: by the time PQ-18 reached its destination, 40 enemy aircraft had been claimed as shot down.

Powell, Onslow’s Gunner’s Mate, was recommended for the D.S.M.

Hot on the heels of PQ-18, and the return trip to the U.K., QP-14, came one of the great convoy duels of the War, namely Onslow’s and Orwell’s extraordinarily brave stand against the mighty Hipper during the course of JW-51B in late December 1942, an action that sent Hitler into one of his rages - much to the detriment of future German naval policy - and one which resulted in the award of the V.C. to Captain R. St. V. Sherbooke, D.S.O., Onslow’s new skipper: Powell was present throughout.

As described in Dudley Pope’s 73 North, Admiral Kummetz in the Hipper was initially reluctant to close, fearful of a torpedo strike due to Sherbrooke’s bold manoeuvring, but, in the fullness of time, her 8-inch guns found their mark. Pope takes up the story:

‘Kummetz realized he had been outmanoeuvred by Sherbrooke in his first attack on the convoy and prepared for the second. He turned the Hipper eastwards at 0957 on to a course parallel to the Onslow and Orwell and opened fire with all four turrets. However, both destroyers fired back vigorously and three minutes later the Hipper altered away to the obscurity of the north-east.
All the time Kummetz was being driven farther away from the convoy, and although this meant that because of the bad light and the shortcomings of the radar it was out of effective range of his guns, it would perhaps give the Lutzow a better chance when she attacked from the south. Then he saw the enemy had followed round boldly - almost impertinently - on his starboard quarter, carefully keeping between him and the merchantmen.
Four minutes later, at 1004, he decided to make his third sally and this time the Hipper came round to the south-east to a course converging on the Onslow and Orwell. For four minutes she steamed along, her 8-inch guns blazing away. But although the two British destroyers weaved to dodge the shells, they still stubbornly steered in an easterly direction, effectively cutting Kummetz off from the convoy.
Once again, at 1008, he took the Hipper away to the north-east and ceased firing, as if to regain his breath. Then at 1013 he decided to make a fourth attack and turned the Hipper to the south-east to bring all her eight 8-inch guns and as many of the 4.1-inch anti-aircraft guns as possible to bear on the two destroyers and overwhelm them. At the same time he signalled to his force: “Hipper to the north of the convoy and there are four enemy destroyers between us and the convoy.”

This was an ambiguous signal because the Onslow and Orwell were the only two ships then fighting him off. The Obedient and Obdurate were steaming down towards the convoy, and the Achates, already badly hit, was still faithfully laying smoke.

Kummetz’s own three destroyers now formed up astern of the Hipper, which was increasing speed and firing fast at the Onslow and Orwell. They in turn were steaming along just forward of her beam. It was an unequal contest and, since the Hipper’s gunners would soon get the Onslow’s range, it could surely have only one outcome.

The Hipper’s eight 8-inch guns fired a broadside weighing more than 2000 lb., and the six 4.1-inch anti-aircraft guns added another 200 lb. In reply the Onslow’s two guns (two were still frozen up) fired a 96 lb. reply and the Orwell’s four 4-inch guns a 124 lb. broadside. A total of more than 2200 lb. versus 220 lb. Thus the Hipper had the advantage of being able to fire nearly a ton more of high explosives and in addition she knew the guns of the Onslow and Orwell could do her little harm ... ’

What followed led to the award of the Victoria Cross to Sherbrooke, for it was to his command that the Hipper first turned her attention, again and again ominous red glows rippling along the enemy cruiser’s side as she fired her 8-inch guns - several found their mark, turning the little destroyer into a mass of flames forward, but Sherbrooke remained in command on the bridge, despite being grievously wounded by a shell splinter - his left eye was hanging down his face. But such harrowing scenes were common enough, 40 of the ship’s company having been killed or wounded in less than two minutes - the Captain of the Orwell saw Onslow take at least three direct hits, the resultant ‘pulsating nucleus of fire’ convincing him that she would blow up. As it transpired, the badly damaged Onslow was able to return to the convoy, while Orwell continued to hold off the Hipper; meanwhile to the south, the pocket battleship Lutzow failed to take advantage of events to the north, and when a signal was received warning of the imminent arrival of the British cruisers Sheffield and Jamaica, both enemy capital ships, and their destroyer escort, beat a hasty retreat - but nonetheless exchanged fire with their newly arrived adversaries.

Onslow and her consorts had indeed won a great victory, none of JW-51B’s merchantmen being lost, the whole reaching Murmansk. But the extent of the victory was actually far greater than anyone might have imagined, for Hitler’s aforementioned rage resulted in the resignation of Grand Admiral Raeder and with it the ending of the dream of another German High Seas Fleet.

In addition to Sherbrooke’s V.C., Onslow’s crew won six D.S.Cs, eight D.S.Ms and several “mentions”, Powell’s recently gazetted award of the D.S.M. no doubt precluding him from further reward on this occasion. He remained on the Arctic run in Onslow until the summer of 1944, latterly under the command of Captain J. A. McCoy, D.S.O., R.N., and was advanced to Chief Petty Officer at a shore establishment in January 1945 - he finally received his D.S.M. at a Buckingham Palace investiture held in March 1945.

Pensioned ashore in November 1949, Powell joined the Coast Guard, and was awarded the B.E.M. in the New Year Honours List of 1973, while stationed at Margate in Kent.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including Admiralty card notifying the recipient of his attendance being required at a Buckingham Palace investiture on 20 March 1945, together with related admittance ticket; one or two wartime photographs, including Onslow in Grand Harbour, Valetta, during her brief sojourn on the Malta run; and Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for his B.E.M., together with related Department of Trade and Industry correspondence.