Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Second World War ‘Plymouth Air Raid’ M.B.E. group of nine awarded to Commissioned Gunner C. C. Clarke, Royal Navy

The Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) 2nd type; British War and Victory Medals (J.77122 Boy 1 R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., coinage head (P.O. H.M.S. Lucia) together with original Warrant for M.B.E., various photographs taken throughout his career, investiture tickets and some Admiralty letters, the Great War pair with contact marks, nearly very fine, otherwise good very fine (9) £300-350

M.B.E. London Gazette 5 August 1941: ‘For bravery and enterprise during enemy air raids on the city of Plymouth.’

Gunner Clarke was awarded the M.B.E. for bravery during a heavy night raid on Plymouth on 28 April 1941. He was then serving on H.M.S. Defiance and was engaged in fire-fighting on that night.

Cyril Charles Clark joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16 as a Boy II on 27 August 1917. He served in H.M.S. New Zealand during the last months of the war and subsequently in Carysfort 1919, Cairo 1921-24, Curlew 1927, and Delhi 1927-28. During 1927 he was serving during the troubles in China. He was commissioned as Gunner (T) on 19 June 1940, and after his service in Defiance he was appointed to the cruiser Norfolk in August 1942. Except for the North Africa landings in 1942, Norfolk served in the Arctic and was in action against the Scharnhorst, along with the light cruisers Sheffield and Belfast on 26 December 1943. Norfolk was first to spot the Scharnhorst and opened fire at 0920 with six 8-inch broadsides in two minutes, scoring hits on her port 15 cm gun and torpedo tubes, as well as her main radar aerial and port HA director. When action resumed at 1225, Norfolk bore the brunt of Scharnhorst’s fire because Norfolk was the only cruiser which did not have flashless cordite and provided a perfect aiming point. One 11-inch shell hit ‘X’ turret rendering it un-operable and the magazine had to be flooded. Smoke filled the engine rooms, but speed was maintained until later when a fire had to be fought. She joined Duke of York at 1650 in the final shelling of Scharnhorst from 12,000 yards and the German battleship was sunk at 1945. At 1948, Norfolk helped in the search for survivors but only 36 were saved from a complement of some 1400. Clarke was released from active duty on 25 October 1945 and died shortly afterwards.