Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: attributed to Petty Officer G. B. Colclough, Royal Navy, killed in action serving aboard H.M.S. Galatea, 15 December 1941

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, unnamed as issued, extremely fine (4) £60-80

The cruiser Galatea was a unit of the 15th Cruiser Squadron operating in the Mediterranean. On the night of 14 December 1941, the squadron was returning to Alexandria after an unsuccessful search for an enemy convoy, when it was attacked by German dive bombers. The attack persisted for some seven hours. Then, just before midnight the Galatea became the target of the German submarine U-557 and was hit by two torpedoes in quick succession. Within three minutes the cruiser turned over and sank, taking with her the captain, 22 other officers and 447 ratings. About 100 survivors were picked up by the destroyers Griffin and Hotspur. Petty Officer Colclough was amongst those killed. His name is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

With Admiralty condolence slip named to ‘Geoffrey Beckett Colclough’ - this additionally and more recently inscribed, ‘Petty officer in H.M.S. Galatea torpedoed off Crete’; with card forwarding box (address label removed); postcard of H.M.S. Galatea; P.O. cloth badge, and copied research.