Orders, Decorations and Medals

Pair: Fifth Engineer Officer Henry Seymour West, Mercantile Marine, killed in action when the hospital ship Asturias was torpedoed, 20 March 1917

British War and Mercantile Marine War Medals (Henry S. West) nearly extremely fine (2) £100-140

Henry Seymour West was born at St. Anthony-in-Roseland, near Falmouth in 1890. When serving as 5th Engineer Officer on H.M.H.S. Asturias, he was killed in action when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine on the night of 20/21 March 1917. West’s name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial. He was the son of Henry and Eliza West, and husband of May West, of “Colaba”, Grange Lane, Netley Abbey, Southampton.

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company’s liner Asturias was taken over by the Admiralty during the Great War for use as a hospital ship. In March 1917 she had transported wounded from Salonika and had landed them safely at Avonmouth. On the night of 20/21 March 1917 she was continuing her journey up the Bristol Channel with all lights burning and the red crosses on her side clearly visible, when she was torpedoed by a German submarine 6 miles off Start Point. The number of persons on board at the time was 206, of which 49 were nurses. The explosion caused 45 deaths, 29 of which were crew - one of whom was 5th Officer West. Although holed in the stern, the vessel remained afloat and was towed and beached at Bolt Head. She was subsequently refloated, towed to Plymouth and was used for the remainder of the war as an ammunition hulk. After the war she was refitted and in 1923 she returned to service as the cruise ship Arcadian. She was laid up in 1930 and sold for scrap in 1933.

With copied research and photographs.