Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A group of three awarded to Leading Telegraphist W. C. Mair, Royal Navy, killed in action on H.M.S. Amphion, 6 August 1914 - the ship having sunk the minelayer Königin Luise, fell victim to one of her mines, 32 hours after the declaration of war

1914-15 Star (J.1160 L. Tel., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.1160 L. Tel., R.N.); Memorial Plaque (William Carson Mair) nearly extremely fine (lot) £600-800

William Carson Mair was born in Glasgow. A General Labourer by occupation, he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 7 August 1908, being advanced to Boy 1st Class in June 1909. He was rated as Ordinary Telegraphist in July 1910 when on Agamemnon; Telegraphist in June 1911 when on Blake and Acting Leading Telegraphist in July 1913 when on Active. He served on the scout cruiser Amphion from July 1913, being confirmed in the rank of Leading Telegraphist in October 1913.

As such he was aboard the Amphion at the outbreak of hostilities on 4 August 1914, and was consequently present at the first naval engagement of the War when Amphion sank the German mine-layer Königin Luise on the 5th: the very next day, however, Amphion became the first ship of the Royal Navy to be sunk in the War, when she struck one of her victim’s mines. The following account of Amphion’s all too brief wartime career is included:

Great Britain declared war on Germany at 2300 hours on 4 August 1914. In the early hours of the following morning Amphion sailed from the port of Harwich together with four destroyers of the 3rd Flotilla. By daylight on the 5th they were well out in the North Sea sweeping towards the Heligoland Bight.

A few hours after leaving port one of the destroyers received a report from a fishing vessel who had seen an unknown vessel “throwing things over the side” about 20 miles north of Outer Gabbard. At 1025 hours Amphion sighted an unknown steamer and sent destroyers Lance and Landrail to investigate. The steamer was, in fact, the German Königin Luise, a former Hamburg-Holland passenger ferry which had been converted into an auxiliary mine-layer. On the night of 4th August she had left her home port of Emden with cargo of 180 mines and steamed south through the North Sea to lay mines off the Thames Estuary. She resembled the steamers of the Great Eastern Railway that plied between Harwich and the Hook of Holland, and had hurriedly been painted in their colours of black, buff and yellow to disguise herself.

As the two British destroyers approached her, Königin Luise made off at 20 knots altering her course, before disappearing into a rain squall where she lay further mines. The destroyers pursued and at 10.30 Lance opened fire, the first shots of the First World War (the forward gun, which fired the shot, is preserved in the Imperial War Museum). They were soon joined by Amphion, which had won the Fleet Gunnery Prize for 1914, and the German came under a very accurate fire. Königin Luise was only lightly armed and offered little resistance. When her efforts to escape into neutral waters, and to draw the British ships onto her minefield were unavailing, Commander Biermann gave the order to scuttle her. At 1222, on fire amidships and with smoke and steam pouring from her, Königin Luise rolled over to port and sank.

56 of a crew of 130 were rescued by Amphion. Half of these prisoners were incarcerated in a compartment in the cruiser’s bow for the grim reason that “if we go up on a mine, they might as well go first.”

During the action, gun crews from the disengaged side of Amphion crossed over to watch the firing and showed their appreciation of good salvoes by cheering and applauding. After the action Captain Fox mustered all hands and reprimanded the men for leaving their posts. He reminded them that they were at war and each man had to stick to his own duty. The ship’s company saw sense of this and rather enjoyed the lecture.

Returning to Harwich, Amphion then sighted another ship of the same appearance and colours as Königin Luise but this one was flying an enormous German flag. The destroyers opened fire. Captain Fox recognised her as a genuine Great Eastern Railway steamer and signalled to cease fire; at the same time, the vessel hauled down the German colours and raised the red ensign. She was the St. Petersburg, flying the German flag because she was carrying the German ambassador Prince Lichnowsky and his staff to neutral Holland. Her identity and mission established, she was allowed to proceed.

At 0645 hours on 6 August Amphion struck one of the mines laid by the Königin Luise. It exploded just beside the forebridge and broke the ships back. The explosion practically destroyed the bridge; all the occupants, including Captain Fox, were badly burnt, and smoke and flame poured from the slits in the conning tower. All the focsle gun crews were killed, as were many men on the forward mess decks, where the hands were having breakfast. Of the 21 German prisoners in the forward compartment, all but one were killed. Despite his injuries Captain Fox took charge. The ship was well down by the bows and attempts to extinguish the raging fires failed. Abandon ship was ordered. As most of Amphion’s boats had been destroyed, the destroyers sent their boats to rescue the crew. There was no confusion or panic; the survivors fell in on deck and, within twenty minutes of the first explosion, all survivors were aboard the destroyers.

Unfortunately, although Amphion’s engines had been stopped, she still had way on, and at 0730 hours, just as the last boat-load of survivors had been taken off, she struck a second mine. Her magazine detonated in a huge cloud of pale yellow smoke and the fore-part of the ship was completely disintegrated, showering the attending destroyers with debris. One 4 inch shell fell on board the Lark, killing two of Amphion’s men and a German prisoner. Amphion then suddenly slid astern and sank at 07.05. One officer and 150 men were lost.’

Amongst the dead was Leading Telegraphist Mair. His name is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and also on the Freuchie War Memorial, Fife. He was the son of John and Jane McMillan Mair, of Mill Cottage, Glendaruel, Colintraive, Argyll.

With framed Memorial Scroll neamed to ‘Lg. Teleg. William Carson Mair, H.M.S. Amphion’; together with with original letters hand-written by William Mair to his father and mother, dated ‘H.M.S. Amphion, Gibraltar, 3 November 1913 and 22 December 1913; also with a poignant handwritten letter (damaged) written by Mair to his mother on 2 August 1914 - just prior to the onset of war and his own untimely death.

‘My Dearest Mother, ... Late last night Germany declared war on Russia after the terrible tension. As you will see by the paper, this will bring France in this terrible struggle and very possibly Great Britain. ... Germany will have to be crushed this time as she is a menace to the peace of Europe and our existence as a nation. Our part would be mostly naval work to crush the German fleet and as you know we have a superiority regards ships and are almost bound to win in the end but it would be a terrible struggle. Not a few of our best ships would go under. I don’t wish to frighten you in any way but I feel I must tell you the truth. The Amphion and her destroyers would be in the thick of it and I would’nt give much for our chances but you can be assured we won’t go under without having a German in return..... We are ready for sea at a minutes notice and are under war conditions. Guns are manned day and night and only awaiting orders for proceeding to sea which may come at any time.....Your loving boy Will.’

Together with a postcard photograph of the recipient; copied photograph of H.M.S. Amphion; a modern photograph of the name plaque on the Freuchie War Memorial and copied service paper and other research.