Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Lieutenant R. D. Whiteway-Wilkinson, D.S.C., R.N., who was decorated for services in H.M. Submarine Truant in 1940, and was killed whilst in command of H.M. Submarine P. 33 when she was lost with all hands in the Mediterranean in August 1941

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Ward Medal, all unnamed as issued, contained in card box of issue named to ‘Mr R. H. Whiteway-Wilkinson’ and named Admiralty condolence slip ‘Lieutenant Reginald Denis Whiteway-Wilkinson’, good very fine (4) £400-500

D.S.C. London Gazette 9 May 1940.

Awarded for ‘successful submarine operations against the enemy. Torpedoed the German cruiser Karlsruhe in the Skagerrak on 10 April 1940. She was sunk by her own forces next day’ (Seedie’s Submarine List refers).

Reginald Denis Whiteway-Wilkinson was born in Devon in 1914, and was appointed Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy on 16 September 1934, becoming Lieutenant on 16 April 1936. After successful patrols serving in H.M. Submarine Truant at the outset of war, he was given command of H.M. Submarine H. 31, October 1940 to April 1941. On 21 April 1941, he took command of the brand new submarine P. 33, departing her builders yard at Barrow for Holy Loch, for a period of trials and training before departing for Malta, where she arrived on 6 July 1941. On 11 July P. 33 left Malta for her 1st war patrol and, on 15 July, attacked a convoy and torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant ship Barbarigo off Pantellaria Island, returning to Malta the following day.

On 6 August 1941 P. 33 departed Malta for her 2nd war patrol with orders to patrol a line off Tripoli in company with H.M.S. P. 32 and H.M.S. Unique. On 15 August, Unique tried to make contact with P. 33 by S.S.T but without success and she was probably mined some time before on one of the sections of the ‘T’ minefield. His death was officially recorded as 20 August 1941, and his name is recorded on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. He was the son of Reginald Hampton Whiteway-Wilkinson, of Newton Abbot, Devon. Sold with copies of Truant’s war patrols and other research.