Auction Catalogue

4 April 2001

Starting at 1:00 PM

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Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Regus Conference Centre  12 St James Square  London  SW1Y 4RB

Lot

№ 1017

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4 April 2001

Hammer Price:
£1,500

A scarce Great War D.S.C. group of five awarded to 2nd Lieutenant D. Harding, Royal Marine Artillery, serving with the R.M.A. Siege Guns in Belgium

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., the reverse inscribed ‘Lieut., Royal Marine Artillery 1918’; British War and Victory Medals (2.Lt., R.M.); Defence Medal; Belgian Croix de Guerre 1914-18, good very fine (5) £1200-1500

D.S.C. London Gazette 15 February 1919: ‘2nd Lieut. Daniel Harding, R.M.A. For services with the Royal Marine Artillery Siege Gun Detachment in Flanders. On the 28th March, 1918, at “Carnac” Battery, near Oost Dunkirk, after extricating himself from the debris caused by an enemy shell bursting in his gun position, displayed marked coolness in attending to the wounded and assisting to extinguish a fire. Has since shown zeal and devotion to duty on all occasions.’

In January 1918 the 6th Belgian Division took over the Dunkirk sector and the R.M.A. Siege Guns henceforth worked in conjunction with them. The guns were organised into three groups, each with five or six guns ranging in size from 7.5-inch to 12-inch. “Carnac” Battery had two 9.2-inch guns. The guns were on ships’ mountings with girders and concrete platforms and the garrison were in concrete pits covered with sand. By constant work it was possible to keep enough sand on top of the emplacements to keep out even an 11-inch shell.

The role of the Siege Guns was to act in conjunction with the Senior Naval Officer, Dunkirk, for any services required by H.M. Fleet, and generally entailed engaging the coast batteries, from Ostende to Raversyde, which harrassed the monitors and other craft; secondly to co-operate with the Belgian artillery in counter-battery work and to carry out shoots on distant tactical points. The German artillery was very powerful, ranging from 38 cm. guns in Jacobnissen battery to 10.5 cm. at Antwerpen. Their mountings had all round training and could therefore fire at points behind the lines, such as Nieuport dock gates, Furnes La Panne, etc., as well as seawards.

In March 1918, the Germans bombarded Dunkirk, even more aggressively than usual, and the 12-inch guns were called to retaliate. On 18th March, an enemy shell hit the right gun of “Carnac” battery, and dismounted a gun, causing a fire. A little later in the month, a shell buried a good many of the crew and damaged the gun pit of the same battery. Lieutenant D. Harding, after extricating himself, did most valuable work in extinguishing the fire and attending to the wounded; he was also awarded the D.S.C.

In the Zeebrugge-Ostende operation on 22nd-23rd April, the Siege Guns bombarded the batteries West of Ostend, in conjunction with the monitors and the aerial attacks. The dispatches stated that the shooting of the monitors and Siege Guns was undoubtedly useful as a blind, and kept down the fire of the shore batteries. In the further attack on Ostend on 9th-10th May, fire was opened by monitors, Siege Guns and air squadron, by order of the Commodore, and their fire undoubtedly gave the enemy a warm time. Only twelve D.S.C’s were won by the Siege Guns during the Great War.