Auction Catalogue

4 July 2001

Starting at 12:00 PM

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Miniature Medals

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

Lot

№ 1064

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4 July 2001

Hammer Price:
£310

A Gallantry M.S.M. group of three awarded to Sergeant E. J. Cox, Warwickshire Yeomanry, for gallantry at sea when the Transport Wayfarer was torpedoed in April 1915

British War and Victory Medals (1468 Sjt., Warwick. Yeo.); Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (1468 Sjt., 1/1 War. Yeo.) nearly extremely fine (3) £300-350

M.S.M. London Gazette 6 September 1918: ‘For devotion to duty on the occasion of the sinking or damage by enemy action of Hospital Ships, Transports and Store Ships.’

On the 10th April 1915, the Transport
Wayfarer sailed for Egypt, having on board, under the command of Major R. A. Richardson, five other officers with 189 N.C.O.s and men, and 763 horses amd mules. The following day, when 60 miles W.N.W. of the Scilly Isles, the ship was struck by a torpedo on the port side just forward of the engine room. Both the engine room and boilers were flooded. All on board went to their boat stations and the boats with their occupants were safely got away with one exception, which capsized with the loss of three men of the Warwickshire Yeomanry and one of the Army Service Corps. An hour later a small trading steamer, the S.S. Framfield, came to the rescue and all were transferred on board.

A few hours later the
Wayfarer was still afloat and Major Richardson, after consultation with the Captain of the Wayfarer, Captain Cownie, decided to return to the ship and, fortunately was able to save the life of a Private, who had been left behind and almost drowned under the bales of hay in one of the holds. Another Private was also found drowned in the hay hold.

After working amongst the horses, Major Richardson decided to call for a fatigue party of twenty men from the
Framfield to assist and Lieutenants Yorke and Palmer arrived with eighteen men, who in conjunction with the ship’s officers managed to carry on the work. Meanwhile H.M.T. Newlyn had come up and Lieutenant Gooch and 115 men were taken on board for conveyance to Falmouth. The Framfield, still with two officers and 53 men of the Warwickshire Yeomanry on board, volunteered to take the Wayfarer in tow and headed for Queenstown. With six holds flooded out of nine and the horses up to their knees in water, progress was slow. On the morning of the 13th two Admiralty tugs relieved the Framfield and took the Wayfarer in tow, which was safely anchored in Queenstown Harbour later that afternoon. 760 animals were safely landed, only three horses having been lost, one of pneumonia and two by accident.

On 29th April 1915, Major Richardson, three officers and 130 men, with 80 horses, embarked on board H.M.T.
Lake Manitoba and sailed for Egypt, where Sergeant E. J. Cox unfortunately died of disease, at Alexandria, on 10 August 1915. Two M.C.s and 18 M.S.M.s were awarded to the Warwickshire Yeomanry for this incident. Sold with copy Medal Index Card which also shows entitlement to the 1914-15 Star.