Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A most unusual Second World War B.E.F. 1940 operations D.C.M. group of six awarded to Sergeant J. T. Carr, 2nd Surrey Regiment, Royal Artillery, who was decorated for his gallantry below deck in the destroyer H.M.S. Grafton when she was torpedoed off Dunkirk in May 1940

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (1052363 Sjt. J. T. Carr, R.A.); 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Army L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue, Regular Army (1052363 Sjt. J. T. Carr, R.A.), mounted as worn, naming on the first and last scratched and worn, contact marks and polished, nearly very fine or better (6) £3000-3500

D.C.M. London Gazette 27 October 1940. The original recommendation states:

‘This N.C.O. was in H.M.S. Grafton on 29 May 1940, when the ship was struck by a torpedo in Dunkirk harbour. He was among a party of troops of various units between the decks. When the torpedo struck there was a rush for the nearest exit. Sergeant Carr immediately took charge and by his cool behaviour stopped the panic and kept the men quiet between decks until the order was given to embark on the rescue ship. Sergeant Carr then assisted the wounded men and did all in his power to help the evacuation of the ship. His final act before leaving the Grafton was to go back below decks and rescue a wounded man who had been forgotten.’

In the early morning of 29 May 1940, H.M.S. Grafton, under Commander Cecil Robinson, R.N., was returning to Dover with troops rescued from Dunkirk and came upon the sinking British destroyer H.M.S. Wakeful, which had been hit by a German E-Boat. Also at the scene were the drifters Comfort and Nautilus as well as the minesweeper Lydd. Grafton went alongside and began taking men aboard when she was torpedoed by the U-62 - the torpedo hit her stern, and then a second hitherto unexplained explosion occurred in the bridge area, killing the Captain and three other officers - here then the moment Carr got to work evacuating the troops below deck. The torpedo had blown the destroyer’s stern off but she remained afloat and on an even keel. At this juncture, the drifter Comfort, having been swamped by the torpedo detonation and forced to cast off from Wakeful, was sighted by the Lydd and mistaken for an E-boat - engaged by the stricken Grafton and rammed by the Lydd, she went down with only five survivors. After taking off as many men as possible from the Grafton, Lydd returned to Dover. Later in the day the destroyer Ivanhoe arrived at the scene and, after an attempt at taking the stricken ship in tow failed, and in consideration of the danger posed by remaining in the area, Ivanhoe's Captain ordered that the Grafton be finished off by torpedo.