Auction Catalogue

25 & 26 June 2014

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Washington Mayfair Hotel  London  W1J 5HE

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Lot

№ 1211

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26 June 2014

Hammer Price:
£2,900

An outstanding Second World War Coastal Forces D.S.M. group of four awarded to Chief Motor Mechanic 3rd Class R. H. White, Royal Navy, who, having been mentioned in despatches for gallant services under “Hitch” Hichens in M.G.B. 65 in December 1941, won a fine D.S.M. for another firefight in July 1942 - in which all of his shipmates were wounded - and a second “mention” for an equally spectacular action off Cherbourg in May 1944

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (MX. 69116 R. H. White, A./Ch. Mtr. Mech.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf, the first and last with contact marks and polished, thus nearly very fine (4) £1600-1800

D.S.M. London Gazette 29 September 1942:

‘For enterprise and coolness in action against enemy E-Boats and armed Trawlers off the Dutch Coast whilst serving in H.M. Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gun Boats.’

The original recommendation states:

‘When a 20 mm. shell entered this rating’s engine room, piercing the exhaust pipe of the port and starboard engines, he remained cool and carried out the necessary repairs efficiently. While flames were pouring from the starboard exhaust he remained in the engine room in order that his boat could use two engines to clear the scene of the action. During this time he was overcome by exhaust gases and was removed unconscious from the engine room. On recovering, he re-entered the engine room with a gas mask and continued to work there until his ship was clear of the action.’

Raymond Harold White was born in Portsmouth in July 1915 and entered the Royal Navy as an Acting Chief Motor Mechanic 4th Class in July 1940. Having then attended H.M.S.
Osprey at Portland and the Coastal Forces ‘working up’ base St. Christopher at Fort William, where he was posted to M.G.B. 61 in the 6th M.G.B. Flotilla at Beehive, the Coastal Forces base at Felixstowe - and his Flotilla C.O. was to become a Coastal Forces legend, namely “Hitch” Hichens, the winner of two D.S.Os and three D.S.Cs prior to his death in April 1943.

Firefight - Nore area - night of 19-20 December 1941: first “mention”

On account of M.G.B. 61 undergoing repairs in late 1941, White joined M.G.B. 65, under Lieutenant George Duncan, R.C.N.V.R., and it was in this capacity that he won his first “mention”, for gallantry in a firefight with R-Boats in the Nore area on the night of 19-20 December 1941. And along for the ride was “Hitch” Hichens. Gunboat Command, by his son, Anthony Hichens, takes up the story:

‘One such period included the night of 19-20 December 1941 when Hitch took a patrol of the Sixth Flotilla in the direction of the Dutch coast. The initial visibility was only half a cable with fog and the M.G.Bs did not get clear of the convoy route until after 2300. They then set a course for their patrol position, but off the Aldeburgh Light Buoy they had yet again one of their technical setbacks when
63 stopped, having lost a blade off her centre propeller, which set up a vibration causing her P bracket to break away. The rest of the patrol did not notice that she was gone for a short time but then returned to look for her. Failing to find anything in the fog, they set off again on patrol. Hitch was in 65 as Senior Officer, where Sub-Lieutenant George Duncan, R.C.N.V.R. was now the Commanding Officer. He had in company M.G.B. 67 under the command of Boffin Campbell.


The fog gradually cleared and the two M.G.Bs reached their operational area just after three o'clock in the morning. As usual, they cut engines and lay in wait listening. At 0315 they caught sight of three boats about 300 yards away, two probably 140 foot R-boats, the German equivalent of an M.L., and the third an E-boat. The M.G.Bs engaged, at about a cable, passing down the side of the three German boats at high speed twice before losing contact in the dark. Contact was made again half an hour later with a further exchange of fire, but with their light weapons the M.G.Bs only inflicted superficial damage. Again they lost contact so stopped to listen. They had overshot the R-boats who, in due course, came up to the M.G.Bs lying silently in their path. Hitch then ordered
65 to make a depth charge attack but, as she ran in, three more enemy vessels came on the scene, so 65 crossed the bows of the leading boat and dropped its charge close ahead of her, probably causing damage. The two M.G.Bs continued to search for the enemy, finding them again at 0435 and engaging, again dropping depth charges. The two M.G.Bs then lost contact with each other but both separately sighted enemy units, engaging once more. Observing each other's gunfire in the dark the two M.G.Bs came together again at 0455 but found no further sign of the enemy.

It was an inconclusive engagement but that was not surprising in a pitch black night, with no radar, no guns capable of stopping vessels twice their size, and fighting two to six. The lesson learnt from the depth charge attacks was that one needed to drop the charge a paint-scraping-ten-feet ahead of an oncoming vessel to be sure of the explosion coming under her with lethal effect, not the fifty yards they had tried. But expecting decisive results when your only heavy weapon is a canister of explosive, to be dropped only yards ahead of the enemy, was expecting a great deal of the aggressive spirit of Coastal Forces captains. Only a courageous few attempted it.’

White, in common with his skipper and Hichens, was mentioned in despatches (
London Gazette 3 March 1942 refers).

Firefight - Dutch coast - night of 28-29 July 1942: D.S.M.

As cited above, White was awarded the D.S.M. for his courage in M.G.B. 67 on the night of 29 July 1942, during a protracted firefight with E-Boats and armed Trawlers off the Dutch coast. His skipper, Temporary Acting Lieutenant-Commander G. E. Bailey, R.N.V.R., won a D.S.O. on the same occasion. And, as described by fellow crew member Able Seaman Roland Clarke in Gunboat Command, it involved yet another daring depth charge attack, in addition to murderous return fire:

‘I had not long to wait for my baptism of fire. Our patrol had begun on the night of 29 July as it usually did, about 9 p.m. All crews on board by 8.30.
67, 61 and 60 slipped from the harbour in line ahead out past the boom defence and then into V formation with nine engines at three quarter throttle, the roar vibrating for miles around and past the Cork and then the Sunk light vessels, wrecks in sight. Here the order for action stations and a practise shoot at the sunken masts. Then the order would be to keep an extra sharp look out as soon as we were well over our own shipping lane. Darkness falls about eleven o'clock leaving us with roughly ninety miles to go to the Dutch coast at Ijmuiden. With thirty miles to go, on silencers. No smoking is the order. Even this small light would be noticed miles away. We are closing in now to the enemy coast and gradually turning to starboard to start a patrol down to Ostend, past the mouth of the Scheldt. Nothing to report. Down the coast we go, still on silencers. We have not even been spotted as yet. At Zeebrugge we stop engines and lower the hydrophones over the side. All is still and quiet except for the occasional wave as it laps the side of the boat. A report! Engines can be heard on the hydrophones. All is tense. ‘Disengage silencers! Start up engines. Full speed ahead.’ We make our way past Ostend and at 2.15 we spot a faint blue light, ‘Action Stations’ are given. Speed is the thing, and surprise, but evidently we were not the only ones looking for trouble. We were challenged and apparently had met two of our own M.T.Bs under Lieutenant ‘Harpy’ Lloyd, RN, also intent on destroying the convoy, which could now be seen silhouetted in the darkness. Lloyd goes in from seaward and fires both fish, hitting the first merchant ship. Both 61 and 60 had gone between shore and convoy to distract their attention. As we turned to attack the second merchant vessel, three flak trawlers which had not before been spotted were on the point of turning about to engage us. But 67 was not dismayed. In we went until not a gun on the merchantman could bear on us. As soon as we were under her bows a depth charge was dropped. This finished the second vessel. Now for the flak trawlers. At this time they were in line ahead and we were going straight for them, with 61 and 60 attacking from their rear. What the remaining crew did not know was that the Coxswain, Commanding Officer and First Lieutenant were out and the boat was careering along on its own with the port 0.5 turret on fire and fire in the engine room and a hole in the bows at waterline level a yard across. Several of our crew were killed but the Coxswain, C.O. and First Lieutenant were not too serious, but were however out of action. Bunts Newton from Catford and myself were able to deal with the fire on deck and the engine room personnel with the one below and the Skipper gave us our course for home before we gave him morphia. It was 2.35 when we started back, Bunts and myself taking turns at the wheel and the mess deck pumps, the mess deck being half full of water up to our waists. The C.O. must have been spot on with the course. We hit the Sunk light vessel at 5.30 and entered harbour with a crash stop with wire hawsers, fire tenders, pumps and ambulances standing by.’

White was awarded the D.S.M., which distinction he received at a Buckingham Palace investiture in April 1943.

Firefight - English Channel - 11-12 May 1944: second “mention”

In October 1943, he joined M.T.B. 451, under Lieutenant John “Jumper” Collins, R.N.V.R, at Hornet, the Gosport base, but was back at Beehive by the time of his next major engagement - namely another full-on firefight off Cherbourg on the night of 11-12 May 1944, on which occasion he was attached to M.T.B. 450’s crew, John Dixon, R.N.V.R., an old Hichens’ hand. Leonard Reynolds takes up the story in Home Waters M.T.Bs & M.G.Bs at War 1939-45:

‘Even more significant to the preparations for the invasion, however, was the successful action fought off Cherbourg on 11-12 May by the new 35th Flotilla led by Lt. John Dudley Dixon, very soon after they had moved to Newhaven from Felixstowe. Dixon had served with Hichens in the 6th M.G.B. Flotilla and proved to be a very similar type of commander. His unit on this first Channel patrol was
450, 453 (Lt. Neil Watson R.N.Z.N.V.R.) and 454 (Lt. Eoin Glennie). Signals from the Portsmouth plot directed them to intercept unidentified vessels moving west from Cherbourg. They stopped to keep hydrophone watch and detected ships now moving east, so they took up a position closer to the entrance of Cherbourg harbour. After stalking for two hours, they finally sighted a line of four ships - two large trawlers, a large merchantman, and a fourth vessel, possibly another trawler.

Despite being in an up-moon position, Dixon decided he could not delay his attack any further, as the ships could so easily enter Cherbourg.
450 and 453 moved in to deliver a zone attack, and were able to close to 1,200 yards before heavy fire was met. They went on regardless, and fired four torpedoes at the largest target from 700 yards. A large tongue of flame erupted from her forecastle, and shortly after there was a further explosion and she keeled over to starboard. At once Dixon split his force and disengaged, taking 450 to port to attack the trawlers and sending 454 and 453 to starboard to fire at the fourth in line. 450, with a 2-pounder Pom-Pom for’d, set the second trawler on fire, while the others, with their even more potent 6-pounders, savaged the last in line. All boats suffered damage and casualties: in 450 Dixon himself was wounded in both thighs, one of the crew was killed and five more (including two officers on the bridge) were injured. The C.O. of 453 and two of 454’s crew were also wounded, one later dying of his wounds.

Both the C.O. of H.M.S.
Aggressive at Newhaven (who particularly praised Dixon's courage in bringing 450 back and steering her alongside even though painfully wounded) and Admiral Charles Little, C.-in-C. Portsmouth, commended Dixon and the crews of his boats for the way in which the attack had been pressed home so gallantly.’

White was mentioned in despatches (
London Gazette 25 July 1944 refers).

Sadly, in yet another engagement in July 1944, and having returned to his old boat, M.T.B.
451, he was present when his skipper, “Jumper” Collins, was killed in an action with four E-Boats off Cap d’Antifer.

He remained actively engaged in M.T.B.
451 until September 1944, and ended the War with appointments in the Coastal Forces’ Mobile Units at Midge and Hornet, from which latter establishment he came ashore in December 1945.

Sold with the recipient’s original Certificate of Service and M.I.D. certificates, the latter trimmed down for framing.