Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Second World War naval diver’s B.E.M. group of eight awarded to Shipwright 2 D. B. Boyle, Royal Navy, who later lost his life in a diving accident off Hong Kong

British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (Shpt. 3 Cl. David B. Boyle, P/MX. 55083); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45; Korea 1950-53 (P/MX. 55083 D. B. Boyle, B.E.M., Shpt. 2, R.N.); U.N. Korea 1940-54; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 2nd issue (MX. 55083 D. B. Boyle, B.E.M., Shpt. 2, H.M.S. Vernon), together with original Admiralty condolence slip in respect of the recipient’s Korea awards, one or two minor official corrections to naming on the first and last, generally good very fine (8) £1600-1800

B.E.M. London Gazette 11 December 1945. The original recommendation states:

‘For skill, courage and untiring devotion to duty during the operation of the salving of the U.S. S.S. John H. Hammond in a minefield off the island of Elba, Italy, during which he made numerous dives to recover casualties and succeeded in recovering a quantity of insulin from a flooded refrigerator under extreme difficulties.’

David Baptist Boyle was borne on the books of the Naples base Byrsa at the time of the above cited deeds. Having then witnessed active service off Korea in the destroyer H.M.S. Charity, he died as a result of a diving accident off Sheko Beach, Hong Kong, in June 1952, an incident described in detail by an accompanying copied report made by the Hong Kong Police.