Orders, Decorations and Medals

‘Clive Gwinner’s success as a hunter and killer of submarines doubtless owed much to his own early career as a submariner and his understanding of the psychology of undersea warfare. Adroit and relentless, he accounted for a number of enemy boats by his tactics and patience. As an escort group commander he played a notable role in the battle of the Atlantic and his group contributed to the successful passage of the D-Day armada, unscathed by German submarines ... an amusing raconteur and an ardent party-goer who enjoyed fast cars and pretty women, he was never anything but colourful.’

His Times obituary refers.

The exceptional Second World War anti-U-boat operations D.S.O. and Bar, D.S.C. group of seven awarded to Commander C. Gwinner, Royal Navy, who was also thrice mentioned in despatches for like services: following his spectacular ramming of the Italian submarine Calvi in July 1942, he fell under the spell of the legendary Captain “Johnnie” Walker, C.O. of the much celebrated 2nd Support Group and, duly inspired, went to directly participate in the destruction of several U-Boats - three of them in three weeks

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., 1st issue, with Second Award Bar, silver-gilt and enamel, the reverse of the suspension bar officially dated ‘1942’, and the reverse of the Bar ‘1944’; Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1944’, hallmarks for London 1942; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star, clasp, North Africa 1942-43; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; Coronation 1953, mounted court-style as worn and contained in an old Gieves, London blue leather case, good very fine or better (7) £7000-9000

D.S.O. London Gazette 20 October 1942. The original recommendation states:

‘For skill, courage and coolness in command of H.M.S. Lulworth on the night of 14 July 1942, when he attacked the Italian submarine Pietro Calvi with depth charges until she surfaced and then forced her to surrender although of better gun power than Lulworth. While standing by his boarding party he became aware of the approach of a second submarine. Coolly waiting with his searchlight still on the Italian submarine, he suddenly raised the beam and made a pounce attack, followed by three depth charges attacks, probably destroying this submarine as well as the first.’

Bar to D.S.O. London Gazette 6 June 1944. The original recommendation states:

‘For skilful leadership and the most remarkable endurance in conducting a U-Boat hunt lasting 38 and a half hours, from 290510Z February until 011939Z March, which resulted in the destruction of the U-538, when Senior Officer of the First Escort Group in H.M.S. Affleck, in company with H.M.S. Gould, H.M.S. Gore, and H.M.S. Garlies, being in company for the first 35 hours.’

D.S.C. London Gazette 24 October 1944. The original recommendation states:

‘He carried out a decisive attack on a U-Boat on 6 November 1943, which completely disintegrated it.’

Clive Gwinner was born in October 1908, the son of an emigre Austrian father and American mother, and was consequently only just eligible to enter the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1922.

A keen fencer, he represented the Navy at inter-service competition level and won awards for the epee and foil, in addition to seeing service in the cruisers Frobisher and Devonshire. But it was his subsequent transfer to the submarine service in the late 1920s - he held appointments in the L. 53 and L. 26 - that lent him a valuable insight into what his Times obituarist would later describe as the psychology of undersea warfare. Meanwhile, however, he resigned from the Active List as a Lieutenant in 1933.

First “mention”

The advent of the Munich crisis in 1938 prompted Gwinner to rejoin the regular Navy and by the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, he was serving as “Jimmy the One” in the destroyer Alresford. Advanced to Lieutenant-Commander in the new year, and having served for two or three months in the Duncan, he received his first command, one of the fifty notoriously uncomfortable ex-U.S.N. four-funnelled destroyers, the Clare, in which capacity he served until the summer of 1941, when he transferred to another ex-U.S.N. ship, the coast guard cutter Lulworth, a period that witnessed Clare’s part in rescuing 60 survivors from the torpedoed S.S. Planter in November 1940.

As it transpired, his first duties in Lulworth were of a similar nature, Gwinner and his crew picking survivors from U-Boat attacks with alarming regularity in the summer of 1941- thus 27 men from the Norwegian Segundo west of Ireland on 27 August, 42 men from the Niceto de Larrinaga south-west of the Canaries on 23 September, and just five survivors from the St. Clair II on the following day.

Then in May 1942 Gwinner won his first mention in despatches, having lent valuable service during the defence of convoy SL 109, homeward bound from Sierra Leone (London Gazette 13 October 1942 refers). But greater accolades lay ahead.

Destruction of the Italian submarine “Calvi” - D.S.O.

On 14 July 1942, when Lulworth was escorting convoy SL 115 south of the Azores, an enemy submarine was sighted on the surface. Lulworth closed on her at full speed, guns blazing, but the submarine, the Italian Calvi, managed to submerge. Undeterred, Gwinner executed a brace of textbook depth charge attacks, the force of which compelled the Calvi to surface. Having then avoided two of her torpedoes, Lulworth renewed her fire, hitting the conning tower, killing her captain, Commander Longobardo, the Italian Navy’s most successful Atlantic submarine C.O.

At this point, Gwinner decided to ram and, with the stirring cry of “turn round, you cow,” coaxed his ancient cutter onto the Calvi, holing her casing. Immediately afterwards a whaler was lowered with a boarding party, but the latter had to be abandoned when another torpedo appeared - fired by the U-130. Carrying out an effective retaliatory attack on the latter, Gwinner returned to pick up his triumphant boarding party, together with 35 survivors from the Calvi.

He was awarded the D.S.O. - and always treasured a copy of the signal he received from his Flotilla C.O. that memorable day: “How are you off for spaghetti?”

Destruction of the “U-226” - D.S.C.

Having departed the Lulworth in early 1943, Gwinner was invariably recruited by the greatest U-Boat killer of then all, namely Captain “Johnnie” Walker, C.O. of the 2nd Support Group. Given command of the sloop Woodcock, he quickly won his senior’s approbation, for, in a classic Walker ‘creeping attack’ against U-Boats threatening convoy HX 264, homeward bound from Halifax, on 6 November 1943, Woodcock was able to claim U-226 with a devastating depth charge attack - by way of evidence under water explosions sent up human remains and a torpedo.

Walker recommended him for the D.S.C.

Destruction of the “U-91” and “U-538” - Bar to D.S.O.

In late January 1944, having been advanced to Commander, Gwinner was given command of the frigate Affleck - so, too, of the 1st Escort Group. And within weeks he had claimed two U-Boats, the first of them, the U-91, by means of two ‘creeping attacks’ off Ireland on 25 February 1944 - forced to the surface the enemy submarine was finished off by gunfire, but her captain and 16 crew were rescued.

Just a few days later, on 1 March, Affleck and her consorts enacted one of the longest ever recorded U-Boat hunts - a compelling 38 hour operation that would have pleased “Johnnie” Walker immensely. Fatally underestimating Gwinner’s grim determination, the U-538 came shallow to make a torpedo strike on his consort Gould, but her conning tower broke surface and the hunt was over - she was finished off by depth charges and gunfire.

Gwinner was awarded a Bar to his D.S.O.

Destruction of the “U-392” - second “mention”

And the “bag” for March 1944 continued apace, Affleck taking out the U-392 off Gibraltar on the 16th, having worked closely with American flying boats and the destroyer Vanoc - but it was Affleck that delivered the coup de grace with her “Hedgehogs”.

He was awarded his second “mention” (London Gazette 15 August 1944 refers), the original recommendation stating:

‘On 16 March Affleck was on anti-U-boat patrol in the Straits of Gibraltar. At 1015 hours she proceeded to search for a U-Boat reported by aircraft. At 1200 hours an Asdic contact was obtained and an accurate attack carried out which resulted in the almost certain destruction of a U-Boat.’

Destruction of the “U-1191” - third “mention”

With three ‘kills’ in three weeks, small wonder that Gwinner’s group was charged with the onerous responsibility of protecting the Normandy armada in June 1944. No surprise either that he was quickly credited with two further ‘kills’, the first of them on the 25th, and the second on 15 July, for once he had a contact, he was relentless - the first of his victims was the U-1191, caught off Torquay.

Recommended for another decoration, in the event he received his third “mention” (London Gazette 10 October 1944 refers), the original recommendation stating:

‘For the destruction of one U-Boat and the probable destruction of a second in the English Channel on 25-26 June and 15 July 1944. Both actions took place under conditions of extremely low visibility and it is considered that the sinking of these U-Boats lies chiefly to Commander Gwinner’s credit, especially in the case of the action of 15 July.’

Gwinner subsequently had the satisfaction of escorting surrendered U-Boats from the North Sea into Rosyth in May 1945. Thence rushed to the Pacific, with charge of the escort forces, he was in Australia at the time of the Japanese surrender.

Post-war

Next appointed to the command of Tamar, the Hong Kong base, he was responsible for the rehabilitation of many internees, in addition to reopening the base. His subsequent appointments included a stint as second-in-command of the carrier Victorious, and as Head of the British Naval Mission to Burma, but Gwinner never really settled in the post-war Navy, finding it quite dull in comparison to his wartime career. He retired in October 1958.

Having then pursued a successful business career, he settled in Vancouver, where he died in March 1998, aged 89 years.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation and photographs, including several wartime copies of Naval Signals, a quantity of wartime newspaper cuttings, and his Admiralty letter of retirement, dated 2 October 1958, the majority pasted down on the pages of an old photograph album.