Orders, Decorations and Medals

‘The Army A.A. Gunners, under Bombardier Labern, and Naval Gunners, under Gunlayer Pilling, assisted by the ship’s crew, kept up a marvellous, continuous and accurate barrage in the face of unceasing and direct attack on numerous occasions. Their courageous keenness kept the men untiringly at their posts, and on many occasions near misses drenched them with water, which swamped their guns, but never their ardour. The above mentioned Bombardier and Gunlayer were outstanding and set a wonderful example to their crews.’

Captain W. D. Mason, G.C., in his official report, following the miraculous arrival of the tanker Ohio at Grand Harbour, Valetta.


The important Second World War Operation “Pedestal” D.S.M. group of seven awarded to Acting Bombardier R. H. H. Labern, Royal Artillery, 4th Maritime A.A. Regiment (R.A.), who commanded a Bofors section aboard the tanker Ohio

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (6202472 R. H. H. Labern, A./Bmbdr., R.A.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, together with an original embroidered Maritime A.A. Regiment uniform patch, nearly extremely fine (8) £6000-8000

Just 51 Distinguished Service Medals were awarded to Gunners of the Royal Artillery for services in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships in the 1939-45 War.

D.S.M. London Gazette 8 December 1942:

‘For bravery while serving in Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships on passage to Malta.’

The original recommendation states:

‘During the recent passage of a convoy to Malta, Bombardier Labern was Detachment C Commander of a Bofors Gun on the M.V. Ohio.

During a submarine attack a torpedo struck the vessel and caused a fire to break out on deck. Bombardier Labern organised the men under his command into a fire fighting party and in the face of great danger succeeded in extinguishing the fire. The ship was dive-bombed and attacked by E-Boats on numerous occasions.

Throughout this N.C.O. stood by his gun and showed great personal courage.’

Reginald Henry Holswatt Labern was recommended for the D.S.M. by the Vice-Admiral Malta, no doubt on the back of the above quoted statement made by Captain W. D. Mason, G.C. He received his decoration at an investiture held in February 1944.

The importance of “Operation Pedestal” needs no introduction here, Winston Churchill himself requesting regular updates as to the convoy’s progress, but for the record’s sake it is worth registering the bare facts: of the 14 merchantmen that set out, nine were sunk and three damaged, while the Senior Service’s input of 59 escorts, the largest such force ever assembled in defence of a convoy, sustained losses of an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and a destroyer, as well as having another half a dozen ships damaged.

But of all the participating vessels, it was the tanker Ohio that captured the headlines, her survival and vital cargo of fuel allowing Malta to continue her grim defence - in the final 60 hours of her epic voyage, prior to her triumphant entry into Valetta on 15 August 1942, she received no less than seven direct hits and 20 near-misses. Her Master, of course, was awarded the George Cross, the citation for which honour makes specific mention of his ship’s gunners:

‘During the passage to Malta of an important convoy Captain Mason’s ship suffered most violent onslaught. She was a focus of attack throughout and was torpedoed early one night. Although gravely damaged, her engines were kept going and the Master made a magnificent passage by hand-steering and without a compass. The ship’s gunners helped to bring down one of the attacking aircraft. The vessel was hit again before morning, but though she did not sink, her engine room was wrecked. She was then towed. The unwieldy condition of the vessel and persistent enemy attacks made progress slow, and it was uncertain whether she would remain afloat. All next day progress somehow continued and the ship reached Malta after a further night at sea. The violence of the enemy could not deter the Master from his purpose.

Throughout he showed skill and courage of the highest order and it was due to his determination that, in spite of the most persistent enemy opposition, the vessel, with her valuable cargo, eventually reached Malta and was safely berthed’ (London Gazette 8 September 1942 refers).

The Ohio, an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company in 1940, first arrived in U.K. waters in June 1942, soon after which she was turned over to a British crew under the auspices of the British Eagle Oil and Shipping Company - for she was already earmarked for the Malta-run. Her new Master was Dudley Mason, in command of 77 men, no less than 24 of them R.N. and Army Gunners to man the tanker’s newly installed 5-inch A.A. gun aft and a 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows, in addition to an array of Oerlikon guns.

Captain Mason having attended a special conference, Ohio departed the Clyde with her fellow “Pedestal” merchantmen and a naval escort on 2 August 1942, the tanker laden with 11,500 tons of kerosene and diesel fuel oils. Gibraltar was reached without incident on the 10th, but thereafter, the convoy entered the “killing zone”, an early casualty being the aircraft carrier Eagle, torpedoed on the 11th with a loss of 260 officers and men. From now on the merchantmen - and Ohio in particular - were subjected to relentless attack, from U-Boats and Italian submarines, the Luftwaffe and Regio Aeronautica, and from Axis surface vessels.

On 12 August a combined enemy force of 100 aircraft struck at the merchantmen, the likes of Labern and his fellow D.E.M.S. Gunners undoubtedly being kept busy, but Ohio ultimately fell victim to the Italian submarine Axum, which delivered an accurate torpedo attack amidst the chaos and carnage of the ongoing air strike - Ohio was hit amidships, a huge column of flame leaping high-up above mast level. The resultant damage included a hole in her port side, measuring 24 by 27 feet, a gaping hole in her buckled deck, and the loss of steering gear and compass - no less concerning was the kerosene seeping through the damaged tanks. But, as cited, Labern and his men fought the blaze, while Mason and his crew rigged up emergency steering gear from aft, the tanker even reaching 13 knots - fortuitous progress given pending events.

Nearing Pantelleria, Ohio was marked out for the special attention of 60 Stukas, bombs and machine-gun fire raking her decks, the 3-inch A.A. gun in the bows being put out of action but Labern and the D.E.M.S. Gunners breaking up some of the approaching formations and downing at least one enemy aircraft - the wreckage of which crashed into Ohio’s starboard side, half of one wing smashing into the upper work of the bridge. But the enemy aircraft kept on coming, two sticks of bombs straddling the tanker and lifting her clean out of the water and others stopping her engines on two occasions - the resultant periods of “restarting” leaving her a sitting duck. In fact, at one stage, most of the crew were taken off by H.M.S. Penn, only to be returned the following day when it was decided to take the stricken tanker in tow. Yet again, however, the Ohio was hit, a bomb falling near the original damage caused her by the Axum’s torpedo strike and reducing her to 4 or 5 knots - a preliminary damage report revealed that she had almost certainly broken her back.

Here, then, the opening of the final chapter in Ohio’s epic journey, the moment her Naval escorts stuck to her yet closer, the Penn taking up station on her starboard side to try and stabilise her and assist the process of getting her under tow. But progress was slow and Axis aircraft rarely out of sight, another hit buckling Ohio’s stern plates and breaking the tow - her decks now awash amidships, she was around 45 miles from Malta, a distance that finally brought some respite from incessant air attack, for she was now within range of the Island’s Spitfires.

The Destroyers Bramham, Ledbury and Penn now took turns in cradling the Ohio to port and starboard, or in directing her steering from astern, and at length the little flotilla came within range of Malta’s shore batteries, a timely development given prowling E-Boats. Finally, in the early evening of the 15th, after having edged her way around a British minefield, the Ohio was towed into Grand Harbour, Valetta to a spectacular reception, crowds cheering from the ramparts of St. Angelo, Senglea and the Barracca Gardens, and the Royal Marines Band performing an unforgettable rendition of Rule Britannia from the end of the harbour’s mole. Somehow oblivious to the crowds and noise, Captain Dudley Mason and his extraordinary crew remained very much on the alert, for there remained grave concern that the crippled ship might yet end up at the bottom of Grand Harbour. In the event, she reached her berth, where her valuable cargo was quickly discharged, her keel finally settling on the bottom as the last gallon of her fuel was extracted.

In addition to Dudley Mason’s G.C., Ohio’s crew won a D.S.O., six D.S.Cs, and eight D.S.Ms.