Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Stoker 1st Class R. Snell, Royal Navy, who served aboard H.M.S. Warspite at Jutland

1914-15 Star (K.28247 Sto.2, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (K.28247 Sto.1, R.N.) mounted as worn, some contact marks, fine and better (3) £50-70

Richard Snell was born in Launceston, Cornwall on 22 July 1897. A Farm Labourer by occupation, he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 6 October 1915. He was posted to the battleship H.M.S. Warspite in December 1915 and served on the ship throughout the war, being promoted to Stoker 1st Class in October 1916. As a Stoker 2nd Class he was present on board the ship at the battle of Jutland, 31 May/1 June 1916. On that memorable occasion, as part of the 5th Battle Squadron, the ship was hit by no less than 13 ‘large projectiles’, several of them when her helm jammed and forced her out of line. Making an involuntary circle at ‘Windy Corner’, she became the prime target of the ‘big guns’ of the High Seas Fleet. Both the ship and Snell survived the ordeal. Stoker 1st Class Snell was invalided from the service on 7 March 1923. With copied service paper and other general research.