Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Stores Assistant W. T. Breckenridge, Royal Navy, who was among those killed in H.M.S. Lapwing when she was torpedoed and sunk off the Kola Inlet in March 1945

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45, all named ‘Boots-style’ to ‘D/MX. 122309 W. T. Breckenridge, S.A., R.N.’, in their original card forwarding box addressed to ‘Mr. I. Breckenridge, 22 Wingate Rd., Aigburth, Liverpool, extremely fine (3)

William Thomas Breckenridge most likely joined the sloop H.M.S. Lapwing at the time of her commissioning in March 1944. As a consequence he would have served on a number of Arctic convoys, in addition to lending support to the Normandy landings. It was on one such convoy - JW-65 - that Lapwing was torpedoed and sunk by the U-968 off the Kola Inlet on 20 March 1945, the ship sinking in 20 minutes with a loss of 158 officers and ratings. William, the son of Isaiah and Deborah Breckenridge of Aigburth, Liverpool, was among the latter. He was 20 years of age, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial; sold with brief copied research, including a photocopy of his Admiralty condolence slip.