Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare Great War D.S.M. awarded to Boatswain W. Gallagher, Mercantile Marine, whose ship, the S.S. William Middleton, was fired on by a German submarine, abandoned, then re-boarded when the submarine was driven off

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (Boatswain W. Gallagher, Bristol Channel, 23 Dec. 1916) edge bruise, otherwise good very fine £800-1000

Ex D.N.W. 25 June 2008 and 5 March 1996.

D.S.M. London Gazette 12 May 1917. ‘... to the officers and men of the British Mercantile Marine, in recognition of zeal and devotion to duty shown in carrying on the trade of the country during the war.’

William Gallagher was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in April 1888. He was decorated for his gallant service during an attack on the S.S. William Middleton (James Wetsoll, owner) by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel on 23 December 1916.

The William Middleton, under charter to the Admiralty (BEF Transport 680) left Boulogne bound for Dublin on 20 December 1916. On the 23rd, she was in the Bristol Channel, four miles N.W. of Lundy Island, when at about 8.50am. she was fired upon by a surfaced submarine - the UC-46, some 5 or 6 miles away. With another ship, the S.S. Bertrand some 2 or 3 miles off their starboard quarter, the William Middleton quickly hoisted the signal ‘Submarine in the vicinity’ to warn off the other vessel. The unarmed William Middleton, being too slow to outrun a surfaced submarine, hove to, threw their Admiralty instructions and papers overboard and began to abandon ship. The submarine is reported to have fired nine rounds, mostly shrapnel rounds, before the crew of 25 finally got away. The submarine then came alongside the ship’s boats in order to interrogate the Captain. The Captain not in a mood to converse, the submarine turned its attentions back to the ship. The submarine then fired 12 rounds of common shell into the ship in order to finish her off. However, before she could be sunk, the armed motor trawler Thuringia appeared on the scene and engaged the submarine which promptly crash dived and made good her escape. At about noon, several of the crew - the Captain, Chief Mate, two Engineers, the Boatswain and two Seamen, re-boarded the badly damaged William Middleton and through their care the slowly sinking vessel was coaxed to safety to Tenby where temporary repairs could be made to allow her to reach Port Talbot.

The Captain of the William Middleton considered the Boatswain’s conduct most gallant, as by hoisting the warning signal he saved his own vessel and two others - his ship being bombarded by shrapnel fire from the submarine at the time.

The William Middleton’s good luck continued when she survived being mined in the Bristol Channel on 28 September 1917. However the UC-46 was lost with all hands when rammed in the English Channel on 8 February 1917. With copied research.