Auction Catalogue

24 & 25 February 2016

Starting at 11:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 74

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24 February 2016

Hammer Price:
£650

A Second World War D.S.M. group of six awarded to Engine Room Storekeeper H. Coupe, Merchant Navy, who was decorated for his gallantry under air attack in the tanker Empire Metal in January 1943

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (H. Coupe, E.R. Stkpr.); 1939-45 Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted as worn, good very fine (6) £800-1000

D.S.M. London Gazette 11 March 1943:

‘For conspicuous bravery when their vessel was attacked by enemy aircraft.’

The vessel in question was the motor tanker S.S.
Empire Metal, aboard which Henry Coupe was serving as Engine Room Storekeeper. She was bombed and sunk by German aircraft in Bona harbour, Algeria on 2 January 1943, her Master, Selwyn Law, and five members of crew being killed. Law was posthumously mentioned in despatches and, in addition to Coupe’s D.S.M., the ship’s Second Officer and Chief Engineering Officer received D.S.Cs.

In his official report on events on 2 January 1943, the
Empire Metal’s senior surviving officer, 2nd Officer N. Leybourne, stated:

‘At 0900 on the 2nd January an "alert" was sounded ashore, we stopped the pump, closed tank valves and gate valve on after discharge line, the donkeyman shut the fires down on the boiler, and extra pressure was put on the water service for fire-fighting purposes.

Everybody went to their gun and fire stations, and as Gunnery Officer I proceeded to the after gun position. The raid was developing from the far side of town, but at this time of the morning the sun was abeam on the port side, and I instructed the guns' crews to keep a good look-out in that direction. Weather was fine with good visibility, light S.W. wind force 2, and smooth sea. We were now moored off the Mole in Bona Harbour, and very soon a formation of ten twin-engined Ju.88s was seen approaching at a height of 2000 feet, flying out of the sun on the port beam. We immediately opened fire with the 4" and 12-pounder, but in spite of the intense barrage from ashore, from warships, and our own efforts, supplemented by the Oerlikons and machine-guns, the planes flew over and dropped four bombs, one falling between the mooring ropes about 15 feet from our port quarter, and a stick of three on the seaward side of the mole about 100 feet directly astern of the ship.

We received no direct hits, but at 0915 we sighted three Fw. 190s flying towards us at 1500 feet, again out of the sun on the port beam. One aircraft dropped 2 bombs, one of which fell alongside, the other was a direct hit which struck the vessel somewhere on the port side of the forward main deck, in the way of the empty gasolene tanks, which were still full of petrol gas, and immediately the whole of the fore-deck burst into flames. I was at the 4" gun aft, and we continued to fire all guns aft, also a Lewis gun on the bridge, after the ship was hit, but the port side of the vessel was opened to the sea, and within a few seconds she was ablaze from stem to stern. Fortunately most of the ship's company were aft, where there was a rope ladder down to the pontoon, and these men escaped by this means, but the Officers and a few of the crew who were amidships had to jump over the side. Five Officers, including the Master, were killed by the blast from the explosion, all being amidships at the time.’

In concluding his report, Leybourne stated that ‘all members of the ship’s crew conducted themselves throughout with courage, coolness and definitely did magnificently in the face of great danger, every man remaining at his post right to the last’. He also noted that the ship had a cargo of 4,000 tins of aviation fuel.