Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Engineer Lieutenant W. Stevenson, Royal Naval Reserve

1914-15 Star (Eng. Lt., R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals (Eng. Lt., R.N.R.); ‘Princess Margaret’ Deliverance from Bolsheviks Medal 1919, by Spink, London, obverse: fouled anchor enclosed by a life-belt, ‘Princess Margaret’ in raised letters above; reverse in raised letters, ‘Riga - London, 3rd Jany. 1919, 17th Jany. 1919, From the Grateful Passengers in Remembrance of their Deliverance from the Bolsheviks’, 38mm., white metal, unnamed, pierced with ring suspension, mounted as worn, good very fine and better, last rare (4) £180-220

Acting on some disturbing news, the minelayer, H.M.S. Princess Margaret berthed at Riga on 19 December 1918, where she landed her marines on the 27th who, accompanied by an armed party from H.M.S. Ceres, marched through the town. The following day frightened British subjects began to arrive on board. On the 29th it was heard that a Lettish Regiment had mutinied, and arrangements were made for the defence of the approaches to H.M. vessels by the aid of search lights, and the use of star and lyddite shells. Even more refugees joined Princess Margaret that night, bringing the total on board to 392 souls, 143 men, 169 women and 80 children. From 30 December to 3 January 1919 armed parties were constantly landed to police the town and so ward off menacing parties. On the 3rd January the Princess Margaret sailed for Copenhagen, where two days later she landed some of the refugees prior to her passage to the United Kingdom where the remainder were disembarked.