Orders, Decorations and Medals

A scarce 1914 ‘Rufigi Delta’ D.S.M. pair awarded to Private T. M. Symons, R.M.L.I., H.M. Armed Vessel Duplex, a survivor of the sinking of H.M.S. Pegasus by the Königsberg in September 1914

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (Ply.9603 Pte., R.M.L.I., H.M.V. Duplex. E. Africa 23 Dec. 1914); British War Medal (Ply.9603 L.Cpl., R.M.L.I.) some very minor official corrections to the first, otherwise nearly extremely fine £600-700

D.S.M. London Gazette 21 April 1917.

The following recommendation was extracted from Admiralty records: ‘Reconnaissance in course of Königsberg, guarding operations off Rufigi Delta.’

“During the above reconnaissance [into the Simba Uranga mouth of the Rufigi River] on 23 December 1914 Private T. M. Symons R.M.L.I., H.M.S. Pegasus, serving at the time in H.M. Armed Vessel Duplex, was in charge of a 3-pdr gun. On his No.2 (Private Harbron R.M.L.I., of H.M.S. Fox) being mortally wounded, Private Symons after carrying the wounded man to a place of shelter, returned immediately to his gun and under raking fire from the enemy continued to fight it by himself.”

Thomas Mitchell Symons was born in St Aubyn, Devonport, on 10 September 1879, and enlisted at Plymouth on 22 February 1899. He joined H.M.S. Pegasus in March 1913 and was still serving aboard her when war broke out. On 20 September 1914, Pegasus was lying at Zanzibar undergoing repairs to her machinery. The armed tug Helmuth was placed on guard, and on board Pegasus the men slept at their guns. Steam could be raised at two hours notice. At 5.25 on this morning the Helmuth sighted the Greman light cruiser Königsberg approaching, but was not able to warn Pegasus. The Königsberg opened fire at 9,000 yards, at which range the guns of the British cruiser were impotent. Pegasus was put out of action in eight minutes, and sank some time later. Her losses were two officers and 29 men killed and 55 wounded.

On 21 September 1915 Symons was granted a Hurt Certificate for ‘Burns on left upper arm, punctured wound in lower part of left biceps, tip of right index finger removed without injury to bone.’ As a consequence, he was invalided from the service on 14 August 1916. He was also awarded the French Medaille Militaire London Gazette 28 August 1918.