The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals (Part 1)

Four: Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. M. Singleton, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. (Lt. Commr., R.N.) good very fine (4)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals.

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D.S.O. London Gazette 13 September 1915 (Mesopotamia):

“For his services during the advance from Qurnah and capture of Amara at the beginning of June 1915. Lieutenant Singleton was in command of the armed launch SHAITAN, and displayed great skill and energy in pursuit of the enemy gunboat MAMARISS and other craft. He went ahead of the main force through Amara in a gallant manner, and performed the remarkable feat in his small armed tug of bringing to surrender a body of about 11 officers and 250 Turkish troops, whom he had intercepted, and causing a large number to retire, thus largely contributing to the surrender of the town.”

Mark Singleton entered the Royal Navy on 15 January 1903. Promoted Midshipman on 15 October 1904, Sub-Lieutenant on 15 May 1907, and Lieutenant on 31 December 1909, he was appointed to the base ship H.M.S. ESPIEGLE in the Persian Gulf on 1 April 1914 and served with naval units co-operating with military forces in Mesopotamia. By May 1915 the Turks had been driven from the lower reaches of the Tigris, and in order that the Navy might render assistance to the Army in following them up, a number of flat bottomed tug boats had been commandeered and commissioned as H.M. Ships for use on the river. One of these, the SHAITAN, was placed under Singleton’s command. He was given a crew of eight, and his boat was armed with a 12-pounder quick-firing gun in her bows and a smaller gun aft.

Advancing from Qurnah in June, the SHAITAN, due to Singleton’s skilful boat handling, got ahead of the other small craft, and reached a point three miles south of Amara on her own. As she entered the reach of the river immediately below the town, which was situated on the east bank, large numbers of enemy troops were seen crossing the river to the western bank by a bridge of boats and getting into a barge secured to the Turkish gun boat MARMARRIS. The bridge of boats was then opened and the gun boat was clearly going to depart up river. Singleton immediately opened fire with the 12-pounder, causing the troops to abandon the barge for a more healthy spot on the west bank. SHAITAN steamed on and as she passed through the bridge of boats found the town was occupied in force. Half a battalion of Turks, moving through the streets to the river front, smartly retreated. Around the next bend on both banks yet more troops were retiring from the SHAITAN which was in effect surrounded. The Turks held their fire for terror of drawing the attention SHAITAN’s 12-pounder, and she continued upstream for about half a mile, whence Singleton called on a party of about two hundred Turks with six officers to surrender. The Bluejacket’s disarmed them and, taking their weapons on board, compelled them to march down river abreast of the tug. On the way back to Amara Singleton took more prisoners, who emegred from trees and threw down their arms; and, unattended, the sorry Turkish party obediently walked to the now deserted town where they sat down by a coffee shop and awaited the arrival of British troops.

Thus Lieutenant Singleton at the expenditure of only two or three shells captured 250 Turkish troops and eleven officers and contributed largely to the evacuation of Amara by 2,000 troops. It was the opinion of the official historian of the campaign, that greater daring than the Singleton’s cool audacity could hardly be imagined. Having taken part in further advances up river over the course of the next three months, Singleton, due to heavy casualties and sickness, became the Senior Naval Officer on the Tigris although only twenty-six years of age. On 26 February 1916, he was given command of the 98-ton H.M.S. STONEFLY in which he served until returning from the Mesopotamia theatre in early 1918. Back in the U.K. he saw out the war with the Harwich Force in command of the M-class destroyer PATRICIAN.