The Douglas-Morris Collection of Naval Medals (Part 2)

Four: Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (175440 A. J. Cannon, Mech., H.M.S. Lion); 1914-15 Star Trio (175440 A. J. Cannon, Mech., R.N.) nearly extremely 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.M. London Gazette 3 March 1915 ‘For services in the North Sea 24 January 1915.’

The following recommendation was submitted by Captain A. E. Chatfield, Commanding H.M.S. LION: ‘Mechanician Alexander James Cannon who, when seriously wounded and in great pain on the mess deck, behaved with great fortitude and courage in reassuring and quieting the other wounded who were under the impression the ship was sinking owning to the darkness and increasing list.’

At the Battle of Dogger Bank, H.M.S. LION was Vice Admiral Beatty’s Flag Ship, and it was her first encounter with the German battle cruisers. The BLUCHER was sunk in a running fight, and the SEYDLITZ was lucky to survive, but the LION, which had received the brunt of the enemy fire was severely damaged and had to be towed back to Rosyth by the INDOMITABLE, listing heavily. The weakness of the lightly armoured battle cruisers when hit by heavy shells was becoming apparent and was to be underlined at Jutland in 1916, when three of the battle cruisers blew up in action, including the LION’s sister ship the QUEEN MARY. The LION herself was lucky to escape destruction when a shell that wrecked Q turret, amidships, ignited charges in the cages to the magazine and, but for the order of a dying marine officer to flood it, the ship would have blown up. She lost 100 killed in the action and was finally scrapped in 1924.