Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria to coincide with the OMRS Convention

1914-15 Star (J. B. Myatt, Comm. Std., H.M.C.S. Grilse) signs of fire damage, otherwise very fine £100-150

Joseph Benedict Myatt was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1887 and attested for the Royal Canadian Navy on 14.8.1914. On enlistment he was given the rating of Chief Steward and was promoted Commissary Steward on 6.9.1915, Acting Ward Room Steward on 25.7.1916, Chief Petty Officer (Commissary Steward) on 1.10.1916 and Victualling Chief Petty Officer on 1.4.1918. During the Great War Myatt saw service aboard a number of Royal Canadian Navy Ships, including, Diana, Tuna, Niobe (5 times), Grilse (2 times), Stadacona, Landsdowner, Trawler No.5, Margaret, Guelph and Seagull.

Sold with 26 copied documents from Myatt’s service file; many dealing with the misappropriation of large amounts of supplies, ordering goods for himself without payment, default of payment and allegations of theft and incompetence. A Department of the Naval Service document dated 5.10.1918 states that during 1917 he was removed from both the Grilse and Margaret due to the ‘unsatisfactory method in which he performed his duties’ and indeed ‘the high cost of victualling of A.P.S. Margaret for the month of November 1917 was remarked on in Headquarters Memorandum ... of 26 March 1918 ... this was due to the neglect of duty of this Chief Petty Officer.’ Myatt escaped a Court Martial; his last commanding officer recommending that, as a result of his enquiries, he be discharged to shore, his services no longer required. This was done on 7.11.1918. Myatt, not done with the Service, in 1923 unsuccessfully claimed that he had not received a cheque in payment of his Demobilisation Clothing Allowance - Naval Service correspondence at the time indicates that the payment had been made and the cheque cashed in 1919! In the post-war years, Myatt resided in Boston, Massachussetts, U.S.A., where he died on 25.4.1930.