Auction Catalogue

20 September 2002

Starting at 10:00 AM

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

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

Lot

№ 645

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20 September 2002

Hammer Price:
£80

1914-15 Star (Ft. Payr. H. de C. Ward, R.N.), attempted erasure of name, otherwise good very fine £60-80

Henry de Courcy Ward was born in 1862 at Kingstown, Co. Dublin and educated at Vickerys, Southsea. He entered the Royal Navy in 1878, becoming Paymaster in 1895 and Fleet Paymaster in 1903. Appointed to the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Cressy in 1913, he was aboard the ship when on 20.9.1914 the ship, in company with the Aboukir and Hogue, was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine, U9.

A survivor said of him, ‘Ward managed to reach a life-buoy, which was supporting the Doctor and Chaplain. When he found he could hold on no longer without taxing the strength of the others, he slipped off, telling the others to save themselves, and sank with a cheery good-bye to us all.’ The Chaplain wrote, ‘The courage of Ward, the calmness with which he faced death was typical of the the bravery of the rest.’ A Captain of the R.M.L.I. stated, ‘I hope someone has told his wife what a fine thing he did. Ward passed me swimming hard. He was splendid, letting go a life-buoy which he had hold of, as our Chaplain, who could not swim, was on it and so was the Doctor who was looking after him. He apparently thought they would get on better without him. He is a great loss, he kept things going in a wonderful way.’

Sold with additional research details.