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

Eight: Commander W. G. L. Cooper, Royal Navy, awarded the Polish Cross of Valour for services at Dunkirk

British War and Victory Medals (Mid., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Defence & War Medals; Polish Cross of Valour, the first two with contact marks and edge bruising but generally very fine or better (8) £250-300

Polish Cross of Valour London Gazette 21 October 1941: ‘In recognition of services to the Polish Navy and in Polish ships. Lieutenant Commander William Guy Loy Cooper, R.N., O.R.P. Blyscawica.’

The Polish destroyer Blyscawica was heavily engaged in the withdrawal of troops from Dunkirk in May 1940. On 27th May she was attacked by a bomber which came down to less than 1000 feet, spraying her decks with machine-gun bullets. The Polish ship opened fire in reply and the plane crashed shortly afterwards. Still under desultory attack she put her boats in the water to pick up men from the beaches in obedience to instructions. On 29th May she was in a division of four destroyers, hurrying across, when they were attacked by a U-boat. The torpedo missed and Blyscawica carried out an immediate depth-charge attack and the leading destroyer, circling, attacked in her turn. While they were taking up position to drop a fresh pattern of depth charges they were attacked from the air; a bomber dived on Blyscawica out of low cloud, dropping a stick of bombs and machine-gunning the destroyer’s decks. in the early evening of the same day, Blyscawica took the badly damaged destroyed Greyhound in tow to Dover. Even off Dover she was by no means safe for German planes dropped magnetic mines about 3000 yards ahead of the ships on their course. They avoided the dangers, however, and the cripple was taken safely in. On 31st May she came under torpedo attack from an E-boat which she engaged with gun fire but without success. Sold with full research.