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

A most unusual O.B.E. and Great War ‘Minesweeping’ D.S.C. group of six awarded to Commander G. E. Blackmore, Royal Navy

The Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) 1st type; Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (Gnr., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut., R.N.); French Medaille Militaire, mounted court style as worn, nearly extremely fine (6) £1000-1200

See Colour Plate III

O.B.E. (Military) awarded 1930, in charge of Boom Defence Depot and Training School, Rosyth.

D.S.C. London Gazette 24 March 1919: ‘For services in Minesweeping Operations between 1st July and 31st December 1918.’

Medaille Militaire London Gazette 15 September 1916.

George Ernest Blackmore was navigating gunner in H.M.S. Circe at the outbreak of the war, and came to notice when Circe lead the S.S. Olympic into Lough Swilly after the sinking of Audacious on 27 October 1914. Circe also towed Audacious’ launch and pinnace. In 1917 he commanded the paddle steamer Marchioness of Breadalbane and supervised the ramming of a U-boat by one of his minesweepers. In December 1917, whilst in command of the sweeping trawler Manx King, Blackmore, together with his Skipper Dollin, bravely removed the detonating horns from a mine that had been caught in the kites and hauled aboard. He was specially promoted to Lieutenant for his gallantry on this occasion. From 1920, Blackmore was in charge of the Boom Defence Depot at Felixtowe, and from 1925-30 was in charge of the Boom Defence Depot and Training School at Rosyth.

Blackmore is extensively quoted and referred to in Swept Channels by ‘Taffrail’, and the following appreciation of him appears in Something about a Sailor by Rear-Admiral Sir T. J. Spence-Lyne, K.C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O., published in 1940:

‘I must not allow these references to brother officers to pass without tribute to the modest member of our complement of officers, one G. E. Blackmore. He was a splendid type of Warrant Officer Gunner, with a delightful personality. Early in the war, while serving as a Navigating Officer in a torpedo gunboat, Circe, he performed signal service on the occasion of the sinking of the battleship Audacious when she had to be abandoned. The Olympic asked Circe to lead them into Lough Swilly. Crowded with boats astern, she proceeded to do this, a very hazardous proceeding even under peace conditions. Blackmore wrote in a story of his exploit: “It was certainly a great moment for me, but a great responsibility, increased by the attendant circumstances, bad weather, a long tow of boats continually breaking adrift. There were little facilities and practically no time to look up the chart and soundings.” The ship carried no lights, except that all messages had to be made by signal-lamp in a dangerous zone subject to submarine attack and on top of it all he had a man overboard which caused him to stop in the narrow entrance. It was a great risk only to be justified by circumstances of war, for the Olympic and all her passengers might easily have shared the fate of the Audacious. In Swept Channels ‘Taffrail’ relates much to the honour and credit of this officer. In 1917 Blackmore, then in command of the Marchioness of Breadalbane, a Clyde paddle-steamer responsible for a division of mine-sweepers, discovered that mines were being laid in the fairway of the approach to the Clyde by a submarine. The battleship Ramillies was due to sail so Blackmore hurried out with his division of sweepers to search for the intruder. The hunt was carried out all day and nets laid and closely watched. The next morning Blackmore had a stroke of luck. The submarine worked up close to the nets off Cumrae, came to the surface dead ahead, and was rammed by the sweeper and sank. They swept and located her exact position, lying in about 30 fathoms, and she was eventually destroyed by explosives. The Ramillies had a narrow escape, and my old shipmate added another spoke to his wheel of valued services.

Again, one December day in 1917, Blackmore, then in command of the sweeping trawler Manx King, discovered enemy mines in the War Channel between the Isle of Wight and the Owers Lightship. On this occasion, when slipping the sweep wire and hauling in, Blackmore was amazed to see a mine come up in the kites of his ship, where it was hove right up to the gallows head. His first anxiety was for the safety of his men. Ordering steam to be shut off on the winch, in the same breath he ordered his men to abandon ship by jumping overboard, which they did, to be picked up by the other ships’ boats. Blackmore would not leave the ship himself, and his second hand volunteered to remain with him. He was a fine type of trawler-man, named Dollin.

They lashed the mine, regardless of the motion of the ship, as securely as they could to prevent it from moving, and then proceeded to remove the horns, a very hazardous proceeding. Blackmore said later: “I am afraid we got more praise than the incident merited; all the same, it was the most hectic half-hour of the whole of the War.” The bravery of Dollin, who remained on board to stand by his Captain was officially recognized by the award of the Dinstinguished Service Medal, and he was promoted to Skipper R.N.R. Blackmore continued to do good service in post-War mine clearance, and in addition to his special promotion to Lieutenant for gallantry and daring, was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; his O.B.E. came later. Finally he retired with the rank of Commander having begun his career as a bluejacket boy just as I did in one of the training ships forty years ago. He died shortly after retirement, still in his prime. I blush to think what little reward he received compared with my own for services rendered to his country far exceeding anything I have ever done, but I am glad to be able to pay this small tribute to the memory of a gallant shipmate.’