Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War Dogger Bank D.S.M. pair awarded to Acting Leading Stoker J. Blackburn, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (K. 4844 Act. Lg. Sto., H.M.S. Tiger); 1914-15 Star (K. 4844, D.S.M., Act. L. Sto., R.N.) good very fine (2) £300-400

D.S.M. London Gazette 3 March 1915.

John Blackburn, who was born in Bristol in December 1887, volunteered for a 12 year engagement in the Royal Navy in March 1906. A scar to the bridge of his nose and numerous tattoos - including a ‘Japanese Girl’ feature - appear to have been among his more prominent physical features on entry, so it is possible that he had gained his sea legs elsewhere. In any event, he was transferred to the Indus as a Stoker 1st Class in November 1909.

Joining the battle cruiser Tiger in the same rate in October 1914, Blackburn went on to win the D.S.M. for his services at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915 - he was mentioned in Beatty’s despatch of 2 February. In that memorable engagement, the Tiger’s eight 13.5-inch guns did great execution, not least in a protracted duel with the Moltke and the Seydlitz, but the crowning moment of the battle was the destruction of the heavy cruiser Blucher, whose loss was captured on camera and prompted many a wartime artist’s impression of her dying moments. But the Tiger, in common with Beatty’s flagship the Lion, did not escape unscathed, as evidenced by her Captain’s description of the time when she received her third hit from a large calibre shell:

‘Tiger steered in the direction of the fleeing enemy and then, at this very critical moment, when quick decision had to be made, when the great speed of the Germans meant that every second brought them nearer to safety, there occurred a very large explosion which rattled us all in the conning-tower very considerably. It appeared that a shell had entered the Intelligence Office, which was immediately below the conning-tower, and having exploded there, blew up through the gun control tower, rendering everybody in it hors de combat and killing Engineer Captain Taylor and six men, and wounding three Officers and six men.’

Blackburn’s subsequent wartime career included time aboard the minesweepers Asphodel and Hollyhock, in addition to nearly 17 months aboard the Orion. He was discharged to the Royal Fleet Reserve in June 1919.