Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A rare and important Dunkirk C.G.M. group of three awarded to Acting Leading Seaman Ronald Thirlwall, H.M.S. Mosquito, who, under a heavy bombardment and with three of the four barrels of his pom-pom out of action, coolly went on firing until he had no ammunition left and his ship was abandoned; it was afterwards found that he had been shockingly wounded in four places

Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, G.VI.R. (JX.139421 R. Thirlwall. A/L. Smn. H.M.S. Mosquito) impressed naming; 1939-45 Star; War Medal, these two unnamed as issued, contact marks, otherwise very fine (3) £12000-15000

Only two C.G.M.’s awarded for Dunkirk; and a total of 72 C.G.M.’s between 1940-46.

C.G.M. London Gazette 16 August 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk.’

‘Acting Leading Seaman Ronald Thirlwall, H.M.S. Mosquito.

When his ship was heavily bombed at Dunkirk, Leading Seaman Thirlwall, with three of the four barrels of his pom-pom out of action, coolly went on firing until he had no ammunition left. No-one realised, until he was examined on board the ship which rescued him, that he had been shockingly wounded in four places.’

The original recommendation states: ‘Trainer of the M[ultiple] Pom-pom, of which 3 barrels were put out of action, together with casualties to the whole of the crew except himself, by a bomb bursting close to the ship. Although shockingly wounded in four places, kept the remaining barrel firing until it ran out of ammunition, cooly waiting to fire until an aircraft flew up to the elevation on which the gun was laid. No-one realised that Thirlwall was wounded until he was examined in the Drifter which rescued him. A remarkable display of bravery and devotion to duty, which deserves recognition of the highest order.’

As told in the official report, the river gunboat Mosquito ‘until sunk by enemy air attack did good work off the beaches. Evacuated over 1,200 troops, including a large number of wounded, and the General Officer Commanding 1st Corps; also took the Personnel Vessel Normania in tow until she sank, then rescued the crew.’

A contemporary newspaper report describes the last action of Mosquito on 1st June, 1940: ‘Then they sailed again, and 45 minutes out of Dover they were dive bombed. Stukas came in twice, the second time holing the craft below the waterline. But Mosquito’s pumps could cope with the water coming in and she sailed on. Mosquito hove to off the beaches at midday and started picking up Belgian troops. Then the largest swarm of Stukas the men had seen - 24 of them - dived out of the sun. The two-dozen of them circled and attacked in turn in a gigantic Ferris Wheel of Death. That was the plan. But they reckoned without the fatal tune the “Chicago Piano” [pom-pom] played.

The first two planes were blasted out of the sky and the rest of the pack reorganised to come in from all angles. Mosquito’s defences were overwhelmed and the gun crew went down under a hail of machine-gun bullets. One bomb dropped Mosquito’s engine out of the bottom of the ship onto the channel floor and she went down like a rock as water filled her. Those of her crew who could still move went over the side into the sea. The German planes machine-gunned them as they milled about in the water. Then the few survivors were picked up by another ship and taken to Dover.’

In addition to Thirlwall’s C.G.M., the gazette announced the award of two D.S.C.’s, two D.S.M.’s, three M.I.D.’s and one posthumous M.I.D. to other gallant members of Mosquito’s crew.