Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Mechanician H. Phipps, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M.S. Formidable was sunk by U-24, 1 January 1915

1914-15 Star (295127 H. Phipps. Mech., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (295127 H. Phipps. Mech. R.N.) very fine and better (3) £140-180

Harry Phipps was born on 15 May 1873 at Derby, son of Enoch and Annie Phipps, of Yew Cottage, Victoria Avenue, Borrowash, Derby. He was employed as a railway fireman before joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd class on 23 April 1900. He served in the Canopus and Orion before joining H.M.S. Formidable on 1 April 1911. He went down with his ship on 1 January 1915 and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.

H.M.S. Formidable was the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships. In 1912, she was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron and following the outbreak of the Great War the squadron conducted operations in the English Channel, and was based at Sheerness to guard against a possible German invasion. Despite reports of submarine activity, early in the morning of 1 January 1915, whilst on exercise in the English Channel, Formidable was sunk after being hit by two torpedoes from U-24. She was the second British battleship to be sunk by enemy action during the war, with a compliment of 780; 35 officers and 512 men perished.