Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Able Seaman Torpedoman B. L. Fisher, Royal Navy, killed in action when H.M.S. Royal Oak was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-47 at anchor at Scapa Flow, 14 October 1939

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. D. G. Fisher, 17 Perowne Street, Aldershot, Hants’; together with fifteen Sporting Medals awarded to the recipient between 1933-39, silver and bronze, including four Royal Navy and Royal Marines Championships Medals, the reverses engraved ‘Standard High Jump A.B. Fisher’; ‘Athletics 1939 High Jump Winner’; ‘Athletics 1938 High Jump Winner’; and ‘Athletics 1936 High Jump 2nd.’; three Inter Services Athletics Championships Medals, the reverses engraved ‘1936 High Jump 4th’; ‘1938 High Jump 4th’; and ‘1939 3rd Team’; a Portsmouth Port Athletics Medal, the reverse engraved ‘1936 H. Jump 2nd’, the majority in cases of issue, extremely fine (lot) £140-180

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals to Second World War Casualties.

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Billie Leonard Fisher served for seven years in the Royal Navy, where he was a keen athlete and champion high-jumper, and was advanced to the rank of Leading Torpedoman. He transferred from H.M.S. Courageous to H.M.S. Royal Oak on the latter’s re-commissioning in June 1939, and served on her during the Second World War. He was killed in action when the Royal Oak was torpedoed whilst at anchor at H.M. Naval Base Scapa Flow, Orkney, by the German U-boat U-47 under the command of Günther Prien on 14 October 1939; of the total ship’s compliment of 1,234 men and boys, 833 were killed or subsequently died of wounds. Fisher is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Sold together with various photographs and copy newspaper cuttings referring to the sinking of the Royal Oak.