Auction Catalogue

28 February & 1 March 2018

Starting at 11:00 AM

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Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

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Lot

№ 256

.

28 February 2018

Hammer Price:
£340

Three: Electrical Artificer L. Mitchelmore, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when H.M.S. Ardent was sunk in the Norwegian Sea by the German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, during Operation Alphabet- the evacuation of Norway, on 8 June 1940

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. J. L. Mitchelmore, 11 Rosslyn Park Road, Peverell, Plymouth, Devon’, extremely fine (3) £120-160

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

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Leslie Mitchelmore served during the Second World War in H.M.S. Ardent, and was killed in action during Operation Alphabet on 8 June 1940. On 31 May 1940 Ardent and the destroyers H.M.S. Acasta, Acheron, Highlander, and Diana escorted the aircraft carriers Ark Royal and Glorious from the Clyde to the Norwegian coast to carry out air operations in support of the evacuation of allied forces from Norway in Operation Alphabet. H.M.S. Ardent was detached from Ark Royal on 8 June, and joined Acasta in escorting Glorious back to Scapa Flow. On the way through the Norwegian Sea the funnel smoke from Glorious and her two escorting destroyers was spotted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at about 3:46 p.m. The German ships were not spotted until shortly after 4:00 and H.M.S. Ardent was dispatched to investigate. H.M.S. Ardent and H.M.S. Acasta laid a protective smokescreen to hide the British ships, and engaged the German ships with their 4.7 inch main armament, which proved to be ineffective. Despite coming under heavy fire from the much larger guns of the Germans, H.M.S. Ardent carried out a torpedo attack. She managed to score a single hit, but was struck repeatedly by enemy shells, and eventually capsized with the loss of 10 officers and 142 ratings. Acasta and Glorious were also sunk in the engagement. Only two of Ardent's crew remained to be picked up by a German seaplane, some five days after the sinking. One of the two later died from exposure, leaving Able Seaman Roger Cook, who crewed 'X' Gun, as Ardent's only survivor.

The whole engagement lasted just short of three hours and cost the lives of 1,519 officers and crew. Mitchelmore was one of those killed, aged 39, and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

Sold together with a photographic image of the recipient.