Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: James A. Manley, Third Engineer Officer, Merchant Navy, killed when the S.S. Manley was sunk with all hands by the German raider Admiral Scheer on 5 November 1940, whilst participating in Convoy HX 84

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal, these all unnamed as issued, with named lid from card box of issue addressed to his wife, and Ministry of Transport named condolence slip; together with T. & J. Brocklebank Medal, silver and enamel, commemorating ‘S.S. “Maidan” sunk by enemy action 5th November 1940’, named ‘James Alfred Manley’, extremely fine (4) £200-260

James Alfred Manley, Third Engineer Officer, S.S. Maidan (Liverpool) died on 5 November 1940, aged 35, husband of Ethel Louisa Manley of Walton, Liverpool. He is commemorated on Panel 66, Tower Hill Memorial.

The most notable loss from this convoy was that of the Jervis Bay, which engaged the mighty Admiral Scheer in a David and Goliath combat lasting half an hour, the Jervis Bay sustaining the full weight of the enemy’s fire and effectively preventing him from concentrating on the convoy. Two hours after the action ceased she sunk with colours flying. Captain E. S. Fogarty Fegan, to whom a posthumous Victoria Cross was made, lost an arm during the action, and went down with his ship.

When the battleship’s guns were turned on the Maidan, sailing on a southerly course, she loomed up just to starboard of the raider and Krancke concentrated all his armament on her. At 7,908 tons, the Maidan had loaded iron, steel, brass, timber, tobacco and trucks at Baltimore before joining the convoy at Halifax. The trajectories of the tracer shells clearly showed in the darkness that every gun was scoring hits. Almost instantaneously with the opening of the attack fires raged on board the Maidan and sparks shot into the night sky. Then the stricken ship began to heel over, slowly at first, then faster and faster. From stem to stern the merchantman was an intense ball of fire. So brightly was she burning that the watchers on the Scheer could see every detail of the scene. Suddenly the Maidan sank. There was a great, screaming hiss, as the flames met the sea. The blinding light went out for good. All hands were lost.