Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Able Seaman A. Harris, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when H.M.S. Daring was torpedoed by the German submarine U-23, under the command of the ‘Wolf of the Atlantic’ Otto Ktretschmer, and sank off Duncansby Head, 18 February 1940

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mr. J. T. Harris, 6 Collington Lane, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex’, nearly 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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Albert Harris served during the Second World War as an Able Seaman in the D-class destroyer H.M.S. Daring, that had, for a time, been the first command of Lord Louis Mountbatten. On 18 February 1940 H.M.S. Daring was one of four destroyers escorting a convoy from the Norway campaign to the U.K. In the early hours of the morning the convoy was sighted by U-23, commanded by the man who would later become known as the ‘Wolf of the Atlantic’, Otto Ktretschmer. At a point some 30 miles East from Duncansby Head U-23 found herself trapped on the surface between the two port-side escorts of the convoy. In order to enable an escape Kretschmer decided to attack the stern destroyer, H.M.S. Daring. Two torpedoes were fired and Daring was hit; almost immediately later a secondary explosion ripped through the ship, broke her in half she sank within two minutes, with the loss of 157 Officers and crew. There were only 5 survivors.

Harris was amongst those killed. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. His medals were sent to his father Mr. J. T. Harris.

Sold with a photographic image of the ship’s crew.