Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Able Seaman A. Gibson, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when H.M.S. Edinburgh, on escort duty with Russian convoy QP-11, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-456 and sank in the Barents Sea, 2 May 1942; her cargo included 5 tons of Russian gold, bound for America

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. M. Gibson, 16 Alltyre Street, Glasgow, E.C.2’, nearly extremely fine (4) £120-160

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

View
Collection

Andrew Gibson served during the Second World War as an Able Seaman in the Belfast-class light cruiser H.M.S. Edinburgh, that spent most of the Second World War on convoy escort duties to both Murmansk and Malta. On 29 April 1942 she departed Murmansk with convoy QP11. Her cargo contained almost 5 tons of Russian gold bullion, then worth £45,000,000, bound for the United States of America. Taking a position ahead of the main body of vessels, on 2 May she was attacked by the German submarine U-456, and was hit by two torpedoes to her starboard side. 78 of her crew were killed and 43 wounded, but incredibly the Edinburgh remained afloat. After two attempts to take her in tow had failed, her surviving crew were removed and she was scuttled by a torpedo from H.M.S. Foresight in the Barents Sea. The gold she was carrying sank with her, and was finally recovered in 1981.

Gibson was amongst those killed, aged 19. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. His medals were sent to his mother Margaret Gibson, who subsequently composed the following poem in honour of her son:

As I stood out on the open deck
And gazed on the ocean blue.
I thought I saw someone I loved
Or someone whom I knew.

I watched the waves go rolling by
I thought I heard them say
‘I see you mother on the deck
Please don’t forget to pray.’

My heart was still as I stood there
I knew not what to say
So I closed my eyes and I whispered soft
‘God bless you son this day.’

Then I turned from the deck and slowly walked away
My heart was breaking as the ship was plodding through
For I had lost my dear, dear boy that day
Killed in April 1942.