Auction Catalogue

4 & 5 March 2020

Starting at 10:00 AM

.

Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Live Online Auction

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Lot

№ 497 x

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4 March 2020

Hammer Price:
£170

Seven: Chief Petty Officer F. W. West, Royal Navy

1939-45 Star, suspension ring damaged; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Burma Star, 1 clasp, Pacific; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (JX.132281 F. W. West. P.O. H.M.S. Vindex); Marine Society Reward of Merit, silver (F. W. West 18 May 1937) some light scratches and edge bruising to LS&GC, the Second War Stars somewhat ‘sweated’, therefore very fine (7) £70-£90

Frank William West was born in Mitcham, Surrey in March 1913 and joined the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class on 11 September 1928. He served in the destroyer H.M.S. Boadicea from September 1936 to May 1938. Boadicea evacuated civilians from Valencia at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and then undertook several missions to Spain to assist enforcing the Civil War embargo. In 1937, during his period of service in Boadicea, West was awarded the Marine Society Reward of Merit. Boadicea would be later torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel by a Junkers Ju 88 seven days after D-Day.

West was advanced to Acting Petty Officer in September 1941 and Petty Officer in February 1945. He was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in February 1946, was promoted Chief Petty Officer in January 1953, and was released on 29 October 1953.