Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family Group:

Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., V.R., narrow suspension, impressed naming (F. J. Starr, Ch. Sto. H.M.S. Camperdown.) very fine

Three: Able Seaman W. A. Starr, alias W. A. Blake, Royal Navy
British War and Victory Medals (J.42753 W. A. Starr. A.B. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage head (J.42753 W. A. Blake. A.B. H.M.S. Curacoa.) light contact marks, very fine (4) £200-£240

Frank James Starr was born in Frome, Somerset on 17 October 1861. He enlisted into the Royal Navy in July 1882 as a Stoker 2nd Class and first served in H.M.S. Asia. He later served with numerous other ships including H.M.S. Neptune, Duke of Wellington, Serapis, Magicienne and Fox. In July 1900 Starr was sent to H.M.S. Camperdown and it was whilst with this ship that he was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. He transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve in August 1902 and was finally discharged in October 1911. Following the outbreak of the Great War, he re-enlisted into the Royal Navy at the age of 51, and served as a Chief Stoker with H.M.S. Victory II from August to September 1914.

William Albert Starr was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire on 3 November 1899, the eldest son of Frank James and Jessie Sophia Starr. He enlisted into the Royal Navy in November 1915 as a Boy Second Class under the alias of William Albert Blake and first served with the shore establishment H.M.S. Ganges. In February 1916 he was posted to the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Drake and was part of her crew when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-79 on 2 October 1917, off the northern coast of Ireland. The surviving crew were taken off before she capsized. For the remainder of the Great War he served with the dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Monarch. Following the war he served with several ships and shore establishments including the destroyers H.M.S. Winchester and Venomous, and the battlecruiser H.M.S. Renown. He was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal whilst serving with the light cruiser H.M.S. Curacoa. On the outbreak of the Second World War, Starr was serving with the shore establishment H.M.S. Raven before transferring to the Fleet Air Arm depot ship H.M.S. Mashobra in October 1939. After this ship was bombed off Harstad, Norway by Luftwaffe aircraft, Starr was transferred to H.M.S. Victory. He died in service on 24 June 1945 and is buried in Portsmouth (Kingston) Cemetery.