Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Petty Officer Cook H. E. Arnold, Royal Navy, who was serving aboard H.M.S. Broke from August 1916, taking part in the celebrated ‘Swift and Broke’ action of April 1917

1914-15 Star (M.3084, E. H. Arnold. Ck. Mte., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (M.3084 E. H. Arnold. L. Ck. Mte. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (M.3084 E. H. Arnold. L. Ck. H.M.S. Lucia.) note initials ‘E. H.’ on all medals, mounted for wearing, contact marks, nearly very fine (4) £180-£220

Harry Edwin Arnold was born in Portsmouth on 6 July 1891, and enlisted into the Royal Navy as an Officer’s Steward 3rd Class on 28 May 1910, with number L.1914. In the following year he changed his naval trade to that of ‘cook’, engaging for 12 years’ service and being allocated a new number, M.3084. His service record has been amended from ‘Edwin Harry Arnold’ to read ‘Harry Edwin Arnold’ at some point after the issue of his medals. Over the following years he served at Portsmouth naval base and in the battleship Renown. Upon the outbreak of war he was serving in the cruiser Sappho on patrol duties off the Orkney and Shetland Islands. In August 1916 he was drafted into the Blake depot ship of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla, and assigned to the Broke, which had recently completed repairs to severe damage received at the battle of Jutland.

On the night of 20 April 1917, six German destroyers left their bases on the Flanders coast and made a raid on Dover. At 0045 the destroyers H.M.S. Swift and Broke, just east of the Goodwins, sighted ships approaching on an opposite course. The Germans opened fire, and scored several hits on Swift. Swift turned to ram but missed, passed through the German line and scored some hits too. She then fired a torpedo which hit G.85. Swift had been sorely hit, had wireless out of action, damage to bridge and 4 ft of water in the stokers mess-deck, 1 crew killed and 4 wounded. She turned to follow the Germans but couldn't keep up, so made her way home.

At the start of the fight Broke also opened fire with guns and torpedo, but failed to score. She then rammed G.42 amidships at 27 kts. Locked together, Broke's sailors had to repel German borders in hand to hand fighting while Broke's guns poured fire into G.42 at point blank range. While this battle was going on the last two German torpedo boats in the line sailed past and fired into Broke. Broke managed to break clear of G.42 and started limping eastwards after Swift. Broke had suffered damage to her boiler rooms with steam dropping, half of the bridge was on fire and the decks had been swept by gunfire. As she sailed away both G.85 and G.42 fired on Broke. Broke then turned back and fired on both German destroyers, silencing their guns. The battle ended at 0115. Both German destroyers sank shortly after.

At this point Broke's engines stopped and she drifted until taken under tow by H.M.S. Lydiard, who along with H.M.S. Mentor and Lucifer had come out of Dover to help, but arrived too late.

In April 1919 Arnold was drafted to the Theseus, depot ship at Batum Georgia, on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. From Batum there was a railway line across the Caucasus to Baku on the Caspian Sea, where a Royal Navy contingent manned a motley collection of requisitioned merchant ships in a confrontation with Bolshevik forces. The log of Theseus for that period records the despatch of men and stores to the Caspian and taking custody of prisoners. Arnold went on to serve in the minesweepers Heliotrope, Tring and Newark, and ashore at Portsmouth and Portland. In January 1925 he joined Lucia, depot ship of the 2nd Submarine Flotilla, attached to the Atlantic Fleet. In August of that year he was awarded his L.S. & G.C. medal. This was followed by service at Vernon where he was advanced to Petty Officer Cook.

Arnold then signed an agreement to serve in New Zealand for three years from 28 August 1928, and was initially assigned to the destroyer Diomede. In November 1928 he went ashore to Philomel at Devonport, Auckland, and in May 1930 he was drafted to the destroyer Dunedin. This ship assisted in the suppression of the Mau rebellion in Samoa, and in February 1931 provided relief to the devastated towns of Napier and Hastings in Hawkes Bay after being struck by an earthquake. He returned to England in 1931, and was drafted to the gunnery training establishment Excellent for the final months of his service, before retiring in May 1932. Arnold was recalled to service in December 1939, and in 1940 was serving in Collingwood, a training establishment for special reservists at Fareham. He was released from service in September 1945, and died in July 1979. Sold with copied record of service and detailed resumé of his career.