Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part I)

Four: Temporary Stoker Petty Officer D. G. Parrott, Royal Navy

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf, generally very fine (4) £400-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of Angela and the late Douglas Bertram.

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David George Parrott, who was born in South Hackney, London in November 1909, entered the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class in November 1931. Volunteering for submarines in late 1937, he served briefly in H.M.S. Pandora before joining the Rorqual in February 1939, in which submarine he remained actively employed as a Leading Stoker (Acting S.P.O.) until May 1941.

During that period the Rorqual carried out several successful war patrols in the Mediterranean, including dangerous minelaying operations off North Africa, Sicily and Yugoslavia. She was also engaged in a number of duels, her guns and torpedoes accounting for several enemy vessels, among them the fully-laden tanker Laura Corrado on 30 March 1941, and, on the following day, the Italian submarine Capponi. Parrott was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 1 January 1941).

Returning home to an appointment at Victory in August 1941, he joined the destroyer depot ship Blenheim in January 1942 and the North Africa shore base Nile (Sphinx) in July 1945. Parrott was released from the Service in November of the latter year.

Sold with related photograph albums (2), the first dating from Parrott’s time in H.M.S. Nelson, circa 1935, containing approximately 100 images, covering career and home leave, the outer cover with ink-inscription ‘H.M.S. Nelson’ and an attractive painted image of the ship; the second album of “Far East” interest, the inside cover with a card depicting the Rorqual’s coat of arms, and inscribed in pencil, ‘Dave Parrott, S./P.O.’, with approximately 275 photographs, circa 1937-39, commencing with a series of interior shots of the submarine Pandora, via time ashore in Hong Kong, Wei Hei Wei, etc., back to fellow crew members in the Rorqual and more time ashore in the Far East, binding somewhat worn but contents good; together with a quantity of other original documentation, including the recipient’s M.I.D. certificate; Certificate of Service, and Employment and Ability Record.