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

A good Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant Colonel R. S. Worsley, Army Service Corps, who served during the Sudan Campaign at Darfur and Fasher in 1916, and was subsequently drowned when the S.S. Transylvania was torpedoed and sunk on 4 May 1917

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., both centres loose and with damage to enamel; Queen’s South Africa 1899-19023 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (Lieut., A.S.C.); King’s South Africa, 2 clasps (Lt., A.S.C.); 1914-15 Star (Major, A.S.C.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Bt. Lt. Col.); together with corresponding miniatures for Q.S.A. and K.S.A.; Army Service Corps bronze cap badge; a bullion crown; and original documentation, comprising, M.I.D. certificates (4), including a rare example for the Sudan Campaign 1914-16; commission document, dated 15 February 1900; and four commision documents relating to his father, Major-General Richard Worsley, Indian Army, generally very fine or better (10) £1200-1500

D.S.O. London Gazette 2 May 1916 (... with effect from 1 January 1916).

Despatches four times London Gazette 22 September 1915, 11 December 1915, 6 March 1916 (these all for Gallipoli), 8 August 1916 (Sudan).

Major Richard Stanley Worsley was born on 7 September 1879 and educted at Wellington College and Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Army Service Corps in the rank of Second Lieutenant on 21 February 1900; promoted to Lieutenant, 1 April 1901; Captain, 9 July 1904; and Major, 7 October 1914. He served during the South African War 1900-02 and was attached to the Egyptian Army in 1913. During the Great War he served at Gallipoli from April 1915 to September 1915, attached to the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps, before taking part in the Expedition to Darfur. Sold with copy m.i.c. which confirms additional entitlement to Khedive’s Sudan Medal 1910 with 2 clasps, Darfur 1916 and Fasher.

Lieutenant Colonel Worsley was drowned on 4 May 1917 when the S.S. Transylvania was torpedoed and sunk. He has no known grave and is commemorated by name on the Savona Memorial, Italy.

The following is extracted from Dictionary of Disasters at Sea, by Charles Hocking: ‘The liner Transylvania was designed to accomodate 1,379 passengers but the Admiralty fixed her capacity at 200 officers and 2,860 men, besides crew. She was carrying nearly this number when she left Marseilles for Alexandria on 3 May 1917, with an escort of two Japanese destroyers, the Matsu and the Sakaki. At 10a.m. on the 4th the Transylvania was struck in the port engine room by a torpedo from a submarine.

At the time the ship was on a zig-zag course at a speed of 14 knots, being two and a half miles S. of Cape Vado, Gulf of Genoa. She at once headed for the land two miles distant, while the Matsu came alongside to take off the troops, the Sakaki meanwhile steaming around to keep the submarine submerged. Twenty minutes later a torpedo was seen coming straight for the destroyer alongside, which saved herself by going astern at full speed. The torpedo then struck the Transylvania and she sank very quickly, less than an hour having elapsed since she was first hit.

Lieutenant Brennell (the ships captain), one other officer and ten men of the crew, together with 29 military officers and 373 other ranks were killed.