Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Great War M.B.E. group of seven awarded to Lieutenant C. E. Finch, Royal Navy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) Member’s 1st type breast badge, silver, hallmarks for London 1919; 1914-15 Star (Gnr., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Gnr., R.N.); Defence and War Medals; Jubilee 1935, the second to last with one or two edge scratches, otherwise generally very fine or better (7) £300-350

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals for Services at Sea from the Collection of the Late Oliver Stirling Lee.

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M.B.E. London Gazette 21 June 1919. The original recommendation states:

‘As Torpedo Gunner during the time that H.M.S. Phaeton carried out mining operations, he was very largely responsible for the technical part of the mine preparation and performed his duty in a highly efficient manner.’

Charles Edwin Finch, who originally entered the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman in 1904, joined the M-class torpedo boat destroyer Meteor in September 1914, as her Torpedo Gunner. Similarly employed until February 1917, he was present at Dogger Bank in January 1915, when, under a galling fire, the Meteor delivered the torpedo strike that caused the mighty Blucher to strike her flag and, shortly afterwards, turn turtle and sink - in return for her gallant close range attack, Meteor was thrice hit by the Blucher’s guns, several men being killed and her engine room badly damaged. None of this would have been lost on Finch, for the Meteor was only about 1000 tons, with a total complement of 78 men, and, moreover, as her Torpedo Gunner, it might well be argued that he was the very man responsible for sinking the Blucher. Be that as it may - and following further actions off the Belgian coast - he did not receive any recognition for his specialist skills until his second, and final wartime appointment, the cruiser Phaeton, as per the recommendation cited above - he was invested with his M.B.E. in March 1920.

Finch was advanced to Commissioned Gunner (T.) in August 1924 and to Lieutenant in July 1933, and was probably awarded his Jubilee 1935 Medal in his capacity as President of the Warrant Officers’ Mess at Vernon. Having retired in 1936, he was recalled on the renewal of hostilities and served as Assistant Range Officer for the Greenock Torpedo Factory at Loch Long for the remainder of the War.