Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War M.B.E. group of seven awarded to Temporary Acting Commissioned Master at Arms W. E. Gillings, Royal Navy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military) Member’s 2nd type breast badge; 1914-15 Star (221774 Sh. Cpl. 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (221774 Sh. Cpl. 1, R.N.); Defence and War Medals; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (221774 R.P.O. 1 Cl., H.M.S. Hawkins), the earlier awards with contact marks and polished, good fine, the remainder good very fine (7) £180-220

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 13 June 1946.

William Edward Gillings was born in Southwold, Suffolk in May 1887 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in August 1902. By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he was serving as a Ship’s Corporal 2nd Class aboard H.M.S. Agamemnon, in which battleship he witnessed the Dardanelles campaign - somewhat unusually, her gunners were credited with the destruction of a Zeppelin off Salonika in May 1916. Gillings came ashore to Pembroke I in November 1917, where he served for the remainder of the War. Awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in May 1920, and advanced to Master at Arms in June of the following year, he was pensioned ashore in May 1927. Recalled shortly before the renewal of hostilities, he ended the War as a Temporary Acting Commissioned Master at Arms at the Glasgow shore base Spartiate, where he was serving at the time of being recommended for his M.B.E.