Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

British War Medal 1914-20 (5) (J.68695 A. M. Moore. Ord. R.N.; 192350 H. W. Hart. C.P.O. R.N.; Lt. Commr. C. A. Peal. R.N.R.; Francis A. Kemp; J. Kennedy. Ch. Ck. M.F.A.) official correction to ‘N’ on ‘R.N.R’ on Peal medal, generally nearly very fine (5) £80-£100

Arthur Mitchell Moore was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, on 1 February 1894 and joined the Royal Navy on 10 March 1917, serving during the Great War in H.M.S. Bacchante. He was shore demobilised on 19 March 1919.

Henry William Hart was born in Haughley, Suffolk, on 20 February 1880 and joined the Royal Navy on 26 January 1899. Advanced Petty Officer 1st Class on 30 November 1905, he served during the Great War in H.M.S. Vengeance, H.M.S. Jupiter and H.M.S. Diana. He transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve on 1 March 1920.

Charles Arthur Peal served during the Great War in the Royal Naval Reserve and was in command of the ‘Q’ ship H.M.S. Rhododendron when, on 5 May 1918, whilst on patrol off the Orkney Islands, there was an explosion aft. Peal was heading to check the damage when there occurred a second larger explosion. It was found the entire stern of the vessel had gone. Peal initially thought that the damage was caused by a depth charge and shortly afterwards gave the order to abandon ship. At the subsequent Admiralty Board, he stated that around 30 minutes after abandoning ship, a U boat (later established as U-70, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Wünsche), surfaced, approached and questioned the occupants of a lifeboat. As someone in the conning tower was scanning the lifeboats with binoculars, Peal was concerned that the enemy may be looking to take him prisoner. Accordingly, he hid his jacket that he had earlier given to a stoker to wear. The U boat then manoeuvred around what was left of the stern of H.M.S. Rhododendron and fired five shells into the ship.