Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Pair: Stoker First Class W. G. Harris, Royal Navy, who was drowned when the Submarine H-42 was lost with all hands, when she was sunk following an accidental collision with H.M.S. Versatile on 23 March 1922.

British War and Victory Medals (K.18681 W. G. Harris. Sto. 1. R.N.) very fine (2) £60-£80

Walter George Harris, a Shoe Hand from Kettering, Northamptonshire, was born on 12 February 1895. He attested into the Royal Navy on 10 April 1915 and was Advanced Stoker 1st Class on 1 September 1914. He served during the Great War in H.M.S. Iron Duke, and was present at the Battle of Jutland, when she inflicted heavy damage on S..M.S. Konig. He later served in the Submarine depot ships H.M.S. Dolphin, and H.M.S. Maidstone.

Post-War, Harris was serving in the H-Class submarine, H.M.S H-42, when she was sunk with the loss of 24 lives after an accidental collision on 23 March 1922. Under the command of Lieutenant Douglas Staley, she was practising torpedo attacks against British destroyers steaming off Europa Point, Gibraltar, when she surfaced unexpectedly close ahead of the destroyer H.M.S. Versatile, who, making 20 knots, went to full speed astern on her engines and put her helm over hard to port, yet rammed H-42 abaft the conning tower, almost slicing the submarine in half. H-42 sank with the loss of all hands. A subsequent investigation found her to be at fault for surfacing where she did against instructions.