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

A fine Dunkirk D.S.O. and anti-submarine operations D.S.C. group of nine awarded to Captain Jack Bickford, Royal Navy, who died of wounds after his ship, H.M.S. Express, struck a mine off Texel in August 1940

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., the reverse of the lower suspension bar dated ‘1940’, in its Garrard & Co Ltd case of issue; Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1940’ and hallmarked London 1938, in its Garrard & Co Ltd case of issue; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. J. G. Bickford, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieutenant J. G. Bickford, R.N.) these three all later issues in their named card boxes of issue; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal; Coronation 1937, in card box of issue, the Second War campaign medals in card box of issue addressed to his widow, together with a large quantity of original documents, cuttings and photographs, extremely fine (9) £6000-8000

D.S.C. London Gazette 23 December 1939: ‘For successful operations against enemy submarines. Commander Jack Grant Bickford, Royal Navy, Commanding Officer, H.M.S. Express.’ This gazette announced the first awards of the D.S.O. and D.S.C. to the Royal Navy in the Second World War.

D.S.O. London Gazette 16 August 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk. Captain Jack Grant Bickford, D.S.C., Royal Navy.’

The destroyer H.M.S. Express made no less than six trips during “Operation Dynamo”, two to the beaches and four to the pier at Dunkirk, bringing home a total of about 3500 troops. During the course of these trips, Express was subjected to two heavy dive-bomber attacks and was engaged by enemy held shore batteries on several occasions. In the first bomb attack, her gunners managed to destroy one aircraft and damage another.

In concluding his report on these operations at Dunkirk, Captain Bickford wrote: ‘The performance of all Officers and Men under my command was of the highest order, and to my complete satisfaction during the whole of this operation. Under severe strain all hands remained alert, boats crews while very weary made incessant boat trips, and the constant manning of the armament and its effective employment on all suitable occasions was extremely creditable.

‘The large numbers of troops onboard constantly expressed their appreciation of what was done for them by the sailors, who I know did their utmost for them in providing such comforts as food, drink, and clothing as was possible. The Hospital party rendered particularly constant and valuable assistance to the wounded on board. I have much pride in submitting the attached list of personnel whom I consider worthy of special mention.’

Jack Grant Bickford was trained for the Merchant Navy in H.M.S. Conway. From her he joined the battleship Temeraire as a Midshipman R.N.R. in September 1913, and was present in that ship at Jutland in 1916. From March 1915, he was transferred to the Royal Navy as Midshipman, and was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in May 1917, and Lieutenant two years later. On being made a Sub-Lieutenant he was appointed executive officer of the Lilac in the Fleet Minesweeping Flotilla at Scapa, later he served in the destroyer Verulam, and for the last part of the war was first Lieutenant of the Wakeful, both forming part of the Grand Fleet.

Following shore courses in 1919, he was in the destroyer Sceptre, and for two years was assistant gunnery officer in the battleship Resolution. He returned to destroyers in 1922, serving in the Woolston, Wild Swan, and Keppel in the Mediterranean and China, and from 1928 he commanded the Torrid at Portland, and the Wren and Arrow in the Mediterranean. He was promoted to Commander in 1932, and after service in the Reserve Fleet, Devonport, was in the Operations Division at the Admiralty from 1934 to 1936. He subsequently commanded the destroyers Hotspur, Acasta and Express.

On the night of 9/10 September 1939, the destroyers Esk and Express lay the first offensive mine barrage on the suspected German exit channels in the German mine-warning area of the North Sea. On the night of 17/18 December, these two destroyers, in company with Intrepid and Ivanhoe, dropped 240 mines off the Ems Estuary. During May 1940 Express helped lay a barrage of 296 mines in the area of Egmond, and a barrage of 164 mines off the Hook of Holland. On 26 July the German minesweepers M61, M89 and M136 sank on these barrages.

On 11 June 1940, Captain Bickford attended an investiture at Buckingham Palace to receive his D.S.C. from the King. By this date, of course, Bickford had already completed his work in operation Dynamo for which he was gazetted for the D.S.O. on 16 August.

During the night of 31 August 1940, when sailing in company with several other destroyers 40 miles W. of Texel, Express was badly damaged by a mine, the fore part of her structure being blown back to the bridge and 19 of her ratings, including Crisp, being killed. The Ivanhoe and Esk were sunk on the same occasion, with a total loss of 191 men. Captain Jack Bickford was badly wounded in the explosion, suffering a compound fracture of the skull and laceration of the brain, from which wounds he died at R.N. Sick Quarters, Grimsby, on 10 September 1940.

The group of medals is accompanied by a large quantity of original documentation, including:

(a) Warrant and Statutes for the D.S.O., together with Central Chancery investiture letter to his widw

(b) Ministry of Pensions illuminated memorial scroll (Captain J. G. Bickford, D.S.O., D.S.C. Royal Navy).

(c) Admiralty condolence slip (Captain Jack Grant Bickford, D.S.O., D.S.C., R.N.).

(d) Certificate for Wounds and Hurts, given when Lieutenant of Resolution undergoing a Gas course in May 1922.

(e) Ten good portrait photographs taken at various stages of his naval career, together with various others including several of ships in which he served.

(f) Two Telegrams to Mrs Daisy Bickford, one advising that Bickford was ‘dangerously wounded’, the other of condolence from Louis Mountbatten.

(g) Three manuscript letters from Louis Mountbatten to Mrs Bickford: [i] 3pp on ‘Captain (D)’s Office, Immingham’ headed paper, dated 11 September 1940, expressing personal sympathy and giving details of the funeral at sea etc.; [ii] single sheet on headed paper as before, dated 24 September 1940, enclosing four photographs of the funeral; [iii] single sheet on ‘H.M.S. Kelly Fifth Destroyer Flotilla’ headed paper, dated 3 February 1941, a personal letter which concludes, ‘I cannot get over your courage & fortitude - I admired it so much at the time of Jack’s funeral but the way you have taken this second frightful blow makes one realize that with people such as you & Jack the Germans can never conquer this country. With all my sympathy. Yours sincerely. Louis Mountbatten.’

(h) Four watercolour sketches by Gerald M. Burn, depicting the destroyers Lilac, Verulam, Wakeful, and Sceptre, all of which Bickford served on between 1916-20.