Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Able Seaman G. L. Davies, Royal Navy, who was killed in action whilst serving in H.M.S. Exeter during her epic encounter with the Admiral Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure; together with the recipient’s card identity disc ‘G. L. Davies. Seaman. S.S.X.22679. C. of E.’, nearly extremely fine (3) £400-£500

Gilbert Lewis Davies, a farm labourer from Kimbolton, Leominster, Herefordshire, was born on 6 February 1918. He attested into the Royal Navy on 15 September 1937 and served in H.M.S. Exeter from 21 April 1938. He was killed in action at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December 1939, and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

Sold with the recipient’s original parchment certificate of service; a bosun’s whistle with impressed naming ‘S. Davies’; original telegram to the recipient’s mother informing her of her son’s death, and named Buckingham Palace condolence letter; a quantity of original related photographs, including several of the recipient in uniform; original letters home written by the recipient; his named ‘Crossing the Equator’ parchment whilst serving in H.M.S. Exeter; various original newspaper cuttings; a hardback copy of ‘The Battle of the River Plate’ by Commander A. B. Campbell; a hardback copy of ‘The Cruise of H.M.S. Exeter’, with the inside cover inscribed ‘sent in memory of Gilbert killed on H.M.S. Exeter on Dec 13th 1939’; and other ephemera.