Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War ‘Little Ships’ evacuation of Dunkirk D.S.C. group of seven awarded to Lieutenant-Commander C. J. Carp, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who was decorated for his services as Skipper of the then H.M.S. Princess Elizabeth, a peace time paddle steamer requisitioned for war service, and subsequently died from injuries sustained in the preparation for the D-Day landings

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1940’, silver, hallmarks for London 1940; 1914-15 Star (J. 13150 C. J. Carp. Sig., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J. 13150 C. J. Carp. Sig. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, good very fine (7) £1,400-£1,800

Provenance: Glendining’s, March 2001.

D.S.C. London Gazette 27 August 1940:
‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches of Dunkirk.’

The original recommendation states:
‘H.M.S. Princess Elizabeth:
Did four trips, being continuously on the go without stopping for four days, bringing back 1600 troops. Ship was attacked by aircraft on many occasions and also the boats when working from the beach.

Lieutenant Cecil John Carp, R.N.V.R.:
By his skill, seamanship and great devotion to duty throughout the operation a large body of troops were brought back to England without any serious damage to his ship.’

Cecil John Carp was born in 1895 at Bristol, the only son of Mr and Mrs John Carp. He joined the Royal Navy as ‘Boy’ aged 16 in July 1911 following his chosen trade of Signals and signed for a 12 year engagement. At the commencement of the Great War in 1914 he was serving aboard H.M.S. Edinburgh and he stayed with that vessel until the end of 1917 attaining the rank of Leading Signalman. In March 1920 he exercised his free discharge option but immediately joined the Royal Fleet Reserve. He attained his Master Mariner’s certificate and went to Canada where he commanded steamers in the Great Lakes. Several years later he returned to England, joined the dredging department of the Port of Bristol and served as master of the steam hopper, Frome amongst other craft.

He was commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve immediately after the outbreak of the Second World War and by the summer of 1940, as the allied troops were being forced back to the Channel, he was Skipper of the then H.M.S. Princess Elizabeth, a peace time paddle steamer requisitioned for war service as a mine sweeper.

With the plight of the B.E.F. becoming all too apparent she was despatched to assist with the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. Her first task was to clear the mines from the narrow channel off the beaches, the only escape route. Only then could the work of embarking the waiting troops begin. Many of her sister ships, including the Brighton Belle, the Devonia and Gracie Fields were sunk at that time.

On her first journey, on 29 May 1940, Princess Elizabeth and her fellow minesweepers embarked, in all, 3,415 troops. One of them, the paddle-minesweeper Oriole, had deliberately beached herself early that morning, to allow 2,500 troops to pass over her decks to other ships, before she refloated on the next high tide that evening.

When Princess Elizabeth came again, on Saturday, 1 June, she arrived in the middle of a furious air attack when, among others, the destroyers Keith and Baselisk and the minesweepers Skipjack and Brighton Queen were sunk. By evening, the fog came down and Princess Elizabeth had to return to Dover. She made a third trip in the night of 3-4 June, joining in the last desperate effort to rescue some of the remaining troops.

On 4 June, shortly after 1400 hours, the Admiralty announced that Operation Dynamo was over; by then H.M.S. Princess Elizabeth had succeeded in bringing back over 1,600 troops from Dunkirk.

For services aboard H.M.S. Princess Elizabeth at Dunkirk, Lieutenant Carp was awarded the D.S.C., Sub-Lieutenant J. Tomkin was also awarded the D.S.C., Petty Officer Coalbran was awarded the D.S.M., and Stoker E. Baker and Signalman E. Savidge were Mentioned in Despatches.

Lieutenant Commander Carp sustained accidental fatal injuries on 19 March 1944 whilst on active service with H.M.S. Abatos during Operation PLUTO (Pipe Line under the Ocean) in preparation for the D-Day landings. He died the following day, and is buried under a C.W.G.C. headstone in Canford Cemetery, Bristol.

Sold with copied research, including two photographic images of the recipient.