Orders, Decorations and Medals

A good Second World War Aegean 1943 operations D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Chief Stoker J. S. Palethorpe, Royal Navy, who had earlier served off Dunkirk and won a “mention” for North Russia convoys in 1942: his ship, the destroyer H.M.S. Intrepid, was sunk by enemy aircraft off Leros in September 1943

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (Ch. Sto. J. S. Palethorpe, C/KX. 64952), in its case of issue; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-1939 (K. 64952 Ch. Sto., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 3rd issue, coinage head (K. 64952 S.P.O., H.M.S. Keith), the second with officially corrected number, generally good very fine and better (8) £1800-2200

D.S.M. London Gazette 4 April 1944.

Mention in despatches London Gazette 1 December 1942.

Joseph Storey Palethorpe was born in Holborn, Middlesex in December 1901 and entered the Royal Navy as an Acting Stoker in August 1919. Advanced to Chief Stoker in January 1933, he was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in the following year and served in the destroyer H.M.S. Keith from November 1934 to February 1937, during which period he qualified for his Naval General Service Medal for ‘Palestine 1936-1939’.

Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Palethorpe joined the ship’s company of the Vanquisher, aboard which destroyer he served until July 1940, a period that encompassed her part in the evacuation of Dunkirk. During those memorable operations the Vanquisher rescued survivors from the Mona’s Queen after she hit a magnetic mine and went down in two minutes, and herself sustained bomb damage during one of her many trips to the beaches - in one 24 hour period she brought back over 1200 men.

In August of the same year, Palethorpe removed to another destroyer, the Intrepid, aboard which ship he remained actively employed until 27 September 1943, the day she was sunk by enemy aircraft in Leros harbour, with the loss of three officers and 12 ratings. In the interim she had amassed at least seven Battle Honours, among them “Bismarck 1941” and “Arctic 1941-43”, the latter leading to Palethorpe’s “mention” for his work during the course of P.Q. 18 and Q.P. 14 in September 1942.

His final wartime appointment was aboard the frigate Loch Shin from February 1944 to August 1945, a period that witnessed his return to the Arctic run among other operations. He was released from the Service that October.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for the D.S.M., and related Admiralty letter of notification, dated 20 April 1944, which states ‘for outstanding enterprise, endurance and skill shown in H.M.S. Intrepid in operations against enemy shipping in the Aegean whereby supplies were maintained to Kos and Leros’; M.I.D. certificate, dated 1 December 1942, this with trimmed edges; three photographic Christmas cards to his family from H.M. Ships Intrepid, Loch Shin and Southampton; five career photographs, including a portrait shot in duffle coat, the reverse inscribed, ‘Murmansk, 19-1-42’; his examination certificate for the rank of Chief Stoker, dated 25 January 1933 and his parchment certificate of service.