Five: Petty Officer (Rigger) F. W. Sellick, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (204432 Smn. Rigger, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (204432 Smn. Rigger, R.N.); Royal Victorian Medal, G.V.R., silver, unnamed as issued; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (A.B. (Rigger), H.M.S. Agincourt), the Great War period awards with contact marks and polished, good fine, the fourth nearer extremely fine (5) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals for Services at Sea from the Collection of the Late Oliver Stirling Lee.

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Frederick William Sellick was born at Alverstoke, Hampshire in December 1883 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in May 1899. He subsequently joined the royal yacht Victoria & Albert as an Able Seaman in July 1909, and remained so employed until the outbreak of hostilities in Augsut 1914, when he removed to H.M.S. Agincourt, in which battleship he remained until the end of the War, a period that encompassed her participation in the Battle of Jutland. Fawcett and Hooper describe several lucky escapes she had from enemy torpedoes on that memorable day in The Fighting at Jutland:

‘As far as Agincourt was concerned, our excitement started at 7.08 p.m., when with a sharp turn of the ship a torpedo passed just under our stern, and later on another broke surface about 150 yards short on our starboard beam. At 7.35 p.m. the tracks of two more torpedoes were reported approaching on the starboard side, but by good co-operation between the fore-top and the conning tower they were both avoided. Aloft the tracks were clearly visible, and acting on the reports from there the ship was gradually turned away, so that by perfect timing one torpedo passed up the port side and one the starboard side; after which we resumed our place in the line. A fifth torpedo was successfully dodged by zigzagging at 7.47 p.m., but after this we had no further excitements. We ourselves had no opportunity to fire torpedoes at the enemy, but fired 144 shells from our 12-inch turrets and from our secondary armament (6-inch guns) 111 shells.’

Sellick, who was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in August 1917, returned to duties aboard the royal yacht in June 1919, and was finally pensioned ashore as a Petty Officer (Rigger) in December 1933. Then in August of the following year, his career of 20 years in “royal service” was recognised by the award of the R.V.M., which he received from the hands of the King aboard the royal yacht that month. He died in August 1950.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including an official communication requesting the recipient’s attendance aboard the Victoria & Albert to receive his R.V.M., dated 7 August 1934, and related certificate of award, dated 22 August 1934; a letter of reference from the Vice-Admiral C.-in-C. Atlantic Fleet, dated 30 September 1927; parchment Certificate of Service and Gunnery and Torpedo History Sheet; and two photographs, one including the recipient aboard a royal launch and the other of King George V and Queen Mary, this latter believed to have been taken by the recipient.