A Great War Sea Gallantry Medal group of four awarded to Assistant Engineer William Homer, Merchant Navy, for services aboard the S.S. Justicia when she was torpedoed, 19 July 1918

Sea Gallantry Medal, G.V.R., silver (William Homer “Justicia” 19th July 1918); British War and Mercantile Marine Medals (William Homer); Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Marine Medal, 3rd issue, silver (To William Homer. S.S. “Justicia” for Gallant Service, 19/7/18) last with silver buckle on ribbon, last with slight edge bruising, good very fine and better (4) £550-600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Life Saving Awards formed by The Late W.H. Fevyer.

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Ref. Spink Exhibition 1985, No. 113.

‘On the 19th July 1918 the S.S. Justicia of Liverpool was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic Ocean. After the vessel had been struck, cries for help were heard from the engine room which was rapidly filling with water. Mr Homer took an electric torch and he and Mr Fleming, who volunteered to accompany him, descended by escape ladders from the boat deck landing to the water level in the engine room, where they found a junior engineer pinned between the cylinder grating platform and the main steam exhaust pipe, with his head just above water level. They released him from his perilous position and assisted him up the escape to the boat deck, a distance of 60 feet. Afterwards they went down again and discovered a storekeeper, in an unconscious condition on the cylinder grating platform, and managed with the greatest effort to get him up to the boat deck’. (Ref. P.R.O. BT.261.6). Assistant 3rd Engineer H. C. Fleming and Senior 5th Engineer W. Homer were both awarded the S.G.M. in silver; being awarded by the King on 15 March 1919.

‘Silver Medal and Certificate of Thanks each to Hugh Cameron Fleming and William Home, assistant engineers, S.S. “Justicia”, for gallantry descending into the engineroom and rescuing the store-keeper and a junior engineer from positions of peril, on the occasion of the loss of the vessel by enemy attack on July 19th, 1918. Both rescued men were seriously injured’. (Ref. L.S. & H.S. 80th Annual Report).

The liner Justicia, en route from Liverpool to New York, was attacked by German submarines when off the N.W. coast of Ireland. At 2.30 p.m. on 19 July the first torpedo struck her in the engine-room. At 4.30 p.m. two more torpedoes were fired, one of which missed, the other diverted by gunfire. At 8 p.m. the damaged ship was taken in tow and soon afterwards a fourth torpedo was discharged, but gunfire again proved successful in diverting the aim. The next day at 4.30 a.m. a fifth torpedo was fired but missed. Finally at 9.15 a.m. on 20 July two more torpedoes were discharged. These struck home and at 12.40 p.m. the ship sank. In the attacks, the 3rd Engineer and 15 of the engine-room staff were killed; the remainder of the crew, some 600 strong, were evacuated to escorting ships. The destroyer Marne succeeded in sinking one of the attacking submarines. (Ref. taken from Disasters at Sea). Sold with copied research.