A Yangtze incident Naval General Service Medal awarded to Ordinary Seaman D. H. Wharton, Royal Navy, an 18 year old rating who was wounded aboard the Amethyst

Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Yangtze 1949 (D/SSX. 661314 D. H. Wharton, Ord. Smn., R.N.), together with his H.M.S. Amethyst cap tally, extremely fine (2) £1800-2200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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Douglas Henry Wharton was born in Preston, Lancashire in August 1930 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in May 1946. Having then qualified as an Ordinary Seaman, he joined H.M.S. Amethyst in Hong Kong in November 1948, and was similarly employed at the time of the famous Yangtze incident. His official statement at the subsequent Admiralty Board of Enquiry takes up the story:

‘At about 0830 on 20 April 1949, I was closed up on the Flag Deck when I heard what sounded like rifle fire from the North Bank on the ship’s starboard bows and I heard loud reports from the North Bank and I saw a splash about 100 yards on the port bow. The ship was then straddled. The Captain ordered take cover and no fire was returned. Some 30 minutes later, I heard an explosion which seemed to be at the top of the mast, all the halyards then fell to the deck, and also glass was flying around. I then took cover and then assisted to carry the wounded to the Mess Deck. Frequent shelling of the ship continued and I was wounded at about 1050 by a shell which exploded in the after end of the Port Passage.’

Wharton was invalided from the Royal Navy after attending the R.N.H. Chatham in September 1951.