A rare Great War submariner’s group of five awarded to Lieutenant-Commander G. N. Biggs, Royal Navy, who died on active service on the occasion of the loss of his command the E. 30 in November 1916

1914-15 Star (Lt. Commr. G. N. Biggs, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Lt. Commr. G. N. Biggs, R.N.); France, Legion of Honour, Chevalier’s breast badge, silver, silver-gilt and enamel; Japan, Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class breast badge, silver and enamel with cabachon centre, one or two arm points on the Legion of Honour with chipped enamel and the obverse of the cabachon cracked, otherwise good very fine and better (5) £1200-1500

Geoffrey Nepean Biggs, who was born in Cardiff, Glamorgan in June 1885, was educated at Bath College and the R.N.C. Osborne and, in common with his brothers, was a skilful rugby player, regularly turning out for Bath and the United Services team.

Advanced to Midshipman in May 1901 and to Sub. Lieutenant in July 1904, he was appointed to the submarine depot ship Mercury at Portsmouth ‘for training in submarines’ in March 1906. Having then been promoted to Lieutenant in the following month, he qualified for command of submarines in December 1907, and was duly appointed to the B. 6 at Devonport in early 1909 and, in the period leading up to the Great War, the C. 32 and A. 1.

The outbreak of hostilities in August 1914 found him serving as a Lieutenant-Commander in C. 16 in the 6th Submarine Flotilla, while in September 1915 he removed to the E. 30, a submarine of the 8th Submarine Flotilla at Harwich. And it was in this latter capacity that he died on active service on 22 November 1916, when the E. 30 fell victim to a scattered minefield off Orford Ness. As reported at the time, ‘the circumstances attending his death were particularly pathetic, for he was expected at his parents’ home on brief leave, and his wife, who was staying there, had arranged to meet him at the G.W.R. station when came the sad news that, like so many other brave men, he had given his life for the Empire ... He had done special expert work under the Coast Defence Committee for which he received a letter of commendation from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and, a few months ago, he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the President of the French Republic. He was 31 years of age and since the outbreak of war had had some thrilling adventures.’

One such adventure may be well have been the sinking of the German steamer Trave, an incident related in an accompanying newspaper cutting:

‘On the evening of May 18, the German steamer Trave was torpedoed by a British submarine at the entrance of the Sound outside Cape Kullen. The crew of 17 were saved. The steamer was on a voyage from Lubeck to Norway with coal. It is stated that when the vessel was sighted by the submarine she tried to escape, and made at full speed for Swedish territorial waters, but was stopped by a shot from the submarine. The crew included two women. A terrorising effect is being created amongst the enemy by these exploits. A shipping firm in Stockholm received a telegram from a German shipping firm to keep all its steamers in port.’

Biggs’ Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour was gazetted on 15 September 1916 and his 4th Class of Japanese Order of the Rising Sun following his death on 29 August 1917.

Sold with the recipient’s original warrants for his French and Japanese awards, with related permission to wear warrant for the former, and Buckingham Palace condolence telegram addressed to his widow, dated 30 November 1916; together with a large coloured portrait photograph, framed and glazed, and an “In Memoriam” leather-bound album compiled by his widow, this last with numerous newspaper obituaries and around 15 photographs of submarine interest, including scenes from the E. 30; and the recipient’s R.N. officer’s sword-belt.