Shipwright Lieutenant-Commander F. E. “Fred” Dailey, D.S.C., Royal Navy, who served as Ship’s Carpenter on Scott’s First Antarctic Expedition 1902-04: he was afterwards decorated for his gallantry at Dogger Bank

A Sterling silver bon-bon dish, oval form, four ball feet, 8” x 7” x 1.5”, approx. 6.5 ounces. Maker’s mark polished, not identified. Hall marks for Sheffield 1897. Engraved within, centrally, ‘Presented to Mr F E Dailey, DSC, RN, by the WOs of HMS Lion on the occasion of his marriage, 16th August 1917’ £300-500

“Fred” Dailey was recruited by Captain Scott as Ship’s Carpenter for the 1902-1904 Discovery expedition. Of his messmates in that ship only four other officers were similarly recruited - Royds, Barne, Mulock, and Skelton. Apart from being responsible for the fabric of the ship, “Fred” served ashore with ice mapping explorations. He man-hauled alongside Scott who named Dailey Island after him in recognition of his work.

Returning from the Antarctic, “Fred” joined H.M.S. Talbot and then (1908) H.M.S. Bulwark. She was commanded at that time by Captain Scott and the vendor believes the posting to have been arranged specifically so that the two men could meet off-duty to discuss Scott’s plans for his second South Pole attempt.

“Fred’s” next appointment was the newly commissioned battlecruiser H.M.S. Lion. Flagship of Rear Admiral David Beatty, she led the navy’s last diplomatic mission before war erupted. It was the visit to Kronstadt in June 1914 where Beatty’s squadron was inspected by the doomed Csar Nicholas II and his family. Just two months later, H.M.S. Lion was in action at the First Battle of the Heligoland Bight.

More serious for “Fred” and his messmates was the Battle of the Dogger Bank (fought in the North Sea on 10 February 1916). H.M.S. Lion came close to sinking after being hard hit by heavy shells below the waterline. In charge of the damage control parties, he organised the shoring up of bulkheads so that she could be kept afloat and taken under tow. He was rewarded with the Distinguished Service Cross, one of the earliest to be gazetted.

The Lion was in trouble again on 31 May 1916. It was the Battle of Jutland, the action in which Major Francis Harvey, R.M.L.I., won his posthumous Victoria Cross. “Fred” was presumably engaged in dealing for the damage and flooding after “Q” turret exploded.

He retired in 1920, being granted promotion to Shipwright Lieutenant-Commander in 1928. In 1948 he was technical adviser on the set of the film “Scott of the Antarctic” starring John Mills. His medals were the D.S.C., 1914-15 Star trio, Polar Medal (clasp Antarctic 1902-1904), Russian Order of St Anne (4th Class) and the Royal Geographical Society’s Medal (presented in 1905). They are believed to be held in a private collection. His miniatures and other ephemera are held and displayed at Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery and his ornate headstone is to be seen in Forde Park Cemetery, Plymouth; sold with with abundant research and personal copy-photographs, previously unpublished.