Five: Petty Officer C. H. Tolcher, H.M.S. Collingwood, Royal Navy, who survived the sinking of H.M.S. Cassandra in the Gulf of Finland on 5 December 1918

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (C. Tolcher. Boy. 1st Cl. H.M.S. Niobe); 1914-15 Star (197372, C. H. Tolcher, P.O., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (197372. C. H. Tolcher. P.O. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (197372. C. H. Tolcher. P.O. H.M.S. Colllingwood.) light contact marks, good very fine (5) £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Medals for the Battle of Jutland.

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The dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Collingwood was launched on 7 November 1908 and served as part of the 1st Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, where she fired a total of 84 twelve-inch shells and 35 four-inch shells during the battle. Sub-Lieutenant H.R.H. The Prince Albert (later H.M. King George VI) commanded her forward turret during the Battle.

Charles Henry Tolcher was born in Portlemouth, Devon on 25 October 1882. He enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class in January 1898, was posted aboard H.M.S. Indefatigable and promoted to Boy First Class the following October. He joined H.M.S. Niobe in June 1899 and served aboard her until October 1900. During this period Niobe was involved in the Second Boer War, escorting troop ships to the Cape. On the outbreak of the Great War, he was serving in the dreadnought battleship, H.M.S. Collingwood, which he had joined in March 1912 with the rate of Petty Officer. He remained with this ship for the first two years of the war and was awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in November 1915.

In June 1917, Tolcher was posted to the light cruiser H.M.S. Cassandra and was part of the ship’s company when she ran aground on Fair Isle on 15 August 1917. She was salvaged and following the end of the war, as part of the 6th Light Cruiser Squadron, Cassandra was sent to the Baltic to support the independence of the newly founded Baltic States against the Bolsheviks. On 5 December 1918, Cassandra struck a mine near Saaremaa in the Gulf of Finland and quickly sank. Tolcher, along with most of her crew were rescued by the destroyers H.M.S. Westminster and Vendetta. He was discharged to pension in October 1922, having reached the rate of Chief Petty Officer.