A League of Neutral Countries Life Saving Medal group of four awarded to Leading Telegraphist G. Lea, Royal Navy, for his assistance in rescuing the crews of six Dutch merchantmen attacked and sunk by a German submarine off the Isles of Scilly on 22 February 1917

1914-15 Star (J.23187, G. Lea. Tel., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.23187 G. Lea. L.Tel. R.N.) unit to BWM officially corrected; League of Neutral Countries Life Saving Medal, bronze, 60mm., the reverse inscribed ‘The Netherland Section of the League of Neutral Countries to George Lea in grateful commemoration of the services tendered by the English Sailors who rescued with peril of life the crews of seven unarmed Dutch Merchantmen surreptitiously attacked and recklessly destroyed by a German Submarine, February 22nd 1917.’, good very fine, the last scarce (4) £500-£700

George Lea was born in Birkenhead on 26 March 1897 and joined the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class on 10 February 1913. He entered training aboard H.M.S. Impregnable at Devonport and was soon selected for the Telegraphist Branch on 22 November of that year, being posted aboard the battlecruiser Lion, the flagship of Rear Admiral Beatty, from 25 May 1914. Present at the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914, Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January 1915, and Battle of Jutland from 31 May to 1 June 1916, Lion was struck during the latter engagement by fourteen shells which killed 99 sailors and wounded 51, many being stationed in ‘Q’ turret which was largely destroyed. Advanced Leading Telegraphist on 16 September 1916, Lea remained aboard Lion on patrol duties until 9 February 1917, when she was given orders to leave Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and steam to Rosyth for maintenance work; given a period of leave, Lea travelled to Cornwall.

The events of 22 February 1917 remain largely contentious to this day. Following the German announcement of 1 February regarding the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, the Western Approaches once again became a graveyard to merchant shipping; on 4 February the UC-47 sank the Dunkirk schooner Marthe using explosive charges and the American SS Japanese Prince using a single torpedo. At around the same time, the U-21 under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Hersing was heading home from the Mediterranean after a long operational tour, unaware that he was heading straight towards a neutral Dutch convoy which had been granted ‘safe passage’ by the German authorities. The Isles of Scilly in the Great War by Richard Larn, O.B.E., takes up the story:

‘On 22 February Scilly experienced its worst maritime disaster when U.21 put paid to a convoy of eight neutral Dutch ships, sinking six of them in one day. According to ‘official sources’, the Dutch ships left Amsterdam for the United States putting into Falmouth on passage. On the morning of 21 February, they sailed for the Western Approaches, their destination New York and Philadelphia. It was a beautiful sunny day without a breath of wind, the surface of the sea like a mill pond when, some 30 miles north-west of the Bishop Rock three of the ships were torpedoed in a matter of minutes. Three others had scuttling charges placed on board, whilst two managed to escape, one being the SS Menado, which was towed back to Falmouth by a trawler. The combined crews of the six ships, since no lives were lost, filled twenty-eight boats, and made a spectacular entry into St. Mary’s, led by the St. Agnes lifeboat Charles Deere James.’

The events of that morning created a major diplomatic incident which resulted in Germany transferring to Holland six German steamers that were anchored in the Dutch East Indies as compensation. The Netherlands Section of the League of Neutral Countries awarded a special medal to each lifeboat crew member, as well as the crews of the Royal Naval Patrol Service trawlers and other volunteers involved in the rescue, including Lea; these were later presented by Mrs. Dorrien-Smith on St. Mary’s. With over 500 survivors landed on the quayside, the next few days were spent distributing clothing on the pavement opposite the Bishop and Wolf Inn before the crews were transferred to Penzance per Lyonesse.

Returned to Lion, Lea witnessed the surrender of the German Fleet and took his discharge from the Royal Navy on 31 March 1920. He later took up appointment in the Royal Indian Marine as a Wireless Operator with the rank of Warrant Officer.