Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Chief Electrical Artificer 1st Class A. T. Cuthbert, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (345060 C.E.R.A.2 (sic), R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (345060 C.E.A.1, R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (345060 C.E.A. 2 Cl., H.M.S. Undaunted); France, Croix de Guerre 1914-1917, bronze palm on ribbon, mounted as worn, very fine (5) £140-180

Croix de Guerre London Gazette 1 April 1919.

Alexander Thomson Cuthbert was born in Dundee on 29 September 1878. An Iron Turner by occupation, he entered the Royal Navy as an Assistant Electrician 4th Class on 14 March 1902. He was advanced to Electrician 4th Class when on Jupiter in June 1903; to Electrician 3rd Class when on Bacchante in March 1905; to Electrician 2nd Class in March 1909 when on Cochrane; Chief Electrical Artificer 2nd Class in April 1912 when on Africa and Chief Electrical Artificer 1st Class in April 1917 when on Undaunted. Cuthbert served on the light cruiser Undaunted, April 1914-February 1918. The ship was successively 3rd Destroyer Flotilla leader, 1914-15, 9th Destroyer Flotilla, 1915-17, and 10th Destroyer leader, 1917-18, all based at Harwich. Undaunted had a busy war -
on 17 October she led four destroyers of her flotilla against a force of four German destroyers off the Dutch coast. The four German destroyers were all sunk during the engagement. On 25 December 1914 she was part of a force of three cruisers, three seaplane carriers, nine seaplanes and associated destroyers and submarines that attacked the Cuxhaven Zeppelin base. On 24 January 1915 she was present at the battle of Dogger Bank, but did not get involved in the main fighting. She then moved to the Irish Sea, with her destroyers, to undertake anti-submarine duties. On 9-12 February they escorted the Canadian division from Britain to France. On April 1915 she was badly damaged in a collision with the destroyer Landrail, the first of two collisions in her career. In August 1915 she took part in the hunt for the German minelayer Meteor, which ended with the scuttling of the German ship. The Undaunted was part of the force that covered the raid on Tondern, on 24 March 1916. During the return trip the flagship, Cleopatra, turned sharply to ram a German destroyer, and cut across the bows of the Undaunted causing her to be badly damaged. After his service on the Undaunted, Cuthbert served on the Coventery and Yarmouth, before being pensioned ashore on 13 March 1924. For his wartime services he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Sold with copied service paper and gazette extract.