Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second World War B.E.M. group of five awarded to Chief Yeoman of the Signals H. Hawkes, Royal Navy

British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (C.Y.S. Henry Hawkes, P/220834 R.N.); 1914-15 Star (220834 H. Hawkes, Y.S., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (220834 H. Hawkes, Y.S., R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st issue (220834 H. Hawkes, C.Y.S., H.M.S. Victory), mounted as worn, together with Spink & Son Jutland commemorative medallion, white metal, in original card box with label ‘Sold for the Benefit of Naval Orphanages’, and original addressed 1939-45 War campaign medal forwarding box, the side with ink inscription, ‘DNA (Wills) 114/47’, and related Admiralty condolence slip in the name of ‘Henry Hawkes’, generally good very fine (6) £350-400

B.E.M. London Gazette 1 January 1943.

Henry Hawkes was born in Bexhill, Sussex in December 1886 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in May 1902. A Yeoman of the Signals aboard the dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Neptune by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he served in the same capacity until removing to the battleship Canada in May 1918, in which period he was present at Jutland. The Neptune was credited with several 12-inch hits on the enemy battle cruiser Lutzow on the same occasion and very fortunate indeed to escape destruction by torpedo - see relevant narratives in The Fighting at Jutland, by Fawcett and Hooper. Having ended the War in the Canada, Hawkes was advanced to Chief Yeoman of the Signals in April 1922 and pensioned ashore in December 1926.

Recalled on the renewal of hostilities, he was serving at the Milford Haven base Skirmisher at the time of being awarded his B.E.M. in January 1943, and he died while still in service in December 1946, aged 60 years. Buried in Portsmouth (Milton) Cemetery, Hampshire, he left a widow, Mary, resident at Copnor, Portsmouth, to whom the above described card forwarding box for his 1939-45 War campaign awards is addressed - presumably the Defence & War Medals; sold with copied service record.