Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War D.S.M. and Bar awarded to Petty Officer W. J. Adams, Royal Navy, for services in ‘Q’ Ships against enemy submarines
Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R., with Second Award Bar (189087 W. J. Adams, P.O. 22 Oct. 1916) a replacement issue, the naming officially impressed in a later style, the reverse of the Bar undated, nearly extremely fine £500-600

D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1917.
Bar to D.S.M. London Gazette 23 March 1917.

Petty Officer 1st Class William John Adams was a member of the crew of Q-8, ex S.S. Vala, the former British collier of 1016 tons, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander A. A. Mellin, R.N. Armed with four 12-pounder guns, Vala had an engagement with a German submarine on 22 October 1916, later credited as probably destroyed. On 16 January 1917 she had another encounter with a U-boat, this time credited as possibly destroyed. Petty Officer Adams received the D.S.M. and Bar for these two actions. The Vala was subsequently lost with all hands later that year when, having last been heard of at Queenstown on 20 August, Harold Auten was sent out in the sloop Heather to look for survivors. He carried out an extensive search but found neither survivors nor wreckage. Vala was officially paid off as from 25 August, 1917. Only after the war was it revealed that Vala had been destroyed by UB-54 on 21st August.