Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Wireman 1st Class F. H. Allum, Royal Navy, who was present at Jutland in the light cruiser H.M.S. Calliope

1914-15 Star (M. 12389 F. H. Allum, Ar. Cr., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (M. 12389 F. H. Allum, Wmn. 1, R.N.), good very fine (3) £70-90

Frederick Henry Allum was born in Reading, Berkshire in July 1884 and entered the Royal Navy as Armourer’s Crew in March 1915. Initially employed ashore, he went to sea in the light cruiser H.M.S. Calliope in May 1915 and remained similarly employed until the War’s end, thereby being present at Jutland

Under the direct command of Commodore Le Mesurier, the Calliope acted as the flagship of the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron at Jutland and was heavily engaged throughout the battle. But it was not until the evening that she started to take her first casualties, the result of a duel with two Kaiser class battleships. The Fighting at Jutland takes up the story:

‘ ... only our speed and zigzagging saved us from annihilation. As it was, we seemed to be in the middle of splashes, and the noise of the bursting shell and flying fragments was absolutely deafening. We were hit five times in all, three of which did serious damage to personnel. One shell, bursting against the breech of the port after 4-inch gun, smashed the fittings and gun shield and killed practically all the gun’s crew, the notable exception being the sight-setter, a Corporal of Marines, who had the gun between him and the burst and only suffered a slight scalp wound.

The second hit on us burst near No. 3 4-inch gun under the bridge, disabled the gun, killing and wounding some of the crew, and fragments of this shell penetrated the deck of the lower bridge and wounded a signalman and a bugler.

The third shell penetrated the upper deck, and burst in the boys’ mess deck, almost in the middle of the after dressing station, killing some and wounding many others, including the Staff Surgeon.

For the last five minutes that we were under fire we were in sight of our own ships, although the two battle fleets were invisible to each other, and we were told afterwards that at times we were hidden in spray from the splashes. Altogether, we had 10 killed and 23 wounded, some seriously. We were ordered to take station on the port beam of the battle fleet for the night, and in the morning resumed our cruising station ahead during the search for disabled enemy ships.

On reaching Scapa afterwards, we were ordered in first, instead of waiting for the battle fleet to enter, to land our wounded. Our dead we buried at sea the morning after the action, the Commodore leaving the bridge for a few minutes to read the burial service, the one time he was ever known to leave the bridge at sea.’

Allum was demobilised ashore in March 1919; sold with copied service record.