Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An early Second World War anti-U-boat operations D.S.M. group of four awarded to Acting Petty Officer H. J. Webb, Royal Navy, who lost his life when H.M.S. Exmouth was torpedoed and sunk in January 1940 - there were no survivors, the skipper of a nearby merchantman, in fear of suffering a similar fate, opting to make for port even though some of the destroyer’s survivors could be heard crying for help in the water

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (H. J. Webb, A./P.O., H.M.S. Exmouth ); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, the first with edge bruise and contact marks, otherwise very fine, the remainder extremely fine (4) £800-1000

D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1940:

‘For outstanding zeal, proficiency, skill and energy in successfully combating enemy submarines.’

Henry James Webb was born in North Bradley, near Trowbridge, Wiltshire, in February 1905, and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in August 1921. Advanced to Able Seaman in July 1924, he was awarded the L.S. & G.C. Medal in January 1938 - which honour, no doubt, was lost on the occasion of H.M.S. Exmouth’s demise in January 1940.

A flotilla leader, the Exmouth quickly saw action following the renewal of hostilities in September 1939, carrying out a brace of depth charge attacks in the same month while escorting a convoy from Glasgow to Gibraltar, the second of which was a protracted affair shared with her consort Eclipse on the 8th, off Lisbon:

‘At 1113 Exmouth made contact at a range of 1200 yards, and, turning towards the target, dropped a pattern of 5 depth charges. This was observed by Eclipse, who bore away to starboard and dropped a pattern of depth charges adjacent to the position which Exmouth had dropped hers. At about 1135 Exmouth regained contact outside the explosion area and attacked with another pattern, turning after it to deliver a third attack, but being unable to regain contact at once. meanwhile, Eclipse, having manoeuvred to fill the gap in the screen, later closed Exmouth, and was about to carry out her own second attack when she noticed a large air bubble on the port bow. It was 10 feet in diameter and contained a large quantity of umbrella bubbles. This bubble appeared about 30 or 40 seconds after the explosion bubbles from the last charge of Exmouth’s second pattern, and differed very much in appearance from them so that, in Exmouth, it was thought that a U-Boat was surfacing. Eclipse trained her main armament on it and circled round to port, keeping the bubble about 500 yards on her port bow. Exmouth then made a third attack and Eclipse a second and a third attack. These later attacks were made on rather scanty information. After Eclipse’s third attack the contact was lost and the hunt was abandoned, the time then being 1230. Both ships rejoined the convoy.’

Awarded the D.S.M., one of the first such honours of the War, Webb lost his life when the Exmouth was torpedoed and sunk on 21 January 1940, just three weeks after his award had been gazetted. His ship had been escorting the merchantman Cyprian Prince when she was spotted by U-22, under Karl Heinrich Jenisch, on the 21st, and torpedoed and sunk off Tarbet Ness, Morayshire, with the loss of all hands - it had been noted by the superstitious that Exmouth’s ship’s cat had deserted the ship just before she had sailed.

The skipper of the Cyprian Prince later reported:

‘An explosion was heard ahead. I sighted what appeared to be a ship or heavy column of smoke close off the starboard bow. Also what appeared to be the stern light of H.M.S. Exmouth about two points of the starboard bow. The order was given by me to put the helm hard a port. Cries from people could be heard close to the starboard side, also what appeared to be a small number of flashing white lights ... Full speed ahead to close position of men in the water. Stop engines and crew mustered to man lifeboats with the intention of picking up the men in the water. At this stage realising that the vessel had been sunk by a submarine, which apparently was working on the surface, as the visibility at this time was about one mile, with no moon, I decided it was impossible to render assistance to the men in the water without sacrificing the Cyprian Prince. I rang for maximum speed and proceeded to close the land, zig-zagging continuously ... ’

Eighteen bodies were later found washed ashore by a schoolboy playing truant near Wick, and were buried with full military honours in the local cemetery, but Webb’s body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. Aged 35 years, he left a widow, Sylvia of Rosyth, Fife, to whom his D.S.M. was sent; sold with a file of research.