Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Ordinary Signalman A. J. Kyrke-Smith, Royal Navy, who was killed on the occasion of the loss of the battleship H.M.S. Barham in November 1941

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, all privately inscribed, ‘C/JX. 226657 Ord. Sigmn. A. J. Kyrke-Smith’, in their original addressed card forwarding box, together with the recipient’s Admiralty condolence slip in the name of ‘Arthur James Kyrke-Smith’, extremely fine (3) £100-120

H.M.S. Barham was torpedoed by the U-331 north of Bardia on 25 November 1941, when three out of four torpedoes hit the battleship at close range - just four minutes later one of her magazines blew up, a terrible scene of destruction famously captured on film. Arthur James Kyrke-Smith, who was 21 years old, was the son of Henry and Agnes Kyrke-Smith of Ilford, Essex; sold with a file of research.