Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An emotive Second World War group of three awarded to Petty Officer P. H. Kissane, who was killed in action aboard H.M.S. Glowworm during her remarkably gallant clash with the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper off Norway on 8 April 1940: her captain, Lieutenant-Commander Gerald Roope, R.N., was subsequently awarded a posthumous V.C., while Churchill famously announced in the House of Commons, “Glowworm’s light has been quenched”

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, unnamed as issued, together with a Royal Life Saving Society bronze medal (P. H. Kissane, Sept. 1932), and a quantity of original documentation, as listed below, extremely fine (Lot) £400-500

Patrick Henry Kissane was born in Southampton in March 1908 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in September 1923. Advanced to Ordinary Seaman in the Tiger in March 1926, to Able Seaman on the Warspite in June 1927 and to Petty Officer at the gunnery establishment Excellent in August 1938, he was serving in the cruiser Belfast at the outbreak of hostilities. A brief period ashore at Drake IV followed in the new year, and thence his appointment to the destroyer Glowworm, in which ship he was killed in action on 8 April 1940.

‘Glowworm’s light had been quenched’

The Glowworm, in company with Greyhound, Hyperion and Hero, was screening the battlecruiser Renown as part of operation “Wilfred”, a minelaying operation off Norway. After becoming separated whilst searching for a man overboard, the Glowworm made contact with two German destroyers that were carrying troops for the invasion of Norway, and quickly went into action, gaining some notable hits. Shortly afterwards, however, the German heavy cruiser Hipper appeared on the scene and began to shell Roope’s command with accurate fire. John Winton’s definitive history, The Victoria Cross at Sea, takes up the story:

‘As usual, the German initial gunnery ranging was excellent and Hipper hit Glowworm with her first salvo. The weather made escape or evasive shadowing almost impossible, so Roope sent off an enemy sighting report (his second, both of which were received by the C.-in-C.) and closed the enemy. The destroyer Glowworm, 1,345 tons and armed with four 4.7-inch guns, therefore advanced upon the 10,000-ton Admiral Hipper, armed with eight 8-inch and twelve 4.1-inch guns. Glowworm was hit again, in the Captain’s day cabin, where the doctor and his action sick-bay party were all killed or wounded. Another shell brought down part of the foremast and the wireless aerials, which fouled the siren on the funnel, and Glowworm went into action with the strange mournful banshee wailing of her steam siren. She fired a spread of five torpedoes, all of which ran wide, and was hit again, forward and in the engine-room, where a large fire broke out. Glowworm made smoke and prepared for another torpedo attack. At some time now, Roope decided to ram his enemy. Glowworm emerged from the smokescreen, crossing Hipper’s bows from port to starboard, and fired another spread of five torpedoes, four of which got away and one of which just missed Hipper by yards. Glowworm was still making about twenty knots when Roope ordered a sharp turn to starboard and headed for Hipper’s starboard side. Helmuth Heye, Hipper’s captain, alarmed by the possibility of another torpedo attack, also tried to turn to starboard and ram Glowworm, but Hipper was much slower under helm and Glowworm struck her amidships, tearing away about 100 feet of her armoured plating, damaging the starboard side torpedo tubes, killing one man at his gun and puncturing two fresh-water tanks.

Glowworm drew clear after her collision and although her decks were swept by a storm of fire from Hipper’s 4.1-inch and 37mm. close-range weapons, got off another salvo and hit Hipper from a range of about 400 yards. She was by then losing way, settling by the bows, with a major fire raging amidships and all steam pressure lost. Roope ordered his ship’s company to abandon ship. He stayed on the bridge, smoking a cigarette.

Heye chivalrously stayed for over an hour to pick up Glowworm’s survivors. Roope was seen in the water, helping men to put on their lifejackets and he actually reached Hipper’s ship’s side, where a rope was thrown to him. He caught it, but was not able to hang on. He sank back exhausted and was drowned. One officer and 30 men of Glowworm’s total ship’s company of 149 were picked up. Two men died in captivity.’

Aged 32 years, Kissane left a widow, Nora, a resident of Eastleigh, Hampshire. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Sold with a quantity of original documents, including the recipient’s Certificate of Service; R.N. Certificate for the Educational Test, Part I, to ‘Patrick H. Kissane, Boy 1st Class, O.N. J.108276’, dated 2 March 1926; Queries in Seamanship, Gunnery and Torpedo booklet, with pencil written notes; Wightman’s Arithmetical Tables booklet, inscribed, ‘P. H. Kissane’; the recipient’s H.M.S. Tiger and H.M.S. Warspite Qualification Cards; his H.M.S. Greyhound Identification Card; postcards and photographs of ships including H.M.S. Glowworm; a photograph of the recipient; newspaper cuttings mostly regarding the loss of the Glowworm; cloth badge; a metal name-plate inscribed ‘P. Kissane’ and a quantity of copied research.