Orders, Decorations and Medals Including five Special Collections

A Second World War Minesweeping D.S.C. group of nine awarded to Captain R. H. V. Sivewright, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1942; 1914-15 Star (Mid., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (Lieut., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Burma Star, clasp, Pacific; War Medal, with M.I.D. oak leaf emblem; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Minesweeping 1945-51 (Capt., D.S.C. R.N.) mounted as worn, very fine or better (9) £1000-1200

D.S.C. London Gazette 31 March 1942: ‘For courage, skill and endurance while Minesweeping in dangerous waters in H.M.S. Romney.

M.I.D. London Gazette 1 January 1941.

Robert Henry Vivian Sivewright followed his elder brother George (Commander 1930), into the Royal Navy, and on 1 May 1915 was appointed Midshipman aboard the Battleship Britannia. In November 1916, he transferred to the Cruiser Courageous, was promoted Sub-Lieutenant in March 1917, and was serving in H.M.S. Forester in 1918, during the operations to assist the Army in its advance along the Palestine coast from 19 September to 28 September 1918, when Haifa was occupied. Forester’s commanding officer, Commander R. T. Down was awarded the D.S.O. for this action which included firing on Turkish troops. Two other officers received the D.S.C.

After the war, Sivewright attended a course at Cambridge University during 1919, and in December was appointed to the Destroyer Trinidad. His subsequent appointments included the Destroyer Sikh, the Battleship King George V, the Battle Cruiser Tiger, and the Light Cruiser Despatch. He was replaced on the Retired List in 1926, but was recalled to active service in October 1939 in the rank of Commander, and appointed to Badger, Parent Ship at Harwich. In September 1940, he was given command of the Minesweeper Seagull, followed in September 1941 by the command of the Bangor class Minesweeper Romney. He received his D.S.C. for services in Romney fir his work in the Nore on a major minefield clearance effort in December 1941 and January 1942, during which they encountered winter storms and came under daylight air attacks.

He was still in command in March 1842, when Romney and three other Bangor class minesweepers of the 14th M.S. Flotilla participated in operation Ironclad, the British landing near Diego Suarez, Madagascar. As the assault force approached the island, it was preceded in the unlit and tortuous channels by the minesweepers Romney and Cromarty. They succeeded in cutting about 17 moored mines but at 3 a.m. one mine detonated during Romney’s sweep. The explosion echoed around the harbour, but it awoke no sign from the French garrison, and at 3.30 a.m. the assault took place successfully.

In November 1942, he was appointed to the command of Exmouth, Accommodation Ship, with the rank of Acting Captain, and as Captain, Minesweeping Scapa Flow. In December 1944, he took command of the shore base Gombroon, and as Naval Officer in Charge Hornung, Persian Gulf. In April 1945, he was appointed Naval Officer in Charge of the naval base at Khorkuwai, Burma. He was one of the most senior officers to be awarded the clasp for Minesweeping 1945-51, which he earned whilst commanding minesweeping operations in the Burma-Malay area following the Japanese surrender in 1945. He was released from naval service in May 1946, reverting to the Retired List, and died on 9 April 1981.