Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Six: Officers’ Chief Steward J. J. Sheehy, Royal Navy, who served during most of the war in H.M.S. Adventure, the flagship at Queenstown during the Easter Rebellion

1914-15 Star (L.7860. J. J. Sheehy, O.S.1., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (L.7860 J. J. Sheehy. O.S.1. R.N.); Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension (L.7860 J. J,. Sheehy. O.C.S. H.M.S. Repulse) mounted as worn, very fine (6) £160-£200

John Joseph Sheehy was born at Skibbereen, county Cork, on 9 October 1887. He volunteered to join the Royal Navy on 1 October 1915, then aged almost 28 and too old to join as a Seaman. He was therefore taken on as an Officers’ Steward 3rd Class, and went afloat straight away in H.M.S. Adventure, being uprated to Officers’ Steward 1st Class the very next day. When Sheehy joined Adventure she had just moved from the North Sea to Queenstown to become the base’s Flagship under Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly.

On 28 December 1915, the steamer Huronian was attacked and damaged by a submarine off the south-west coast and, in response to her S.O.S., Adventure steamed out, chased the submarine away and assisted the steamer to safety in Bantry Bay.

On 22 April 1916, she took on board Lieutenant Spindler and the crew of the German steamer Aud, which ship had been attempting to rendezvous with Sir Roger Casement in Tralee Bay to deliver a consignment of arms for an imminent uprising in the southwest. She had been intercepted by British ships and was being escorted to Queenstown when Spindler scuttled her. He and his crew were taken to Milford Haven on 23 April, and Adventure was on her return journey on 24 April when the main uprising broke out in Dublin.

Insurgent activity at this time caused communication between Cork and Dublin by rail and telegraph to be severely interrupted. Admiral Bayly therefore sent Adventure to Kingstown where she remained during the course of the Rising, acting as a communication link between Cork and Dublin. On the morning of 4 May she arrived back in Queenstown and in the afternoon took on board some 20 Sinn Fein prisoners being held there. She left before 7.30 p.m. for Kingstown, where she arrived the following morning around 8 a.m. to hand over her prisoners into military custody.

On 23 October 1916, Adventure went to the rescue of survivors from the sloop H.M.S. Genista which had been torpedoed and sunk off the south coast of Ireland. After a lengthy search she located a lifeboat which had been carried by strong winds a considerable distance from the scene of attack and rescued some eleven of the crew.

Sheehy remained in Adventure until October 1919, after which he served aboard various ships and was promoted to Officers’ Chief Steward on 1 June 1925. One year later he joined the battle cruiser Repulse and in this ship received his L.S. & G.C. medal. Sold with copied record of service to the end of 1928 at which time Sheehy was still aboard the Repulse.