Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A well documented Great War ‘1917’ D.S.M. group of four awarded to Sergeant Observer W. C. Argent, Royal Naval Air Service, later Royal Air Force who undertook 201 anti-U-boat air patrols in seaplanes with 214 Squadron during the Great War, being forced to ditch 8 times in all and on one occasion seeing his bomb score a direct hit on the deck of an enemy submarine: details of Argent’s life and service are preserved in a series of interviews he recorded with the Imperial War Museum in 1991

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (F.13496. W.C. Argent. LG. Mech. R.N.A.S. 1917); British War and Victory Medals (213496. Sgt. W. C. Argent. R.A.F.); Defence Medal; together with the recipient’s associated miniature awards, both groups mounted as worn, nearly very fine and better (4) £1,400-£1,800

D.S.M. London Gazette 1 May 1918:
‘For zeal and devotion to duty during the period from 1st July to 31st December 1917.’

William Charles Argent was born on 25 January 1899 at Codicote, Hertfordshire and was educated in London at Brixton and Bonner Hill School, Kingston. He enlisted on 27 April 1916 as a Boy Mechanic in the Royal Naval Air Service and underwent Wireless Telegraphy training at Cranwell (held against H.M.S. Daedulus) until February 1917 at which time he was advanced to Air Mechanic Class II. After a short spell at gunnery and bombing school at Eastchurch he was posted briefly to R.N.A.S. Calshot as an wireless operator/air gunner before moving on to R.N.A.S. Portland. From 12 April 1917, Argent undertook 201 air patrols from Portland hunting submarines over the English Channel as an Observer in Short Seaplanes of 241 Squadron. On 15 May 1917 he attacked a U-Boat at location 31R, his log book stating: ‘dropped bombs on submerged sub. 31R. damaged it. TB.81 finishing it off.’

Engine problems were a consistent theme throughout 1917 causing many aborted climbs and premature landings and ditchings at sea (8 in total), the following logbook entries being not atypical:
‘9 July 1917 - forced landing, 40D, smashed floats on landing picked up after about 5 hours by T.B. 81. m/c towed to Lyme Regis a hopeless wreck’
‘7 Sept. 1917 - nearly nose dived in sea, almost crashed into fishing smack, horrible wind-up’

On patrol on 20 July 1917, he saw a torpedoed ship going under with survivors being picked out of the oil-slicked sea by a trawler. Six days later he attacked another U-boat:
‘26 July 1917 - sub dived leaving some crew in water’

He was promoted to Leading Mechanic on 1 November 1917 and was awarded the D.S.M. for zeal and devotion to duty as an Observer during the latter half of that year.

On 25 March 1918, Argent’s log book records a flight with Pilot Ensign Ives:
‘Sub spotted. 31Q. Dropped bomb which fails to explode.’

The following related note is then pasted into the recipient’s logbook:
‘Portland - Seaplane 9856 (Pilot Ensign F. Ives, U.S.N.) left at 1205 to cover the Eastern and Southern patrols, and at 1335, when in position 31R, an enemy submarine was sighted, fully blown, on the surface about half a mile away on the starboard bow. The seaplane overtook the submarine, then turned into the wind and attacked, dropping two 100-lb bombs from 600 feet. One bomb fell 10 feet astern of the submarine the other 10 feet ahead. Turning again, the seaplane dropped another 100-lb bomb, which fell directly on the deck of the submarine. All the bombs failed to detonate. By this time the submarine had submerged, leaving no wake. The seaplane came down low to drop a calcium flare on the spot, and after circling round for some time returned to base.’

In an interview with the Imperial War Museum the recipient describes that on this occasion he believes he sunk the U-Boat but having dropped flares at the location a destroyer later arrived and also depth charged the U-boat.

Transferred as Corporal Mechanic to the R.A.F. on its formation on 1 April 1918, he remained based at Portland and advanced to Sergeant Mechanic on 30 July 1918. In June 1919, Argent was posted to R.N.A.S. Fort Grange, Gosport and he was demobilized to the R.A.F. Reserve on 9 November 1919. He served as a fireman with the Auxiliary Fire Service in London 1938-41 before returning to his work as a quantity surveyor after the Second World War. Argent died in Crawley, Surrey in 1999.

Note: The Imperial War Museum’s Oral History sound archive contains a highly informative 1 hour 40 minute interview with Argent recorded in 1991. The interview covers the entirety of his life with a large portion devoted to his Great War service.

Sold with the following:

(i) The recipient’s three Flying Log Books:
(a) Royal Naval Air Service Pilot’s Flying Log Book, S. 1516 first version (the word ‘Pilot’s’ scored through and replaced with ‘Observer’s’). Covering the period 12 April 1917 to 11 November 1918. Copious remarks.
(b) Royal Naval Air Service Pilot’s Flying Log Book, S 1516, September 1917 revised version, (the word ‘Pilot’s’ scored through and replaced with ‘Observer’s’, and ‘Royal Naval Air Service’ scored through and replaced with ‘Royal Air Force’). Covering the period 12 April 1917 to 11 November 1918, with one additional entry on 14 May 1919. Copious remarks.
(c) Pilot’s Flying Log Book, Army Book 425. Covering the period 12 April 1917 to 2 July 1918. This log book gives the appearance of having been filled out retrospectively. Fewer, more cursory remarks.
Note: The reason for existence of the three log books covering roughly the same period isn’t clear. All three log books are in the same hand and contain similar but notably non-identical remarks relating to patrols.

(ii) The recipient’s signed ‘Signal Card 1903’ booklet. (Reprint 1915 edition); Certificate of Transfer to Reserve on Demobilization, Army Form Z.21; Certificate of Employment During the War, Form Z.518; Air Training Corps Morse Code Instruction Certificate, A.T.C. Form 8, dated 20 April 1944; Invitation to founder members of the R.A.F. to attend 50th Anniversary events, dated 1 April 1968.

(iii) An album (14.5cm x 11cm) containing 72 photographs, the former property of ‘Miss A. Goodspeed, 35 Chalford Rd. W. Dulwich’. Subject matter almost entirely Great War naval subjects including R.N.A.S. seaplanes, naval images of Gallipoli and the Mediterranean e.g. Mytilene. Possibly a combination of the recipient’s photographs and those of another family member. Although pasted into album, the photographs are mostly captioned on reverse. Together with a group portrait of twelve R.N.A.S. N.C.O.s in uniform, 15cm x 10.8cm.