Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part I)

A Second World War Malta convoys B.E.M. awarded to Boatswain W. McCaughey, Merchant Navy

British Empire Medal, (Civil) G.VI.R., 1st issue (William McCaughey), good very fine £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals from the collection of Angela and the late Douglas Bertram.

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B.E.M. London Gazette 4 January 1943.

William McCaughey, who was born in March 1896, was decorated for his services as Bosun of the Blue Funnel Line’s M.V. Deucalion (Seedie’s refers). More importantly, he went on to win a D.S.M. in the same ship for the famous Malta convoy “Operation Pedestal” in August 1942 (London Gazette 26 January 1943). On that occasion the Deucalion was sunk as a result of two separate enemy aircraft attacks on the 12th - the first, in which she was hit by bombs, much reduced her speed, and the second, delivered by an enemy torpedo bomber, sunk her. An escorting destroyer, H.M.S. Bramham, picked up her survivors, McCaughey among them, and he received his D.S.M. at an investiture on 2 May 1944. The original recommendation for this award states:

‘Bosun W. McCaughey was a magnificent leader and set a fine example to the crew. He was constantly in evidence, leading and rallying the men, in spite of the violent enemy fire, and was in great measure responsible for the splendid behaviour of the crew.’

By the time of her loss, the Deucalion was something of a Malta-run veteran, having already come through such hard fought convoys as “Operation Substance”. And until then she had been a lucky ship, surviving as she did any number of enemy aircraft attacks, in addition to hitting a mine, a visitation from E-Boats and even a heavy bombardment delivered by the Vichy French batteries at Cape Bon. Not surprisingly, therefore, she was a well-decorated ship, an Albert Medal, a brace of D.S.Cs and O.B.Es, five D.S.Ms, five “mentions” and three Lloyd’s Bravery Medals being among the honours bestowed on her gallant crew.

McCaughey went on to join the ship’s company of S.S. Antenor in January 1943, and served as her Bosun until the end of hostilities, earning entitlement to the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, with clasp ‘France and Germany’, Africa Star, Pacific Star, with clasp ‘Burma’, Italy Star and War Medal 1939-45 (official records refer). He finally retired from the Merchant Navy in October 1962.