Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Great War O.B.E. and Sea Gallantry Medal group of seven awarded to Lieutenant T. P. Ryan, Royal Naval Reserve, and for the rescue of the crew of the S.S. Glodale off the Murmansk coast in January 1918, and for subsequent duties as Principal Minesweeping Officer at Orkney

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 1st type, breast badge, reverse hallmarked London 1919; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. T. P. Ryan. R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Lieut. T. P. Ryan. R.N.R.); Sea Gallantry Medal, G.V.R., bronze (Lieut. T. P. Ryan, R.N.R., “Glodale,” 3rd January, 1918.); Romania, Kingdom, Order of the Star with Swords, Fifth Class breast badge, silver and enamel; Russia, Empire, Order of St Anne with Swords, Fifth Class breast badge, silver-gilt and enamel, of Continental manufacture, contemporary Gieves Ltd. court-style mounting, good very fine (7) £1,400-£1,800

O.B.E. London Gazette 25 April 1919. Presented by H.M. King at Buckingham Palace 23 July 1920.
The recommendation states: ‘H.M.S. Zaria, Kirkwall [Orkney]. Was Principal Minesweeping Officer at Kirkwall from April to October 1918 during which period he organised and maintained the minesweeping vessels in a highly efficient tone. Was a keen and zealous officer in promoting the interests of H.M. Service.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 27 June 1917.
The recommendation states: ‘H.M.T. VALE of FRUIN - FOR CONSTANT GOOD SERVICE PATROLLING BETWEEN KOLA AND THE NORWEGIAN COAST DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 1916 WHILE HOSTILE SUBMARINES WERE OPERATING IN THE LOCALITY. ON ONE OCCASION HE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING WITHIN EASY GUN RANGE OF A GERMAN SUBMARINE BUT HIS FIRE WAS THEN MASKED BY A RUSSIAN TORPEDO BOAT WHICH THEN CAME FORWARD AND HE WAS CONSEQUENTLY UNABLE TO FIRE.’
(A History of the White Sea Station 1914-1919 (Naval Staff 1921) states that on November 2nd 1916 Russian patrol craft off Vardo (NORWAY) SUCCEEDED IN DAMAGING U.56 TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT SHE SUBSEQUENTLY SANK).

S.G.M. (not gazetted) presented by H.M. King at Buckingham Palace 31 October 1918.
The Board of Trade report states: ‘LAST NOVEMBER THE S.S. ‘GLODALE’ OF CARDIFF, LEFT ARCHANGEL FOR YUKANSKI AND MURMANSK WITH A CARGO OF MUNITIONS. AFTER LEAVING MURMANSK SHE WAS PROCEEDING TO BERGEN IN TOW OF SOME TUGS WHEN SHE STRANDED ON POINT POGAN ON 15 JANuary (1918). THE VESSEL BROKE IN TWO AMIDSHIPS AND WAS THEN ABANDONED BY HER CREW, WHO LOWERED THEMSELVES BY ROPES ON TO THE ROCKS. THE TOW ROPE OF THE TUG HAD ALREADY PARTED AND THE TUG HAD BEEN LOST IN THE DARKNESS.
THE FOLLOWING DAY THE ‘GLODALE’ WAS OBSERVED BY LT. RYAN, WHO HAD BEEN SENT OUT FROM MURMANSK TO LOOK FOR HER, BUT ON ACCOUNT OF THE HEAVY SEAS HE WAS UNABLE TO RENDER ANY ASSISTANCE TO THE CREW. ON JANUARY 3rd HE ARRIVED AGAIN ON THE SPOT IN H.M.T. 'DANIEL HENLEY' AND AFTER GREAT DIFFICULTY FOUND ANCHORAGE. HE THEN WITH THE OTHERS WHO ARE NOW RECOMMENDED FOR THE BRONZE MEDAL SUCCEEDED IN REACHING THE CREW AND IN GRADUALLY TRANSFERRING THEM TO HIS TRAWLER, FOR WHICH PURPOSE IT WAS NECESSARY TO MAKE THREE TRIPS. ON EACH OCCASION THE RESCUERS WERE OBLIGED TO WADE UP TO THEIR WAISTS IN WATER IN ORDER TO GET THE BOAT AWAY FROM THE BEACH. THE TEMPERATURE OF THE ATMOSPHERE AT THIS TIME WAS 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. AFTER THE GLODALE’S CREW HAD BEEN GOT ON BOARD THE ‘DANIEL HENLEY’ SHE RETURNED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO MURMANSK BUT OWING TO THICK FOGS WAS NOT ABLE TO REACH THAT PORT UNTIL THE 5th JANUARY.’

The following letter FROM R. EVANS, MASTER OF S.S. ‘GLODALE’ TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD OF TRADE, LONDON, DATED 27th FEB. 1918, states:
‘I THINK IT IS ONLY MY DUTY TO MENTION THE FOLLOWING MATTER TO YOU. YOU WILL VERY LIKELY HAVE HEARD OF THE S.S. ‘GLODALE’ BEING DRIVEN ASHORE ON THE MURMANSK COAST ON THE 1st JANUARY LAST WHILE IN TOW FROM KOLA INLET HAVING HAD HER RUDDER DAMAGED IN THE ICE. MYSELF AND CREW LEFT THE SHIP ABOUT TWO HOURS AFTER SHE STRUCK AND HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY IN SAVING OURSELVES ON A BITTER COLD NIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING WE FOUND A HUT ON THE BEACH LEAVING 13 MEMBERS OF MY CREW THERE ALL MORE OR LESS FROSTBITTEN WHILE THE REST OF US, 14 IN ALL, WENT TO LOOK FOR ASSISTANCE ON THE 3rd. Lt. T. P. RYAN, IN CHARGE OF H.M.T. DANIEL HENLEY WAS SENT FROM H.M.S. GLORY TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE AND TO RESCUE US. HE FOUND THE 13 MEN IN THE HUT AND WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY AND RISK TO LIVES RESCUED THEM ALL. LT. RYAN AND HIS CREW BEACHED THEIR BOAT IN A HEAVY SEA AND MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE TRAWLER AND EVERY MAN HAD TO BE CARRIED. THE WEATHER BEING BITTERLY COLD, ABOUT 30 DEGREES BELOW ZERO AND UP TO THEIR KNEES IN SNOW. THE 14 OF US REACHED CAPE SYET LIGHTHOUSE AND WE SHELTERED THERE UNTIL Jan. 4th.’

Russian Order of St Anne, 3rd Class with swords verified by an Admiralty record card, decorated 19 June 1917 (see M.I.D. above).

Romanian Order of the Star London Gazette 10 May 1921.
The recommendation states: ‘In command of 8 trawlers carrying 28 Romanian aviators from Murmansk to Grimsby under very difficult conditions. During the course of journey two vessels were lost.’

Thomas Philip Ryan was appointed Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve on 14 September 1914, and Temporary Lieutenant on 14 September 1915. He spent the entire war on minesweeping duties, initially at Portsmouth followed by two years in North Russia and finally in the Orkney Islands. He was demobilised on 21 October 1919.

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