Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Great War ‘Battle of Jutland’ D.S.M. group of eight awarded to Chief Yeoman of Signals W. W. Day, Royal Navy, who was decorated for gallantry aboard the destroyer H.M.S. Nestor as she attempted to lead a near-suicidal torpedo attack against the German High Seas Fleet

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (216047. W. W. Day, Yeo. Sigs. “Nestor” 31st. May-1st. June. 1916.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Somaliland 1908-10 (216047 W. W. Day, Lg. Sig, H.M.S. Proserpine:); 1914-15 Star (216047, W. W. Day, Y.S., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (216047 W. W. Day. Y.S. R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st type (216047. W. W. Day, Yeo. Sig. H.M.S. Victory) light contact marks throughout, otherwise nearly very fine (8) £1,400-£1,800

D.S.M. London Gazette 5 October 1918:
‘Additional Awards for Services in the Battle of Jutland on the 31st May, 1916.’

The official recommendation states: ‘H.M.S. Nestor, Battle of Jutland, 31 May-1 June, 1916. Whilst under heavy shell fire did carry out his duties with the greatest efficiency and coolness, although one of his staff was killed alongside him and he was handicapped by his halliards, semaphore and searchlight being shot away. Always a most zealous and capable Yeoman.’

William Walter Day was born in Bromley, Kent, on 25 October 1884. He joined the Royal Navy as a schoolboy on 25 July 1901, and witnessed rapid promotion in a little over a year from Boy 2nd Class to Signalman aboard H.M.S. Lion. Advanced Yeoman of Signals aboard the cruiser H.M.S. Venus on 1 February 1913, Day served at various shore establishments and depot ships from 1914 to 1916, before being posted to the destroyer H.M.S. Nestor on 25 May 1916, with less than a week to go before the largest fleet engagement of the Great War, the Battle of Jutland.

To gain a real insight of the little destroyer’s part in the Battle, the following extract from Deeds that Thrill the Empire brings the story to life:
‘Some of our destroyers, too, had a busy and fruitful time during the run south. Nominally, they accompanied the battle-cruisers in order to protect them against submarine attack (in which they succeeded to perfection), but opportunity came to them for still more effective work. At 4.15 a division of these vessels, under the command of Commander The Hon. E. B. S. Bingham, in the Nestor, moved out towards the enemy with the object of delivering a torpedo attack. On the way they met a flotilla of hostile destroyers setting out towards our own battle line with a similar object, and a fierce fight ensued between the opposing craft, in which two of the enemy’s vessels were sunk without loss to us. The hostile attempt to attack our battle-cruisers was thus frustrated, and our boats pressed on with their original plan. The Nestor, Nomad and Nicator rushed in at the enemy under a terrific fire and discharged torpedoes at them. By all the rules of the game, they should have been sunk with every man on board, and, as it was, the only one of the three to escape was the Nicator, whose commanding officer, Lieutenant Jack Mocatta, was rewarded with the D.S.O.

‘The Nestor and Nomad were both disabled within easy reach of the enemy’s guns, and neither of them survived the experience, although, happily, many of those on board were saved by the enemy. These included Lieutenant-Commander Paul Whitfield, in command of the Nomad, who was specially promoted to the rank of commander, and Commander Bingham, of the Nestor, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for “the extremely gallant way in which he led his division in their attack, first on the enemy destroyers, and then on the battle-cruisers. He finally sighted the enemy battle fleet, and, followed by the one remaining destroyer of his division (Nicator), with dauntless courage he closed to within 3,000 yards of the enemy in order to attain a favourable position for firing the torpedoes. While making this attack, Nestor and Nicator were under concentrated fire of the secondary batteries of the High Seas Fleet. Nestor was subsequently sunk.”’

Plucked from the choppy North Sea by the Germans, Day was landed at Wilhelmshaven on 3 May 1916. Transferred from a German P.O.W. camp to Holland on 30 April 1918, it was only then that official reports of his brave actions aboard Nestor reached the Admiralty in London; recommended for the D.S.M. and accelerated promotion, he was raised Chief Yeoman of Signals on 18 January 1921, before being shore pensioned in the summer of 1922. Day returned to service during the Second World War, but his time was cut short in June 1941 in consequence of mental health problems, most likely associated with the horrors witnessed at Jutland and the deprivations associated with two years as a prisoner of war.

Sold with an original small Battle of Jutland 1916 Commemorative Medal, base metal with ring suspension, in Spink & Son Ltd. card box; a set of period silk ribands; and copied research.