Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Five: Colour Sergeant E. A. J. Searl, Royal Marines, later Royal Marines Police, who was Mentioned in Despatches for Cyrenaica operations aboard H.M.S. Terror, and later survived the loss of this ship when she was sunk by enemy aircraft in the Mediterranean in 1941

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (Ply. 22711 E. A. J. Searl. Sgt. R.M.) mounted as worn on original ribands, pawn broker’s mark to obverse of last, generally very fine (5) £160-£200

M.I.D. London Gazette 19 August 1941.

Ernest Amos John Searl was born in Plymouth on 5 March 1907 and joined the Royal Marines at Deal on 26 August 1925. Posted to the Plymouth Division, he served aboard Valiant, Queen Elizabeth and Renown, before transferring to H.M.S. Devonshire on 3 November 1936. Raised Sergeant 14 February 1937, he joined the monitor H.M.S. Terror from the Plymouth Division 8 September 1937 and was aboard this ship when she faced repeated attacks by Axis aircraft off the port city of Derna, Eastern Libya, between 20-22 February 1941. Official extracts from the detailed sinking report of Terror, set the scene:

‘20 Feb. 1941 towards the end of the air raid a Heinkel approached Terror from the port bow at 6000 feet. It was engaged by Terror’s 4-inch and Breda guns who made very good shooting, it disintegrated bursting into flames and fell about 300 yards outside the Western breakwater. At 0701, 22 Feb 1941 three dive bombers attacked Terror from astern, bombs from the first two were wide, but a stick of three heavy bombs landed just clear of the port bulge and seemed to lift the whole ship about a foot, shake it and drop it. The damage was extensive. At 1910 Terror was again attacked by three dive bombers... at 1832 five bombers with three fighters were seen approaching and Terror opened controlled fire immediately at the centre machine, and was attacked by four.’

Having faced repeated near misses, this final engagement resulted in a devastating explosion beneath the ship; with her back broken and with efforts to tow Terror into shallow water proving impossible, orders were given at 2330 to abandon ship as she began to sink. Returned home to England, Searl was promoted Colour Sergeant 3 September 1941 and spent the remainder of hostilities at Deal and Plymouth with the RM Training Group, 27th Battalion, Royal Marines. Discharged to pension 25 August 1946, he joined the Royal Marines Police on 31 October 1946; sold with extensive copied research.