Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The outstanding and excessively rare post-War ‘Yangtze Incident’ D.S.C. pair awarded to Flight Lieutenant M. E. Fearnley, Royal Air Force, who was flown-in under heavy fire in a Sunderland to take up appointment as Medical Officer in the stranded H.M.S. Amethyst, remaining aboard until the Amethyst ‘rejoined the Fleet’

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., 2nd issue, reverse with hallmarks for London 1949 and officially dated ‘1949’; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Yangtze 1949 (Flt. Lt. M. E. Fearnley, R.A.F.) mounted for wear, extremely fine (2) £14,000-£18,000

D.S.C. London Gazette 1 November 1949.
The original recommendation states: ‘This Officer joined Amethyst when the R.A.F. Sunderland Flying Boat was under fire. Without his assistance I doubt whether we could have kept going for so long. His mere presence gave considerable moral uplift to all Ratings. Though short of medical supplies he managed to keep going, and it is to his credit that the physical condition of all on board was maintained at such a high standard.’

Michael Edward Fearnley was born in Greenwich, London in January 1924, and was serving as an R.A.F. Medical Officer at Kai Tak, Far East Air Force Command, at the time of the famous Yangtze incident.

The Yangtze Incident

On 20 April 1949, H.M.S. Amethyst was shelled by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (C.P.L.A.) from concealed positions on the north bank of the Yangtze River and driven aground on Rose Island with numerous casualties. Under an unrelenting Communist fire, orders were given aboard the frigate to get the wounded across to Nationalist-held ground in the starboard whaler, the only undamaged boat. But as the injured were being collected on the quarter deck another direct hit rocked Amethyst killing the ship’s doctor, Surgeon Lieutenant Alderton, and his Sick Berth Attendant, S.B.A. Baker. To prevent yet more casualties, a white flag was hoisted on Amethyst’s yard arm and the order to abandon ship was given. Some 60 ratings swam ashore, of whom about 50 eventually reached Shanghai. Next morning the frigate cleared the mud and proceeded upstream under small arms fire to a sheltered position at Ta Hsen We, where Chinese Nationalist Officers offered to evacuate the wounded by sampans to an R.A.F. Sunderland from Kai Tak which was expected that afternoon.

The Sunderland, captained by Flight Lieutenant Lettford of 88 Squadron, and with Group Captain Jefferson, Flight Lieutenant Fearnley and a ‘naval doctor’ on board, touched down near Amethyst, cut engines and dropped anchor at 16.30. There was no activity on the Communist north bank, though Nationalist troops could be seen digging in on the south bank. A sampan carrying five Chinese and Amethyst’s Gunner approached and on reaching the Sunderland the Gunner boarded the aircraft, exchanging places with Fearnley. ‘Accurate shell fire then began,’ Jefferson afterwards reported, ‘and the sampan pulled away with Flight Lieutenant Fearnley and the morphia supply only; aircraft straddled by shell fire uncomfortably close. About ten shells burst nearby and the aircraft would certainly have been hit had a rapid take off not been made down wind and down [a] seven knot current’.

As soon as Fearnley was aboard the frigate, his first duty was to go straight to the large number of injured, who, according to one member of Amethyst, then numbered 25. As Fearnley went about his work, the frigate weighed anchor and proceeded up river still under fire to Hsiao Ho Creek with her ‘Gunner stranded on the aircraft’. That evening, Fearnley arranged with a Chinese doctor for the evacuation of the serious cases in 12 sampans. 20 wounded were landed in total, including the frigate’s mortally wounded Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Commander Skinner, and able Seaman Winter, who was also to die of his wounds. Of the badly wounded only the Number One, Lieutenant Weston, D.S.C., remained on board, together with those suffering from minor injuries, and Weston only until the following day when Lieutenant-Commander Kerans arrived from Nanking to take command. An attempt by the flying boat to assist that afternoon was prevented by accurate small arms fire and heavy shell fire from Pu Shun Wei, and, as the C.P.L.A. made gradual territorial gains, Amethyst became effectively isolated. Three months of deadlock ensued, with Kerans struggling in vain to secure unconditional safe passage.

Fearnley’s presence aboard during those uncertain weeks was warmly appreciated, as the private log of Petty Officer Leslie Frank, D.S.M., Amethyst’s Coxswain, testifies:
‘Thursday 9 June: King’s Birthday, but not for Amethyst, no flags, no holiday, no salute, in fact no nothings ... We learnt today that our mail has reached Shanghai, and that the Air Attaché [at Nanking] is going to try and bring it up for us by jeep. Good Luck to the Air Force, we already have one of their doctors staying with us, and how thankful we are that he is here.’

‘Monday 20 June: ... Then we had a medical inspection by our R.A.F. Doctor, thank heavens he got on board here, but what a time to spend with us ...’

‘Sunday 3 July: ... Today we heard a programme of records played for us by the B.B.C in Listeners Choice request programme. Conditions are excellent and we heard it loud and clear, we all really enjoyed it, but I think the first one was the masterpiece, A Life on the Ocean Wave, played for Fearnley our R.A.F. Doctor’.

When Amethyst finally broke out of the Yangtze on 31 July to rejoin the Fleet in spectacular style and make world headlines, Fearnley made his own entry in Frank’s private log: ‘Thanks for steering us down so well. The very best of luck,’ to which Frank responded, ‘All I can say is “Thanks for coming, Sir”, may you too, either in the R.A.F. or as a civilian doctor, have all the success you deserve’.

In the first instance Fearnley was recommended for the M.B.E., though it was later thought by the Air Ministry that this award was not ‘sufficiently high’ for his services aboard Amethyst and ‘at the last moment’ the Admiralty acted promptly to include the award of a D.S.C. in the list of honours for the Yangtze operation.

Fearnley returned to civilian life in 1950 and specialised in the treatment of rheumatic diseases in London until 1969, when he emigrated to Canada. He died at Windsor, Ontario, in June 1972.

Sold with a quantity of original and copy documentation, including newspaper cuttings and photographs; and a facsimile edition of Coxswain Frank’s Private Journal.