Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas (Part I)

The rare Siberia 1919 ‘Kama River Flotilla’ M.S.M. group of four awarded to Private F. J. Williamson, Royal Marine Light Infantry, H.M.S. Kent

1914-15 Star (PLY. 15043. Pte. F. J. Williamson. R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (PLY. 15043. Pte. F. J. Williamson. R.M.L.I.); Royal Naval Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R. (PLY/15043 Pte. F. J. Williamson. R.M.L.I. “Kent” Kama River May 1919.) mounted for wear, nearly extremely fine and rare (4) £600-£800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Naval Medals from the Collection of the Late Jason Pilalas.

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M.S.M. London Gazette 5 March 1920 'Honours for services in Siberia.'

H.M.S. Kent relieved H.M.S. Suffolk at Vladivostock in January 1919. Williamson had been serving with the Armoured train manned by parties from the Suffolk, but with the arrival of Kent he transferred to that ship. It was decided to take the 6-inch gun and the four 12-pounders out of the armoured trains and place them in two ships of the Russian Naval Flotilla at Perm. Volunteers were called for from the Royal Marine Detachment of H.M.S. Kent and at the beginning of April, Captain T. H. Jameson and 34 Royal Marines, one mate, one surgeon-lieutenant, one warrant officer, one armourer and one sick berth attendant, Royal Navy, proceeded to Perm arriving on the 27th April on which day the ice broke and started to flow down the river. The Naval Mission remained first at Perm and then at Omsk whilst the Naval Force under command of Captain Jameson, R.M.L.I. joined the Flotilla. Practically all the ice had disappeared by the 1st May and they were introduced to Admiral Smirnoff, C.M.G., in command of the Russian Flotilla and were handed the two ships to be gunned and manned by the British.

The British Force were allotted to the Third Division of the Flotilla, commanded by Captain Fierdoroff; the ships allotted to them were a fast oil driven tug and a barge. The 12-pounders were mounted in the tug which was christened the Kent and the 6-inch in the barge named Suffolk. Throughout May and June Kent and Suffolk were constantly and heavily engaged in fighting against Bolshevik forces, both on the river and providing artillery support for the land forces. All was to no avail, however, with the front troops falling back daily from the advancing Bolsheviks, and it was therefore decided to disarm the First and Third Divisions, the Second remaining at the front.

On the 26th June Kent proceeded to the magazine, near which was the British Naval armoured train and commenced to dismantle, placing armour, guns, ammunition and stores in the train; on this day the Suffolk engaged the enemy in the Veltanka district, and again the next day at the village of Stralka she routed large numbers of the enemy at close range. She fired 256 rounds and having expended all her amunition was recalled to Perm, arriving at Motavaileka Works on the 28th. As no workmen could be obtained the crews of the two ships were obliged to dismantle the ships themselves and to load the material, all 225 tons of it, onto railway trucks for which they had no engine. Perm was expected to fall that night, confusion was everywhere, the station overflowing with refugees and every train was loaded to the fullest extent. As a last resort they searched the repair shop for an engine and took the only one available, which the Russians reluctantly gave them; it was only just capable of drawing the train and they eventually left Perm at 6 a.m. on 29th June, having sunk Kent and Suffolk the previous afternoon. The party of 37 of all ranks was crowded into two wooden trucks and travelling was very slow; their rations consisted of the biscuits and beef of their reserve rations. On arriving at Omsk they volunteered to form the British Naval Armoured Train but the Admiralty decided to withdraw the Force completely. Accordingly, they proceeded in two waggons to Vladivostock arriving there on 18th August, having taken 52 days to complete the journey from Perm. They were taken on board H.M.S. Carlisle and transferred at Shanghai to H.M.S. Colombo, reaching England on 10 November 1919. This gallant band of men received the following awards for their part in this remarkable episode: 1 D.S.O., 2 D.S.C.’s, 1 D.S.M. and 8 M.S.M.’s.

Frank James Williamson was born on 24 December 1891 in the village of Freethorpe in Norfolk. He earned his living as a footman prior to joining the Plymouth Division of the Royal Marines on 10 August 1910. After recruit training at Deal he joined H.M.S. Hawke in February 1912, transferred to Merlin in March 1913 and returned to shore early in 1914. He next joined Benbow in October 1914 and served in this battleship until January 1917, taking part in the Battle of Jutland. He joined Suffolk in May 1917 and landed in Siberia for active service with Suffolk’s Armoured Train in August 1918 on the Ufa front. He transferred to Kent in January 1919 and landed as part of the Kama River Naval Expeditionary Force from which he returned to england via Carlisle and Colombo. He returned to the Plymouth Division in November 1919 and joined Valiant, his last seagoing ship, in May 1920 and remained with her until June 1922 when he was discharged having completed 12 years. He joined the Royal Marine Police where he served until discharged on 15 December 1945.

Sold with full research including a copy of Captain Jameson’s ‘Report on the proceedings of the British Naval Force acting with the Kama River Flotilla.’