The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

A Great War ‘North Russia’ D.S.O. group of five awarded to Commander F. L. Back, Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R.; 1914-15 Star (Lt. Commr. F. L. Back, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Commr. F. L. Back. R.N.); Legion of Honour, Chevalier, silver-gilt and enamels, mounted as worn, nearly extremely fine (5) £2200-2600

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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D.S.O. London Gazette 17 December 1919:

‘For distinguished and gallant services in command of H.M.S. “M.31” in Russia.’

Legion of Honour London Gazette 28 August 1918.

Francis Leonard Back was born in Pinner, Middlesex, on 14 August 1884, and entered the Navy as a Midshipman on 15 October 1900. He was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in December 1903, to Lieutenant in January 1906, and to Lieutenant-Commander in June 1914. At the outbreak of the Great War, Back was appointed to Revenge, which became part of the 6th Battle Squadron, formed in November 1914, and consisting of five ships of the Duncan class, plus Revenge. Their function was to attack the bases on the Belgian coast from which the German submarines were operating in the English Channel. During 20-22 November, 1914, Revenge bombarded German guns on the Belgian coast east of Nieuport. On 14 December, 1917, with Majestic, she left Dover for Dunkirk in an attempt to find and eliminate the German guns which were causing the army so much trouble. Finding them almost impossible to locate, Majestic was recalled, leaving Revenge to continue the bombardment of the 15th and 16th, but she sustained two hits from 8” shells which damaged her so much below the waterline that she had to retire to be docked.

Back was appointed to the light cruiser Active in October 1915, but left her in February 1916 to join the armoured cruiser Drake, employed in the North Atlantic, mainly escorting convoys between Liverpool and Halifax, Nova Scotia. On 2 October 1917, Drake was torpedoed by the German submarine U.79 in Ratlin Sound, after dispersing her convoy (HH 24) off the north coast of Ireland. Captain Radcliffe, finding that his ship could still steam, decided to make for Ratlin Island, and called up the Destroyer Escort from which he had just parted. Another division of the 2nd Flotilla also received the signal, and in little more than an hour, 8 destroyers, with 4 sloops following them, had closed Drake, formed an anti-submarine screen and were entering Ratlin Sound. While thus employed, the Brisk struck a mine and had to be towed into Lough Foyle by two trawlers. Drake was anchored in Church Bay by noon, but as she began to heel over rapidly, it was decided to abandon her, and her crew were taken off by Martin and Delphinium. During the afternoon Drake capsized at anchor. Five days afterwards, Back was given command of the Aubretia, a Flower class sloop based at Queenstown and employed as a submarine decoy vessel, or “Q-Ship”. Here he remained until the end of the war.

In April 1919, Back took command of M.31, a shallow draught Monitor, and proceeded to North Russia. M.31 arrived at Murmansk on 5 June 1919, and thence to Archangel to join the Dwina River Expedition. During July and August she was heavily engaged bombarding enemy shore batteries and operations in support of British land forces. In September, when the evacuation had been ordered, the level of the river Dwina had fallen and Monitors M.25 and M.27, having a deeper draught and heavier (7.5”) guns, could not cross the bar and had to be destroyed. M.31 managed by temporarily hoisting out her two 6” guns and mountings. M.31 and M.33 covered the final evacuation of Archangel on 29 September 1919. M.31 was specially mentioned for good service by the S.N.O., White Sea, in a despatch dated 20 September 1919. Back’s final appointment was to Blenheim, a Destroyer Depot Ship in the Mediterranean, based at Malta, in February 1920. He retired in January 1921, was promoted to Commander (Retd.) in August 1924, and died on 31 December 1924.

Sold with copied service record and other research, including copy photographs of his many ships.