A Small Collection of Medals to the Merchant Navy

A Second World War O.B.E. group of seven awarded to Chief Engineer Officer F. G. F. Joners, Merchant Navy, late Seaforth Highlanders
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 2nd type breast badge; British War Medal 1914-20 (S-27974 Pte. F. G. Jones, Seaforth); Victory Medal 1914-19, erased naming; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, M.I.D. oak leaf; Coronation 1953, good very fine (7) £150-200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Small Collection of Medals to the Merchant Navy.

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O.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1945.

Frederick George Franklin Jones, who was born in Swansea in February 1895, served in the Seaforth Highlanders in the Great War and entered the Mercantile Marine as an Engineer 4th Class in February 1920.

During the 1939-45 War, he served as Chief Engineer of the S.S. Dunster Grange from the outbreak of hostilities until May 1943, in which period he was awarded a King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct (London Gazette 13 August 1940), following an action against a U-Boat 200 miles south-west of Land’s End on 22 May 1940, and as Chief Engineer Officer of the Rippingham Grange from September 1943 until October 1945, in which capacity he was awarded the O.B.E. Of the Dunster Castle’s heated encounter with a U-Boat in May 1940, when she was hit by at least one round fired by the surfaced enemy.

The Ship’s Master wrote in his official report: ‘The Chief Engineer [Jones] telephoned to say that shrapnel had knocked all the glass out of his skylight and pieces of the shell had fractured two of the p[ipes to No. 1 and 2 cylinders of the port engine, putting those cylinders out of commission. The Chief Engineer said it would take him about half and hour to repair the pipes. I heard the engines slow down, and thought it would now be hopeless to escape the enemy. I gave the officers instructions to lower the boats to the rail and get the passengers and crew ready when it was done. About 20 minutes later after this the Chief Engineer telephoned to say that the engines were repaired. He had managed to put new pipes on and we opened the ship full out for all we were worth ... I think it was a fine piece of work on the part of the Chief Engineer to replace those pipes in so short a time as 20 minutes, as the pipes he removed were four feet in length and the ones he had to fit were 20 feet.’

Sold with the recipient’s original Merchant Navy British Seaman’s Identity Card, dated 10 December 1940; Ministry of Transport Continuous Certificate of Discharge, with ship entries for the period December 1940 to October 1957; Ministry of Transport Seaman’s Record Book and Certificates of Discharge, with ship entries for the period November 1957 until October 1962; and his Certificate of Competency as First Class Engineer (Steamship and Motorship), dated 25 November 1949.