The James Fox Collection of Naval Awards

Three: Able Seaman H. J. Beck, Royal Navy, who was killed in action when H.M.S. Acasta was sunk in the Norwegian Sea by the German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, during Operation Alphabet- the evacuation of Norway, 8 June 1940

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. K. H. Rhodes, 17 York Road, Erdington, Birmingham 23’; together with the recipient’s Memorial Scroll (Able Seaman H. J. Beck Royal Navy), in envelope of issue, addressed to ‘Mrs. K. H. Rhodes, 28 Cliveden Avenue, Perry Barr, Birmingham’; named Buckingham Palace enclosure, in envelope addressed to ‘Mrs. Kathleen Beck’; and a H.M.S. Cardiff 3rd Cruiser Squadron Prize Medal, bronze, the reverse engraved ‘Cruiser Arbuthnot Winners 1927 Ord: Beck’, nearly extremely fine (4) £300-£400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The James Fox Collection of Naval Awards.

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Harry John Beck was born in Aston, Birmingham, on 4 September 1908, and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 8 January 1924. Advanced Ordinary Seaman on 4 September 1926, and Able Seaman on 4 March 1928, he served during the Second World War as an Able Seaman in the destroyer H.M.S. Acasta from 23 August 1939, and was killed in action during Operation Alphabet on 8 June 1940. On 31 May 1940 H.M.S. Glorious sailed from the Clyde to the Norwegian coast to carry out air operations in support of the evacuation of allied forces from Norway in Operation Alphabet. On 8 June she returned to Scapa Flow, escorted by the destroyers H.M.S. Ardent and Acasta. On the way through the Norwegian Sea the funnel smoke from Glorious and her two escorting destroyers was spotted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at about 3:46 p.m.

The German ships were not spotted until shortly after 4:00 and H.M.S. Ardent was dispatched to investigate. H.M.S. Ardent and H.M.S. Acasta laid a protective smokescreen to hide the British ships, and engaged the German ships with their 4.7 inch main armament, which proved to be ineffective. Despite coming under heavy fire from the much larger guns of the Germans, H.M.S. Ardent carried out a torpedo attack. She managed to score a single hit, but was struck repeatedly by enemy shells, and eventually capsized with the loss of 10 officers and 142 ratings. H.M.S. Acasta was finally sunk after roughly two hours of fighting; the battle flag of the Gneisenau was lowered to half-mast and her crew brought to attention to honour the brave fight of Acasta and her crew.

Meanwhile, the Scharnhorst switched her fire to H.M.S. Glorious at 4:32 p.m. and scored her first hit six minutes later on her third salvo, at an approximate range of 24,000 metres (26,000 yd), when one 11.1 inch shell hit the forward flight deck and burst in the upper hangar, starting a large fire. This hit destroyed two Swordfish being prepared for flight and the hole in the flight deck prevented any other aircraft from taking off. Splinters penetrated a boiler casing and caused a temporary drop in steam pressure. At 4:58 p.m. a second shell hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the captain and most of the personnel stationed there. Glorious was hit again in the centre engine room around 5:20 p.m. and this caused her to lose speed and commence a slow circle to port. She also developed a list to starboard. The German ships closed to within 15,000 metres and continued to fire at her until about 5:40 p.m. Glorious finally sank at around 6:10 p.m. with the loss of 1,207 out of her crew of 1,250. The whole engagement lasted just short of three hours and cost the lives of 1,519 officers and ratings. From Acasta there was just one survivor.

Beck was amongst those killed, aged 31. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. His medals were sent to his widow Kathleen Hilda Beck, who had subsequently remarried.

Sold with the recipient’s Parchment Certificate of Service; a Vocational Training Certificate; various photographs, including one of the recipient on his wedding day, and a postcard photograph of him outside his shop; various newspaper cuttings; letter to the recipient’s widow from the British Red Cross Society; and a copy of the book ‘The Man who hit the Scharnhorst’, the Ordeal of Leading Seaman Nick Carter.