Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War D.S.O. group of five attributed to Acting Lieutenant-Commander N. J. M. Teacher, Royal Navy, who was decorated as Lieutenant in command of H.M.A.S. Stuart, for sinking the Italian submarine Gondar on 30 September 1940; he was afterwards twice mentioned in despatches, was a Lieutenant-Commander in Combined Operation Pilotage Party 3 (COPP 3) and died while carrying out a reconnaissance in Sicily, when he failed to return to his waiting canoe and was presumed drowned

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially dated ‘1941’, with integral top ribbon bar, this loose and lacking brooch fitment; 1939-45 Star, the reverse privately named ‘Lieut. N. J. M. Teacher D.S.O., R.N. H.M.A.S. “Stuart”’; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp, North Africa 1942-43, this loose; War Medal 1939-45, these last three all privately named ‘Atg. Lt. Cmdr. N. J. M. Teacher, D.S.O., R.N.’, mounted for display, nearly extremely fine (5) £1,000-£1,400

D.S.O. London Gazette 14 January 1941: ‘For courage, enterprise and devotion to duty in contact with the enemy. - Lieutenant Norman Joseph Macdonald Teacher, Royal Navy, H.M.A.S. Stuart.’

Seedies Roll confirms award for the destruction of the Italian submarine Gondar on 30 September 1940.

M.I.D. London Gazette 21 April 1941: ‘Lieutenant, H.M.S. Argus.’

Seedies Roll conforms award for services on the occasion of an explosion aboard H.M.S. Erin, when she was sunk in Gibraltar harbour by a Spanish saboteur, on 18 January 1942.

M.I.D. London Gazette 22 September 1942: ‘Lieutenant, H.M.S. Argus.’

Seedies Roll confirms award for Operation Harpoon.

Norman Joseph Macdonald Teacher was born in Edinburgh on 6 February 1914, and educated at Sherborne School, As a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy he had already been awarded the D.S.O. before he joined Party Koodoo-Inhuman, the ‘embryonic’ COPP, from September 1942. Reportedly Nigel Cogstoun-Willmott needed the support of Louis Mountbatten in order to secure his services. Teacher was part of the ‘Koodoo’ element that carried out the beach reconnaissance of the ‘Bluff’ area near Oran. When COPP was officially constituted in December 1942, he returned as a Lieutenant-Commander to join COPP 3 as officer in charge. On the night of 28 February-1 March 1943, while carrying out reconnaissance in Sicily, he failed to return to the canoe where Noel Cooper was waiting. He was presumed drowned [as was Noel Cooper who also failed to return] and is commemorated by name on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

According to the book Stealthily by Night: The COPPists, by Ian Trenowden, Teacher provided assault pilotage to Y Beach as part of Party Inhuman during Operation Torch, the North Africa landings.

With thanks to the highly recommended online site www.coppsurvey.uk