A 1914-15 Star trio and Bronze Memorial Plaque to Stoker 1st Class Philip Bull, Royal Navy, who lost his life when serving aboard H.M.S. Aboukir, on 22 September 1914, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-9, commanded by Otto Weddigen in a disaster that escalated when HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy, two sister ships of the 7th Cruiser Squadron that moved to assist, and were also torpedoed by U-9 within the same morning, in quick succession. In total, over 1,400 men were killed, including crew from all three cruisers, making it one of the largest single losses of life for the Royal Navy in a single submarine attack.
Trio and Memorial Plaque: 1914-15 Star (K.1422 P. BULL, STO., 1, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (K.1422 P. BULL, STO., 1, R.N.); Bronze Memorial Plaque (PHILIP BULL)
Condition: Extremely Fine.
The campaign medals contained in the named card boxes of transmission with named Admiralty forwarding slip; the Memorial Plaque on the envelope and packaging of transmission addressed to Mr. P. Bull, 157, Strone Road, Dorset Gate, E.7, together with two letters appertaining to the sum of £370 that the recipient held in a collecting book in the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society.
Philip Bull was born in 1888, the son of Philip Bull of 157 Strone Road, Forest Gate, London, and joined the Royal Navy as a Soccer 2nd Class on 29 August 1908, stating his occupation at ‘Insurance Agent’. He was promoted to Stoker 1st Class on 29 August 1909 and joined the crew of H.M.S. Aboukir on 26 July 1914.
The loss of HMS Aboukir occurred on 22 September 1914, early in the First World War, and became one of the Royal Navy’s most infamous submarine disaster events. HMS Aboukir was an Edgar-class armored cruiser assigned to the Grand Fleet’s 7th Cruiser Squadron, conducting patrols in the North Sea to protect the east coast of Britain and enforce the blockade of Germany. On the morning of 22 September, while patrolling off the Dutch coast near the Texel, Aboukir was torpedoed by the German submarine U-9, commanded by Otto Weddigen. The cruiser was struck on the starboard side and began to sink rapidly, within about 90 minutes, taking with her a significant portion of her crew. The suddenness of the attack shocked the Royal Navy, as armored cruisers were considered relatively safe from submarines at that stage of the war.
Tragically, the disaster escalated when HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy, two sister ships of the 7th Cruiser Squadron that moved to assist, were also torpedoed by U-9 within the same morning, in quick succession. In total, over 1,400 men were killed, including crew from all three cruisers, making it one of the largest single losses of life for the Royal Navy in a single submarine attack. The sinking of Aboukir and her consorts revealed the deadly effectiveness of the submarine against traditional surface warships, prompting a rapid reassessment of patrol tactics, convoy protection, and anti-submarine measures. The event also cemented U-9 and Otto Weddigen’s reputation as formidable adversaries, while underscoring the vulnerability of older cruisers in the new era of naval warfare.
Bull’s body was never recovered and he is commemorated with honour on the Chatham Naval Memorial
