A Second World War Distinguished Service Medal group awarded to Jutland veteran Temporary Acting Leading Seaman H. Martin, Royal Navy who having enlisted aged 15, would see Great War service aboard the dreadnought HMS Temeraire aboard which as a 17yo he would take part in the Battle of Jutland, Temeraire gaining two hits on the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden and fired seven unsuccessful salvos at SMS Derfflinger. He would continue to serve until he was discharged to pension ashore on 28th January 1939. He would then be recalled for the Second World War and would serve aboard Garadoc when she ferried £2m worth of gold to Halifax, Nova Scotia in October 1939, Later in the month, on 23rd October 1939, Garadoc would stop the German oil tanker Emmy Friedrich in the Yucatan Channel, with the Germans scuttling her to prevent her capture. He would go on to receive the Distinguished Service Medal in the London Gazette of 1st January 1944 whilst serving aboard HMS Albrighton.
Group of 9: Distinguished Service Medal, GVIR 1st type bust; (J.31903 H. MARTIN. T/A.L. SMN.) 1914-1915 Star; (J. 31903 H. MARTIN. BOY 1. R.N.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (J.31903 H. MARTIN. A.B. R.N.) 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star, bar France and Germany; Africa star; Pacific Star; War Medal. Court-mounted for display.
Condition: court-mounted for display, Very Fine
Together with original Gunlayer 1st Class bullion badge.
Herbert Martin was born in Ramsay, Isle of Man on 10th December 1898. He would be working as a ‘mason labourer’ when he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman on 11th July 1914. He would serve on H.M.S. Impregnable from 11th July 1914 until 7th February 1915, and then the dreadnought HMS Temeraire from 8th February 1915 until 22nd April 1919 including at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916 when he was just 17 years old.
At Jutland Temeraire fired five salvos from her main guns at the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden claiming two or three hits. The ship fired seven salvos at the Battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, but did not make any hits. Ten minutes later Temeraire engaged several German destroyer flotillas with three salvos from her main armament without result. This was the last time that the ship fired her guns during the battle. She received no damage and fired a total of 72 twelve-inch shells (all high explosive) and 50 shells from her four-inch guns during the battle.
Martin would serve on a variety of ships and stations after the end of the Great War including Vivid, Colleen, Speedy, Diligence, Serapis, Ramillies, Eagle, Drake, Diomede for the Garadoc and was discharged to pension ashore on 28th January 1939.
Recalled for the Second World War he would serve aboard Garadoc from 2nd February 1939 until 5th April 1941. In October 1939 he was aboard when Garadoc ferried £2m worth of gold to Halifax, Nova Scotia. On 23rd October the light cruiser Orion and the Canadian destroyer Saguenay spotted the German oil tanker Emmy Friedrich in the Yucatan Channel. When Caradoc stopped the ship, the Germans scuttled her to prevent her capture. On 11th December 1940 the German blockade runner Rhein was intercepted by the Dutch sloop Van Kinsbergen west of the Florida Strait. Rhein was set on fire by her own crew to prevent her capture and the wreck was sunk later that day by Caradoc.
After his period aboard Caradoc, he would serve with the shore establishment Drake from 6th April 1941 until 5th August 1941. He would then serve aboard H.M.S. Paris from 5th August 1941. This was the former French Battleship Paris which escaped from Cherbourg in 1940 and was seized by the Royal Navy to be renamed H.M.S. Paris and became the base ship for minesweepers operating out of Plymouth. His service records show various promotions up to the rank of Acting Petty Officer on 4th November 1943 being administered by HMS Victory III, the Portsmouth Royal Navy Accounting Base.
He would be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in the London Gazette of 1st January 1944, a previous researcher indicating that this had been issued whilst serving aboard HMS Albrighton.
Having spent time attached to HMS Raleigh the Royal Navy training shore base he would finally be released from service on 18th September 1945.
