Great War Dover Patrol destroyer operations and pre-war long service group awarded to Chief Petty Officer J.B. Pitman, Royal Navy. From Hambledon, Kent, he saw service from September 1893 and went on to become a Torpedo Gunners Mate. Award his long service medal whilst with Excellent in April 1911, he then saw service throughout the war, almost all of it with the Dover Patrol. With the outbreak of the war he was aboard the destroyer Syren, and participated in the landing of the Royal Marines at Ostend on 27 August 1914.
Group of 4: 1914-1915 Star; (176427. J.B. PITMAN. C.P.O., R.N.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (176427 J.B. PITMAN. C.P.O. R.N.); Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, EVII bust; (1764128 J.B. PITMAN, P.O., H.M.S. EXCELLENT.)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
James Burt Pitman was born on 9 April 1878 in Hambledon, Kent, and having worked as a labourer, then joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class (Portsmouth No.176427) with St. Vincent from 16 September 1893, being advanced to Boy 1st Class on 13 September 1894 and then rated as an Ordinary Seaman on 19 April 1896 whilst with the cruiser Narcissus, being still aboard her when he was rated as an Able Seaman on 11 March 1897. Pitman was with the gunnery establishment Excellent at Portsmouth when he was rated as a Leading Seaman on 12 April 1900, and he was promoted to Petty Officer 1st Class whilst with the storeship Humber on 25 July 1903. Pitman was training in gunnery and then in the operation of torpedoes. He also participated in the destruction of the German submarine U-8 on 4 March 1915 after she became caught in nets laid across the Straits of Dover.
Various appointments followed whilst ashore and afloat, and Pitman was serving with Excellent when he was awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 12 April 1911. In January 1914 Pitman he been posted to Attentive II at Dover, and saw service aboard the destroyer Syren (spelt Siren in his service record), which vessel he was aboard on the outbreak of the Great War, as a part of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.
The 6th Flotilla, including Syren, mobilised and transferred to its war station at Dover, as part of the Dover Patrol on 31 July–1 August 1914. The Flotilla's role was to prevent German warships from passing into the English Channel. Syren took part in the landing of a force of Royal Marines at Ostend on 27 August 1914. On 28 October 1914, Syren was on anti-submarine patrol off Westende in Belgium with Falcon when the two ships came under fire from the shore. Falcon was hit, killing 8 and wounding 15 of her crew.
Pitman was appointed to Acting Chief Petty Officer aboard Syren on 1 December 1914. On 24 February 1915 Syren went to the assistance of the steamship SS Harpalion. which had been torpedoed by the German submarine U-8 near Beachy Head, hunting the submarine and rescuing Harpalion's crew which she took int Newhaven. On 4 March 1915, the German submarine U-8 became caught in nets laid across the Straits of Dover to indicate the passage of submarines, and the disturbance in the net was spotted by the drifter Roburn and the destroyer Amazon. Destroyers patrolling locally were ordered to hunt arched for the submarine, while duty submarines at Dover, including Syren were ordered out to join the hunt. The destroyerViking detonated her explosive anti-submarine sweep without effect, but after the submarine was spotted by Maori, Ghurka used her own explosive sweep to force the German submarine to the surface. The submarine was then shelled by the assembled destroyers, and was quickly scuttled and abandoned.
Pitman was posted to Victory from 1 October 1915, and was with the torpedo establishment Vernon when he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer on 8 October 1915. He was employed as a Torpedo Gunners Mate in this period, having fulfilled the same duties aboard Syren. Posted back to Attentive II for further service with the Dover Patrol from 17 November 1915, he then joined another destroyer, whose name is not discernible from the records, before being posted back to Vernon from 30 October 1916. Posted to the destroyer depot ship Blake from 13 February 1917, he then rejoined Attentive II for further service with the Dover Patrol from 1 September 1917 when posted aboard the destroyer flotilla leader Kempenfelt. This vessel was the flotilla leader to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, where she served until 2 April 1918, when she joined the 11th Destroyer Flotilla. Pitman went with her. Pitman was posted to Vernon from 5 October 1918 and remained there, being demobilised ashore on 21 April 1920. Since April 1918 he had been a member of the Royal Fleet Reserve.
