Great War Grand Fleet and Dover Patrol and long service group awarded to Shipwright 1st Class S.G. Barrett, Royal Navy. A Devon man, Barrett saw service from November 1902 and was aboard the cruiser Devonshire on the outbreak of the war, serving with the Grand Fleet. From May 1917 he joined the Dover Patrol with Attentive II, and through to October 1918 was aboard the destroyer flotilla leader Faulknor. As such he was with her when she carried out both defensive patrols and offensive operations against the coastline of German-held Belgium, taking part in both the First and Second Ostend Raid in the spring of 1918. His long service medal was awarded in this period.
Group of 4: 1914-1915 Star; (345706, S.G. BARRETT, SHPT.1., R.N.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (345706 S.G. BARRETT. SHPT.1 R.N.); Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR Adm. bust; (345706 S.G. BARRETT, SHPT.1CL. H.M.S. ATTENTIVE II.)
Condition: Good Very Fine.
Samuel George Barrett was born on 15 May 1880 in Devonport, Devon, and having worked as a shipwright, then joined the Royal Navy as a Shipwright (Devonport No.345706) with Vivid II from 14 November 1902. Advanced to Leading Shipwright on 1 September 1907 whilst aboard the cruiser Donegal, he was then promoted to Carpenters Mater whilst with the depot ship Indus on 1 October 1912, he was re-badged as a Shipwright 1st Class when with cruiser Devonshire on 1 December 1912.
With the outbreak of the Great War Barrett was serving with Devonshire, and as such found himself serving with the 3rd Cruiser Squadron as part of the Grand Fleet, and patrolling between the Shetland Islands and the Faeroe Islands and the Norwegian coast. Devonshire captured a German merchantman on 6 August. Despite numerous sorties with the main body of the Grand Fleet, she did not see combat, and was assigned to the Nore Command in April 1916 for service with the 7th Cruiser Squadron, still a part of the Grand Fleet. Barrett was posted to Vivid II from 9 September 1916, and then joined Attentive II from 9 May 1917 for service aboard the destroyer flotilla leader Faulknor and serving as part of the Dover Patrol. He would spend the remainder of the war with this vessel. As such he was with her when she carried out both defensive patrols and offensive operations against the coastline of German-held Belgium, taking part in both the First and Second Ostend Raid in the spring of 1918. In addition he was with Attentive II when he was awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
Posted back to Vivid II from 22 October 1918, he was then posted to Pembroke II from 14 November 1918. He was latterly aboard the sloop Snapdragon from April 1919 to September 1921, and was discharged with a reduced pension owing to a reduction in the service on 12 June 1922. Barrett subsequently joined the Rosyth Naval Dockyard as a labourer from 28 July 1924, and retired in October 1962. He died in 1968 in Plymouth, Devon.
