Great War H.M.S Lion, 9ct gold and enamel brooch, 26mm with horizontal brass needle pin, WM makers initials and date letter ‘r’ for 1916.
Condition: Extremely Fine.
HMS Lion was one of the Royal Navy’s most famous battlecruisers of the First World War, serving as Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty’s flagship for much of the conflict. Commissioned in 1912, she was the lead ship of her class—fast, heavily armed with eight 13.5-inch guns, and intended to hunt down enemy cruisers and support the battle fleet with her speed and firepower. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, Lion became flagship of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow, and quickly saw major action.
Her first major engagement came at the Battle of Heligoland Bight (28 August 1914), where Lion’s gunnery was decisive in sinking German light cruisers and destroyers. She again led Beatty’s force at the Battle of Dogger Bank (24 January 1915), where she was severely damaged after being hit by several German shells but helped force the enemy to retreat. Most famously, Lion took part in the Battle of Jutland (31 May–1 June 1916), where she was heavily engaged with the German battlecruisers. Struck repeatedly, she narrowly avoided destruction when a turret fire threatened her magazines—saved only by the prompt flooding of the compartment. Despite her damage, she continued to fight until the German High Seas Fleet withdrew. After repairs, Lion remained in service with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, a powerful symbol of Britain’s naval strength. She was finally paid off and scrapped in 1924, having earned distinction as the ship most closely associated with Beatty and Britain’s early battlecruiser legacy.
