Great War Second Battle of Heligoland Bight November 1917 and long service group awarded to Shipwright 1st Class W.R.F. Brice, Royal Navy. From Torquay, Devon, he was a shipwright in H.M. Dockyard before joining up in September 1914. Brice was aboard the battlecruiser Glorious during the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight on 17 November 1917 when she fired some 57 15-inch and 213 four-inch shells, but suffered the left-hand gun in her forward turret being wrecked when a shell detonated inside the gun barrel. He was aboard the light cruiser Emerald during the late 1920’s when he received his long service medal.
Group of 4: 1914-1915 Star; (M.8426, W.R.F. BRICE, SHPT. 2., R.N.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (M.8426 W.R.F. BRICE SHPT. 2. R.N.); Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR Adm. bust; (M.8426 W.R.F. BRICE. SHPT. 1. H.M.S. EMERALD.)
Condition: Good Very Fine or better.
William Robert French Brice was born on 9 January 1889 in Torquay, Devon, and worked as a shipwright in H.M. Dockyard before joining the Royal Navy as a Shipwright 2nd Class (Devonport No.M.8426) with Vivid II on 3 September 1914 owing to the outbreak of the Great War. He then joined the cruiser Berwick from 11 June 1915 when she was assigned to the 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station. Brice was however posted back to Vivid II from 13 November 1915 and then joined the battlecruiser Glorious from 14 October 1916, being a part of her first crew on commissioning. She was assigned to the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, and Brice would remain with her until February 1919, during which period he was advanced to Shipwright 1st Class on 18 November 1917.
Brice was aboard Glorious at the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight on 17 November 1917. The German ships, four light cruisers of II Scouting Force, eight destroyers, three divisions of minesweepers, eight sperrbrecher (cork-filled trawlers) and two trawlers to mark the swept route, were spotted at 7:30 am, silhouetted by the rising sun. Courageous and the light cruiser Cardiff opened fire with their forward guns seven minutes later. The Germans responded by laying a smoke screen and this made spotting targets very difficult. The British continued in pursuit, but lost track of most of the smaller ships in the smoke and concentrated fire on the light cruisers as opportunity permitted. One 15-inch shell hit a gun shield of SMS Pillau, but it did not affect her speed. At 8:33 the left-hand gun in Glorious's forward turret was wrecked when a shell detonated inside the gun barrel. At 9:30 the 1st Cruiser Squadron broke off their pursuit to avoid a minefield marked on their maps. The ships turned south, playing no further role in the battle. Glorious required five days of repairs to fix damage caused by premature detonation and her own muzzle blast. She fired 57 15-inch and 213 four-inch shells during the engagement.
Glorious received flying-off platforms on top of her turrets in 1918. A Sopwith Camel was carried on the rear turret and a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter on the forward turret. On 5 November 1918, Glorious was anchored off Burntisland in the Firth of Forth together with the seaplane tender Campania and the battleship Royal Oak when a sudden Force 10 squall caused Campania to drag her anchor and collide first with Royal Oak and then with Glorious. Both Royal Oak and Glorious suffered only minor damage, but Campania was holed by her collision with Royal Oak. Campania′s engine rooms flooded, and she settled by the stern and sank five hours later without loss of life. Glorious was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet on 21 November 1918. Brice had reverted to Shipwright 2nd Class back on 1 October 1918.
The 1920’s saw Brice mostly employed with depot ships and shore bases, but he was advanced back to Shipwright 1st Class on 18 November 1922 when with Vivid II and was then aboard the battleship Iron Duke from October 1923 to March 1926. Brice joined the light cruiser Emerald from 10 September 1927. He was awarded the Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal whilst aboard this vessel and remained in service through into the 1930’s.
