Jutland veteran’s Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR, Adm. Bust awarded to Petty Officer E.J. Canner, Royal Navy who would be awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 11th April 1913 whilst serving with HMS Victory. He would later be present at the Battle of Jutland aboard the battleship HMS Superb where she fired upon the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, claiming several hits as well as later firing seven salvos at the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, failing to make any hits. Canner would survive the Great War and later serve with the Royal Fleet Reserve.
Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, GVR Adm. Bust; (185687 E.J. CANNER. P.O. H.M.S. VICTORY.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Edward John Canner was born at Landport on 22nd March 1880 and initially joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class with St. Vincent on 5th September 1895 before being advanced to Boy 1st Class on 23rd April 1896, he would then transfer to Inflexible where he would serve from 26th January 1897 until 3rd February 1897, then Australia from 4th February 1897 until 12th January 1898, Caesar from 15th January 1898 until 12th October 1901 being appointed Ordinary Seaman on his 18th Birthday on 22nd March 1898, and then promoted Able Seaman on 3rd August 1899.
He would then serve aboard Duke of Wellington from 13th October to 7th December 1901, Excellent from 8th December 1901 to 1st April 1902, Vernon from 2nd April 1902 until 28th February 1903, Duke of Wellington 1 from 29th February 1903 until 20th February 1903, Brilliant from 21st April 1903 until 17th July 1903, Vernon from 13th July 1903 until 31st March 1904, being advanced to Leading Seaman on 30th November 1903.
Canner would then join Erebus as a Petty Officer 2nd Class on 1st April 1904, remaining there until 3rd September 1904, he would then serve aboard Firequeen from 4th September to 30th September 1904, Erebus from 1st October 1904 until 7th February 1905, Sapphire II from 8th February 1905 until 5th September 1905, Vernon from 6th September 1905 to 25th November 1905, Victory I from 26th November 1905 until 1st January 1906 and King Alfred from 2nd January 1906 until 15th January 1908 being promoted Petty Officer 1st Class on 13th March 1907.
He would subsequently join Crescent from 16th January 1908 to 13th March 1908, before joining Vernon once more from 14th March 1908 until 5th June 1909. He would then serve aboard Achilles from 6th June 1909 until 5th June 1911, Vernon from 6th June 1911 until 17th November 1911, Victory I from 18th November 1911 until 5th May 1913 and would be awarded his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on 11th April 1913, before moving to Superb from 6th Mahy 1913 until 31st March 1918 being appointed Acting Chief Petty Officer on 1st June 1917.
Superb took part in a test mobilisation and fleet review between 17 and 20 July 1914 as part of the British response to the July Crisis. Arriving in Portland on 27 July, she was ordered to proceed with the rest of the Home Fleet to Scapa Flow two days later to safeguard the fleet from a possible German surprise attack. Captain Price Lewes relived Hope on 28 July. In August, following the outbreak of World War I, the Home Fleet was reorganised as the Grand Fleet, and placed under the command of Admiral John Jellicoe. Most of it was briefly based (22 October to 3 November) at Lough Swilly, Ireland, while the defences at Scapa were strengthened. Lewes was relieved on 4 November for reasons of ill-health and died five days later from a kidney disease. Captain Rudolf Bentinck assumed command of the ship on the 6th. On the evening of 22 November, the Grand Fleet conducted a fruitless sweep in the southern half of the North Sea, during which Superb stood with the main body in support of Vice-Admiral David Beatty's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. The fleet was back in port in Scapa Flow by 27 November. The 1st BS cruised north-west of the Shetland Islands and conducted gunnery practice on 8–12 December. Four days later, the Grand Fleet sortied during the German raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, but failed to make contact with the High Seas Fleet. Superb and the rest of the Grand Fleet conducted another sweep of the North Sea on 25–27 December
The ship departed Scapa Flow to have her turbines repaired at Portsmouth on 18 January 1915 and rejoined her squadron on 11 March. During this time, Captain Edmond Hyde Parker relieved Bentinck. On 7–10 March, the Grand Fleet made a sweep in the northern North Sea, during which it conducted training manoeuvres. Another such cruise took place on 16–19 March. On 11 April, the fleet patrolled the central North Sea and returned to port on 14 April; another patrol in the area took place on 17–19 April, followed by gunnery drills off Shetland on 20–21 April. It made further sweeps into the central North Sea on 17–19 May and 29–31 May without encountering any German vessels. Superb had to be escorted from Devonport on 16 June after the completion of her refit. The Grand Fleet conducted training off Shetland beginning on 11 July. On 2–5 September, the fleet went on another cruise in the northern end of the North Sea and conducted gunnery drills. Throughout the rest of the month, the fleet was performing numerous training exercises before making another sweep into the North Sea on 13–15 October. Almost three weeks later, Superb participated in another fleet training operation west of Orkney during 2–5 November. Five days later, the ship was transferred to the 4th Battle Squadron.
The fleet departed for a cruise in the North Sea on 26 February 1916; Jellicoe had intended to use the Harwich Force of cruisers and destroyers to sweep the Heligoland Bight, but bad weather prevented operations in the southern North Sea. As a result, the operation was confined to the northern end of the sea. Another sweep began on 6 March, but had to be abandoned the following day as the weather grew too severe for the escorting destroyers. On the night of 25 March, Superb and the rest of the fleet sailed from Scapa Flow to support Beatty's battlecruisers and other light forces raiding the German Zeppelin base at Tondern. By the time the Grand Fleet approached the area on 26 March, the British and German forces had already disengaged and a strong gale threatened the light craft, so the fleet was ordered to return to base. On 21 April, the Grand Fleet conducted a demonstration off Horns Reef to distract the Germans while the Imperial Russian Navy relaid its defensive minefields in the Baltic Sea. The fleet returned to Scapa Flow on 24 April and refuelled before proceeding south in response to intelligence reports that the Germans were about to launch a raid on Lowestoft, but only arrived in the area after the Germans had withdrawn. On 2–4 May, the fleet conducted another demonstration off Horns Reef to keep German attention focused on the North Sea. When the dreadnought Emperor of India began a refit later that month, she was relieved by Superb as the flagship of the 3rd Division of the 4th BS, commanded by Rear-Admiral Alexander Duff.
In an attempt to lure out and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, the High Seas Fleet, composed of 16 dreadnoughts, 6 pre-dreadnoughts, and supporting ships, departed the Jade Bight early on the morning of 31 May. The fleet sailed in concert with Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper's 5 battlecruisers. The Royal Navy's Room 40 had intercepted and decrypted German radio traffic containing plans of the operation. In response the Admiralty ordered the Grand Fleet, totalling some 28 dreadnoughts and 9 battlecruisers, to sortie the night before to cut off and destroy the High Seas Fleet
On 31 May Superb was the eleventh ship from the head of the battle line after deployment. During the first stage of the general engagement, the ship opened fire with her main guns at 18:26 at the crippled light cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, claiming several hits. At 19:17, the ship fired seven salvos at the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, but did not make any hits. This was the last time that the ship fired her guns during the battle. She received no damage and fired a total of 54 twelve-inch shells (38 high explosive and 16 common pointed, capped) during the battle
The Grand Fleet sortied on 18 August to ambush the High Seas Fleet while it advanced into the southern North Sea, but a series of miscommunications and mistakes prevented Jellicoe from intercepting the German fleet before it returned to port. Two light cruisers were sunk by German U-boats during the operation, prompting Jellicoe to decide to not risk the major units of the fleet south of 55° 30' North due to the prevalence of German submarines and mines. The Admiralty concurred and stipulated that the Grand Fleet would not sortie unless the German fleet was attempting an invasion of Britain or there was a strong possibility it could be forced into an engagement under suitable conditions. Superb was refitting at this time and did not participate in this action
After leaving Superb he would rejoin Vernon on 1st April 1918 where he would be promoted to Chief Petty Officer on 1st June 1918 and would remain until he was shore pensioned on 8th June 1920. He would later join the Royal Fellet Reserve.
