The father’s Western Front 1914-1915 Star trio and son’s Second World War Mediterranean submarine H.M.S. Usurper casualty group to the Searle family, the father, Private Frederick A. Searle, 7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment seeing service on the Western Front from 12th May 1915 before later being discharged and the son, Able Seaman Frederick William Searle being killed in action in the loss of the submarine H.M.S. Usurper on 12th October 1943, the son is now remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
Group of 3: 1914-1915 Star; (1258 PTE. F.A. SEARLE. MIDD’X R.) British War Medal and Victory Medal; (1258 PTE. F.A. SEARLE. MIDD’X R.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Along with Character Certificate dated 4th February 1916.
Frederick A. Searle was born in Holloway, London and saw service as a Private (No. 1258) with the 7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment on the Western Front from 12th May 1915 and would be survive the war being discharged in 1916.
Group of 4: 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; War Medal all unnamed as issued with handwritten casualty slip to ‘Frederick William Searle’
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Along with:
Letter dated 15th October 1943 informing his father that Frederick William Searle was missing on war service.
Letter dated 30th November 1945 giving details of the loss of HMS Usurper aboard which Searle was serving when he went missing.
Frederick William Searle saw service as an Able Seaman (No. C/SSX 32296) aboard the submarine H.M.S. Usurper and was declared missing, later confirmed killed when she was lost on 12th October 1943. He is now remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial where he is noted as the son of Frederick Albion Searle and Edith Ada Searle of Wood Green, Middlesex.
Usurper had left Algiers on 24 September 1943 to patrol off La Spezia. On 3 October 1943 she was ordered to move to the Gulf of Genoa, after which there was no further contact. She was overdue at Algiers on 12 October 1943. The German anti-submarine vessel UJ-2208/Alfred reported attacking a submarine in the Gulf of Genoa on 3 October 1943 and it is believed that this may have been Usurper. During the war, Usurper was adopted by the town of Stroud as part of Warship Week. The plaque from this adoption is held by the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth
