Beschreibung:

A fine Second World War 1940 operations D.S.M. group of nine awarded to Lieutenant (S.C.C.) J. Derrick, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, late Royal Navy, who was serving in H.M.S. Javelin when she was severely damaged by torpedo attack in November 1940 - when Lord Mountbatten was aboard in his capacity as Captain (D.) - and survived 24 hours on a raft after the loss of the Wild Swan to enemy bombers in the Bay of Biscay in June 1942: he had earlier been awarded the Greek Medal of Military Valour for his part in the Chalcidice earthquake relief operations Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (JX. 130198 J. Derrick, L. Smn., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45; Greek Medal of Military Valour, 4th class; Cadet Forces Long Service, E.II.R. (Lieut. (S.C.C.), D.S.M., R.N.R.(sic)), mounted as worn, the first officially corrected in places, very fine and better (9) £2500-3000 Footnote D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1941. John Derrick was born in Bath, Somerset in August 1911 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in May 1927. Advanced to Able Seaman in November 1930, he was serving in the repair ship H.M.S. Resource at the time of the Chalcidice earthquake, and was awarded the Greek Medal of Military Valour for his part in the relief operations - ‘Rendered valuable services and granted permission to wear the Greek Cross of Valour, Class IV, for relief work after the earthquake in Chalcidice, 1932’ (his service record refers). Derrick, who qualified as a diver while aboard Resource, also appears to have been awarded the Hellenic Red Cross Medal, or certainly a related Certificate of Commendation (see below). “Javelin” An Acting Leading Seaman in the destroyer Javelin on the outbreak of hostilities, under Commander A. F. Pugsley, R.N., he was present in operations off Norway and Dunkirk, early actions that no doubt contributed to the award of his D.S.M., but it was following his deeds that November, when Javelin was severely damaged by two torpedo strikes, while engaging enemy destroyers in the Channel, that his decoration was confirmed. As it happened, and as was his want in the absence of the Kelly undergoing repairs, Lord Mountbatten was aboard in his capacity as Captain (D.), 5th Destroyer Flotilla. Christopher Langtree’s definitive history, The Kelly’s, which includes two spectacular images of the damaged Javelin, takes up the story: ‘As they turned the British ships lost the targets on their directors and steamed right into the paths of torpedoes launched by the German ships. Most missed but two topedoes hit Javelin in the bow and stern. The first hit almost blew the stern off up to Station 64 and ignited the oil tanks. The stern dropped off two minutes after the explosion but luckily the aft magazine did not explode. The second hit blew off the whole bow forward Station 30 and caused rapid flooding up to Station 35, flooding No. 2 Magazine at a rate of 6 inches per hour. The German ships turned away, pursued by the rest of the flotilla, but escaped undamaged. The four ships then returned to stand by Javelin which had been reduced from a length of 366 and a half feet to 155 feet. At midday the tug Caroline Moller arrived and by passing a line round Javelin’s torpedo mount was able to tow her back to Plymouth at two knots, arriving on the 30th.’ As related in the Bath & Wiltshire Chronicle and Herald in March 1955, when Derrick met Mountbatten again during the First Sea Lord’s visit to his local Naval H.Q., the two sailors were quickly overheard recalling the events of November 1940: ‘And as they yarned about that cold November day in 1940, when their destroyer was all but blasted from beneath them by German torpedoes, strong March sunshine picked on two medal ribbons from the rows of insignia on each man’s uniform. For Lord Louis Mountbatten it was the D.S.O.; for C.P.O. Derrick, the D.S.M. - and both medals were won by brave men in the same action ... ’ Afterwards inter