A New Year’s Honours O.B.E., Second World War aircraft carrier operations D.S.C. group of eight awarded to Commander (E.) E. W. Smith, Royal Navy

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Military) Officer’s 2nd type, breast badge; Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated 1946; British War Medal 1914-20 (M. 28969 E.R.A. 5, R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals, the third a little polished, otherwise good very fine or better (8) £1000-1200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Medals for Services at Sea from the Collection of the Late Oliver Stirling Lee.

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O.B.E. London Gazette 2 January 1950.

D.S.C. London Gazette 11 June 1946: ‘For distinguished service in the war in the Far East.’

Edward Walter Smith was born in Swindon, Wiltshire in January 1900 and entered the Royal Navy as an Electrical Artificer 5th Class in January 1918 - based at Vernon for the remainder of the War, he was awarded a single British War Medal.

Having been appointed a Warrant Electrician in January 1933, he was a Commissioned Electrician by the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939, and first went to sea in the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Implacable soon after her completion in August 1944. Initially engaged in operations off Norway, the Implacable sailed for the Pacific in June 1945, and it was for his services aboard her in this theatre of operations that Smith was awarded his D.S.C.

Advanced to Lieutenant-Commander (E.) in June 1946, and to Commander (E.) in June 1948, Smith was awarded the O.B.E. in January 1950, shortly after coming ashore from his final appointment in the aircraft carrier Victorious.