British Empire Medal (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (P.O. Charles E. Searle, P/J 30278 R.N.) suspension somewhat slack, otherwise good very fine £300-400

B.E.M. London Gazette 27 July 1943: ‘For bravery and devotion to duty in the face of the enemy, while serving in a defensively armed Merchant vessel.’

Charles Edward Searle was decorated for his services aboard the S.S. Dan-y-Bryn during Arctic convoy J.W. 52 in January 1943, and for her return trip in R.A. 53 that March, almost certainly while acting in the role of D.E.M.S. Gunner. In the interests of secrecy, the ship’s official log describes him as a deck hand, the same source also revealing that he was 44 years of age and lived in Brighton.

Both J.W. 52 and R.A. 53 attracted the attention of U-Boats and the Luftwaffe, at least two He. 115 torpedo-bombers of Kustenflieger-gruppe 406 being downed by our gunfire on 23 January during the former. Given the award of his B.E.M., it seems probable that Searle played a successful part in the defence of both convoys and, no doubt, contributed to the Dan-y-Bryn’s final Arctic convoy tally of 18 enemy aircraft damaged or destroyed.

The Dan-y-Bryn, a tramp ship of Ambrose, Davies and Matthews Co. Ltd., had already seen a lot of action, having ‘shot part of the wing from a Heinkel in the North Sea early in 1940, fought a six hour battle with a submarine in the Caribbean in the same year, and scored hits on a surface raider on the way home from Vancouver’. And by the end of 1942, by which stage Searle formed part of the ship’s company, she had come through P.Q. 4, P.Q. 14 and P.Q. 18, although not without incident - during the latter convoy, in September 1942, she had on one occasion six torpedoes running more or less parallel to her after her quick witted Master made a skilful 45 degrees turn.