Orders, Decorations and Medals

Family group:

Pair: Stoker 1st Class G. H. Roissetter, Royal Navy

British War and Victory Medals (291605 Sto. 1, R.N.)

Four: R. Roissetter, Merchant Navy

Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals, all unnamed, extremely fine (lot) £180-220

George Henry Roissetter was born in West Ham on 14 December 1880. He entered the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 8 March 1899 but was invalided on 4 August the same year. With the onset of the Great War he rejoined as a Stoker 1st Class on 2 December 1915. He served at/on Pembroke, December 1915-March 1916; Cadmus, March 1916-August 1917; Kinsha, August 1917-August 1919 and Pembroke, August 1919 until he was demobilised on 25 December 1919.

Richard Joseph Roissetter was born in East Ham on 20 April 1912. At the age of 15 he joined the Merchant Navy. One of his first ships was the Highland Hope which was wrecked in the early 1930’s, and then the Highland Brigade. The ‘Highland’ ships sailed between London and South America, carrying both passengers and cargo. His ship was docked at Montevideo harbour when the Graf Spee sailed in for repairs after the battle of the River Plate. The crew of the ‘pocket battleship’ were put ashore and traded for food and cigaretes - Roissetter receiving a ‘Graf Spee’ cap band in exchange for food. He was later wounded when his ship was involved in the battle for Crete. After being treated at the Seaman’s Hospital. London, he served on the hospital ship S.S. Atlantis, remaining with the ship until the end of the war. Postwar he served on the R.M.S. Andes. Richard Roissetter died in 1970

Medals to G. H. Roisetter sold with original Certificate of Service; Qualifications as a Stoker Rating Certificate; Registered envelope addressed to ‘Mr G. H. Roissetter, 20 Fabian St., East Ham, E.6’; National Registration Card; Christmas Card 1916 to ‘My Dear Wife & Children’, and ‘H.M.S. Pembroke’ cap band.

Medals to R. Roissetter in card forwarding box, addressed to, ‘Mr R. Roissetter, 20 Fabian St., East Ham, London, E.6’ Sold with 19 postcard photographs of the Graf Spee, in port, showing battle damage and being scuttled; together with an original ‘Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee’ cap band.

The lot sold with three modern letter/notes written by the daughter of George Henry Roissetter and sister of Richard Joseph Roissetter, providing the service details for the latter. Also with a registered envelope addressed to, ‘M. E. Roissetter, 20 Fabian St., East Ham, London, E.6’; photograph of three members of the family - two in Royal Navy Rating’s uniform; gilt pin-backed badge, and sundry other cards and papers including a number of low value banknotes issued by the British Military Authority and elsewhere.