Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Dunkirk evacuation D.S.M. group of four awarded to Acting Stoker Petty Officer A. G. Dollery, H.M.S. Sutton, who was lost aboard the Free French ship ‘Branlebas’ in December 1940

Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (KX.80017 A/S.P.O. H.M.S. Sutton); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal, nearly extremely fine (4) £550-650

D.S.M. London Gazette 16 August 1940: ‘For good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk.’

The following recommendation is taken from Admiralty records: ‘Acting Stoker Petty Officer Albert George Dollery. During the whole period of the operation, this rating was engineer of the motor boat, and due to the efficient manner in which he ran the engine, often under fire, the number of troops evacuated were far in excess of what might have been expected under the difficult weather conditions. H.M.S. Sutton - This ship did 4 trips, three to the beaches and one to Dunkirk using her own boats to take troops from the beaches. Many times she was attacked by aircraft and also machine guns.’

Act. S.P.O. Albert Dollery was lost aboard the French torpedo boat Branlebas, which was one of the units of the Free French Navy which adhered to General de Gaulle’s Free French force after the capitulation in June 1940. The vessel was manned by a mixed French and British crew and came under the orders of the British Navy. On December 14th, 1940, when in the English Cahannel she was lost through stress of weather. He normal complement was 92. He is commemorated by name on the Portsmouth Memorail, Panel 4D.