Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War Jutland D.S.M. group of five awarded to Leading Cook H. G. Walters, Royal Navy, who survived the loss of H.M.S. Triumph in the Dardanelles prior to being decorated for his services in H.M.S. Castor

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (M. 586 H. G. Walters, Lg. Ck. Mte., H.M.S. Cstor, 31 May-1 June 1916); 1914-15 Star (M. 586 H. G. Walters, L. Ck. Mte., R.N.); British War Medal 1914-20 (M. 586 H. G. Walters, L. Ck. Mte., R.N.); Victory Medal 1914-19, erased naming; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue (M. 586 H. G. Walters, L. Ck.,H.M.S. Columbine), contact marks and polished, cleaned and lacquered, generally good fine (5) £800-1000

D.S.M. London Gazette 15 September 1916:

‘For services rendered by Petty Officers and men of the Grand Fleet in the action in the North Sea on 31 May-1 June 1916.’

Harry George Walters was born in Balham, London in June 1890 and entered the Royal Navy as a Cook’s Mate 2nd Class in August 1908.

Drafted to the battleship H.M.S. Triumph as a Leading Cook’s Mate on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he quickly saw action at the bombardment of the German garrison at Tsingtau in northern China, and thence, in the Dardanelles operations, when Triumph participated in the attacks on the Turkish forts in February-March 1915, and lent support in the landings at Anzac Cove. On 25 May 1915, however, Triumph was torpedoed off Gaba Tepe, and went down with 73 of her ship’s company in full view of the opposing forces ashore.

Walters was among the survivors and, in November, joined the light cruiser Castor, and it was in this capacity that he won his D.S.M. in the following year at Jutland, when, under Castor, under Commodore J. R. P. Hawksley, Commanding the Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet, Castor came into action during the confused fighting during the evening of 31 May 1916. An extract from the ‘Narrative from H.M.S. Castor (Night Action)’ states:

‘Soon after dark we saw three ships loom up to starboard, and as we challenged they switched on searchlights and opened fire. They fired only at us, being apparently unable to see our destroyers, which were painted black. We were hit direct four times; one shell hit the forecastle just under the bridge and, bursting inside, made a hole about 5 feet in diameter, and the splinters from it wounded a large number of men in the fore ammunition lobby; one shell went right through the fore mess deck and burst outside the disengaged side of the ship; one hit the motor barge, a brand new boat which had only done one trip with Captain (D.), bursting in her and setting her on fire; another shell hit the disengaged side of the fore-bridge and wiped out everybody in the way of signalmen, messengers, etc., who had gathered there, with the exception of one man. This man had a miraculous escape, the 4-inch shell bursting practically between his legs, but all the force of the explosion must have gone on in the direction in which the shell was travelling, for it blew a large hole in the deck of the bridge, through which this man fell. He landed on another man who had been killed by that same shell, but he himself was practically unhurt. Besides these direct hits, the ship was covered with splinter dents from shells which burst on hitting the water short, and several men at the midship guns were laid out by them. We fired a torpedo at the leading Hun, and the two after 6-inch guns, which were not being directly fired at, were making good practice at the enemy. But the Germans soon altered course away, thereby avoiding the torpedo we had fired, and we did the same, missing collision with one of the second half-flotilla boats by inches only ... Two or three times during the night we saw heavy firing some 2 or 3 miles ahead, but we were not able to ascertain who it was. Suddenly a German destroyer appeared quite close, steaming slowly. We tried to ram and got within a few yards of her, but she was too quick and avoided us. However, we fired several shots into her at point-blank range, but it was impossible to tell if she sank. That was the last we saw of the enemy, and we then set about trying to regain touch with our own battle fleet, as it was still possible that the action might be renewed at daybreak, but it was 9 o’clock in the morning before we found them.’

The same narrative states that Castor sustained casualties of 16 killed and about 40 wounded.

Walters remained actively engaged in the Castor until the War’s end, was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in September 1923 and attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer Cook in September 1925; sold with a file of research.