Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War Mediterranean operations D.S.M. group of four awarded to Petty Officer Telegraphist S. T. Chandler, Royal Navy, who witnessed extensive action aboard the battleship H.M.S. Agamemnon, not least during the Dardanelles campaign

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (240118 S. T. Chandler, P.O. Tel., “Agamemnon”, 1918); British War and Victory Medals (240118 S. T. Chandler, P.O. Tel., R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 1st type (240118 S. T. Chandler, P.O. Teleg., H.M.S. Agamemnon), the Victory Medal with re-impressed naming, somewhat polished but otherwise generally very fine (4) £700-900

D.S.M. London Gazette 11 December 1918:

‘For services on the Mediterranean Station between 1st January and 30th June 1918.’

Sidney Tom Chandler was born in Manchester in October 1887 and entered the Royal Navy as a Telegraphist in November 1907. Advanced to Leading Telegraphist in the following year, he served aboard H.M.S. Fox from May 1910 until February 1912, in which period he qualified for the Naval General Service Medal for operations in the Persian Gulf (Medal & clasp), the whereabouts of which remains unknown.

A Petty Officer Telegraphist serving aboard the battleship Agamemnon by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he remained similarly employed for the remainder of the War and, in addition to his D.S.M., would have been awarded the 1914-15 Star. Ordered to the Dardanelles in early 1915, the Agamemnon was quickly in action, participating in at least four major bombardments of the Turkish forts and supporting the main landings on 25 April. Hit by large calibre shells on several occasions, she suffered a number of casualties and considerable damage, so much so that she was withdrawn to Malta for a refit in May 1915.

Returning to the fray as part of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron, later to be re-designated the Aegean Squadron, Agamemnon remained actively employed in support of the Salonika operations, and as a guardship against any attempted break out by the Goeben and Breslau, and in May 1917, her gunners damaged the zeppelin LZ-85, forcing the enemy airship to crash land. Finally, in late October 1918, she hosted the parties who signed the Armistice of Mudros.

Chandler, who was awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in November 1916, and appears to have seen further action in North Russia in 1919, was pensioned ashore in October 1923; sold with copied research, including the recipient’s service record.