Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A superb and rare Second War ‘Arctic Convoys’ D.S.O. group of ten awarded to Commander A. P. Colthurst, Royal Navy, who, in June 1942, while escorting the forty merchantmen of the famous PQ-18 convoy to North Russia, handled the aircraft carrier, H.M.S. Avenger, and employed his aircraft, in the most masterly manner while in the face of relentless attacks by enemy aircraft and submarines – the sky was so thick with enemy aircraft that they were likened to ‘a cloud of phantom locusts’. Later that year he was killed when H.M.S. Avenger was torpedoed and sunk off Gibraltar, his bravery and skill during the preceding Torch landings in North Africa resulting in a posthumously received Mention in Despatches

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse of suspension bar officially dated ‘1942’, with integral top riband bar; British War and Victory Medals (Mid. A. P. Colthurst. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, these privately inscribed ‘Cr. A. P. Colthurst. R.N. H.M.S. Avenger’; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, with M.I.D. oak leaf, these privately inscribed ‘Cr. A. P. Colthurst. D.S.O. R.N. H.M.S. Avenger.’; Coronation 1937; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Jubilee Medal for the 40th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1985, bronze, the first nine mounted for display, the last loose, light contact marks to the Great War pair, otherwise nearly extremely fine (10) £3,000-£4,000

D.S.O. London Gazette 1 December 1942:
‘For gallantry, skill and resolution in H.M. Ships escorting an important convoy to North Russia in the face of relentless attack by enemy aircraft and submarines.’

The original recommendation states: ‘Commander Colthurst handled his ship in the most masterly manner with the utmost gallantry, and employed his aircraft with great skill and discretion’.

M.I.D. London Gazette 16 March 1943:
‘For bravery and skill in the hazardous operations in which the Allied Forces were landed in North Africa.’

Anthony Paul Colthurst was born in 1900 in Clifton, Gloucestershire, the second son of Captain Arthur Beadon Colthurst (1869-1916). He entered the Royal Navy on 15 September 1914 and, having been appointed a Midshipman in September 1917, served aboard the Battleship H.M.S. Benbow for the remainder of the Great War. His subsequent appointments were to H.M.S. Valorous, January 1919; H.M.S. Erin, June 1919; H.M.S. Barham, January 1920; H.M.S. Calliope, July 1920; H.M.S. Cambrian, November 1920; H.M.S. President, October 1922; H.M.S. Excellent, March 1923. He was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1923 and joined H.M.S. Vidette the same month. In 1925 he opted for pilot training and was on attachment to the R.A.F., initially based at Gosport, for the following six years interspersed with appointments aboard H.M.S. Furious with Flight 426, November 1925 and flying duties in May 1926; H.M.S. Courageous for flying duties in August 1929; H.M.S. Glorious for flying duties in April 1930; H.M.S. Courageous for flying duties in July 1930 and H.M.S. Glorious for flying duties in Flight 461 in October 1931. Having been promoted Lieutenant-Commander November 1930, Squadron-Leader, R.A.F., in January 1934 and Commander in June 1937 he was serving with the Fleet Air Arm at the renewal of hostilities in August 1939. He was appointed Naval Assistant to the Second Sea Lord in April 1941 and then given command of the Escort Aircraft Carrier H.M.S. Avenger in December 1941 shortly prior to it being commissioned into the Royal Navy in March 1942.

H.M.S. Avenger September 1942 – Arctic Convoy PQ-17 and D.S.O.
Following the disaster of PQ-17 in July 1942, when 24 allied ships were lost to U-boats and the Luftwaffe, the Admiralty postponed Arctic convoys until September, when PQ-18 was mounted, this time with a Royal Navy escort that employed over 70 ships to defend 40 merchantmen - nonetheless 13 of those merchantmen were sunk. In command of the only aircraft carrier to sail with PQ-18, was Colthurst, a former swordfish pilot, who knew how formidable his responsibility was, since, as his subsequent report would highlight, the carrier’s three Swordfish and twelve Sea Hurricanes were clearly inadequate for the tasks ahead. In a single escort carrier the number of aircraft and crews were never enough for what they had been asked to do. The Swordfish could not take off from the short flight deck of an escort carrier deck armed with torpedoes or enough depth charges and fuel to be useful, and the .303 calibre machine guns on the Sea Hurricane were ineffective against the armoured German reconnaissance aircraft. Indeed, as Admiral Tovey remarked to Churchill, it was ironic that transports crammed with latest type of Hurricanes for Russia had to be protected by their own outworn predecessors. Intelligence had given the Germans a good picture of the convoy’s likely route and timetable and between 8 and 10 U-boats formed a scouting line across the convoy’s projected path. In addition, the Luftwaffe, whose torpedo bomber strength had increased to 92, was ready and anxious to try to repeat its success against PQ-17.

Richard Woodman takes up the story in Arctic Convoys:
‘A formidable array of aircraft prepared to attack PQ-18 from northern Norway. Forty-two Heinkel He. 111 H-6 torpedo-bombers of KG26 were joined by thirty-five Junkers Ju. 88 A-17s of KG26, the faster Ju. 88 modification capable of carrying torpedoes, which had been flown up from France. These aircraft were, of course, supported by the long-range Condors and Blohm and Voss flying boats though not by fighters, which did not possess the range to cover the bombers. They were, however, bolstered by the Ju. 88 bombers of KG30 and this combination allowed the Luftwaffe to employ a tactic known as the Golden Zange, or golden Comb, a conjoint low-level airborne torpedo attack which was supported by diversionary medium-level and dive-bombing. By this tactic it was hoped to fragment a convoy's defences and enable the torpedo-bombers, who at low altitude would duck under the surveillance radar, to press home a devastating and overwhelming onslaught.
Intelligence had revealed that an aircraft-carrier would accompany the convoy and Goering insisted that ‘the attack against the aircraft-carrier must be so violent that this threat is removed.’ Despite this, German aircraft tended always to seek out merchant ships, knowing that in doing so they were aiming for the most significant targets. A victory over PQ-18, the young pilots were told, would help their comrades in the Wehrmacht, easing the conquest of the Caucasus and the capture of Stalingrad by depriving the Red Army of its sinews.’

On 14 September 1942, the Luftwaffe delivered no less than eight major assaults against PQ-18, large forces of Ju. 88s, He. 111s and He. 115s unleashing a torrent of bombs and torpedoes, many of the latter finding their mark. In fact so thick was the sky with enemy aircraft that the Commodore likened them to ‘a cloud of phantom locusts’, while a young Sub. Lieutenant recalled seeing them ‘rise up on the horizon, black and repulsive’, where ‘they extended far on either side of our view’ - a scene which shortly became even more memorable with the advent of the intense A.A. fire put up by the allied ships. Regarding the 14th, Michael G. Walling tells in Forgotten Sacrifice how successfully Colthurst marshalled Avenger’s defences to survive the day:
‘HMS Onslow, following a sighting by one of Avenger’s Swordfish, bagged U-589, which was stalking the convoy. At 1235 hours, the Luftwaffe again joined the battle with about twenty torpedo aircraft targeting Avenger and Scylla. The attack cost the Germans another eleven planes, but the losses didn’t deter them from further attacks.

As the initial wave of torpedo bombers in this attack disappeared over the horizon, a dozen Ju-88s appeared overhead and started dive-bombing. Several ships including Avenger, made narrow escapes while the Germans lost another aircraft. Almost immediately twenty-five torpedo aircraft came in from ahead, dividing as before into two groups, one of which made dead set for Avenger. Avenger had ten fighters in the air, and these together with the ship’s guns, shot down nine more enemy aircraft, but one ship, Mary Luckenbach in the starboard wing column, was torpedoed. She blew up with such force that Nathaniel Green right behind her in the column was covered with debris and several of her deck cargo crates burst.’

Notwithstanding such protracted attention from the enemy, and in no small part thanks to Colthurst’s ‘gallantry, skill and resolution’, PQ-18 reached the North Dvina in the afternoon of the 19th, with nearly three quarters of the convoy’s merchantmen.

Colthurst was awarded the D.S.O., having been Mentioned in Rear Admiral R. L. Burnett’s Report: ‘Great credit is due to the Commanding Officer H.M.S. “Avenger”, Commander A. P. Colthurst, R.N., for his skilful handling of his ship during torpedo attacks and for the invaluable work of his aircraft’.

H.M.S. Avenger November 1942 - Operation Torch – Sunk by U-115 – “Mentioned”
But there was to be little rest for Colthurst since Avenger was next tasked with providing air cover for one of the convoys carrying the British assault force for Operation Torch. Once off North Africa she would join the covering force for the landings, with H.M.S. Argus, three cruisers, and five destroyers. On arrival on 8 November 1942, the Supermarine Seafires from Argus and Avenger's Sea Hurricanes provided air cover for the landings. Between 8–10 November Avenger flew 60 fighter missions. On 9 November, she had a near miss by a torpedo from a He 111, and from 10–12 November she was laid up with engine problems before sailing for Gibraltar. HMS Avenger was sunk by U-155 during the early hours of 15 November 1942, while escorting convoy MKF 1(Y) just west of Gibraltar. A single torpedo hit the ship’s bomb room, igniting the munitions stored there and causing numerous secondary explosions, she sank in under five minutes, taking 68 officers, including Colthurst, and 446 ratings with her. Only twelve members of her crew were rescued. For his gallantry Colthurst was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches, and is commemorated in the Lee-on-Solent Memorial.

Sold with two photographs of Commander Colthurst with Admiral Tovey on the deck of H.M.S. Avenger, one photograph of Avenger in heavy seas during a 1942 arctic convoy, and one photograph taken from the deck of Avenger during an enemy air attack on convoy PQ-18, visible in the frame are around 10 enemy aircraft and 1 Sea Hurricane.

Note: The recipient’s original Mentioned in Despatches Certificate, together with a single unnamed D.S.O. purporting to be the one awarded to the recipient, but without any other original documentation, was sold at Glendining’s in September 1988.