Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Chief Petty Officer W. H. Down, Royal Navy, who served the entire war aboard H.M.S. New Zealand

1914-15 Star (310409. W. H. Down. S.P.O. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (310409. W. H. Down. C.P.O. R.N.) together with ‘H.M.S. New Zealand’ Visit Medal 1913, silver, in its original W. R. Bock, Wellington, brown leather purse; Naval Victories Medal, by Spink, commemorating the battles of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland, white metal, in fitted box of issue, the lid embossed ‘H.M.S. New Zealand Xmas 1916.’; and an enamelled H.M.S. New Zealand lapel badge, very fine or better (6) £120-£160

William Henry Down was born at Plympton, Devon, on 28 April 1888, and joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 29 June 1906. He joined the newly commissioned battlecruiser New Zealand on 19 November 1912, as a Leading Stoker. As such he was aboard the ship when she went on tour to the Dominions in 1913, including a visit to her namesake during 12 April-25 June 1913. Whilst there the ship was estimated to have been visited by almost half the population of New Zealand - most pertinent of whom was a Maori chieftain who presented the captain with a Maori piupiu (a warrior’s skirt) and a greenstone tiki (pendant) which were intended to ward off evil, with the injunction that they were always to be worn by the captain when the ship was in action. Their efficacy was to be proved as the ship saw action at the battles of Heligoland Bight 1914, Dogger Bank 1915 and Jutland 1916.

At Dogger Bank, command of the British squadrons fell to Rear-Admiral Moore of the New Zealand when Beatty’s Lion was badly damaged by three 12-inch shells from the Derfflinger, and as a consequence she was directly engaged in the three hour duel that resulted in the loss of the Blucher.

At Jutland, the crew of the New Zealand had the misfortune to witness the loss of the Indefatigable and the Queen Mary, passing the latter battle cruiser on the port beam at just 100 yards distance when she blew up. An officer stationed in New Zealand’s gun-control position later wrote:

‘At about 4.35 the stern of a ship projecting about 70 feet out of the water, with the propellers revolving slowly, drifted into the field of my glasses; clouds of white paper were blowing out of the after-hatch, and on her stern I read “Queen Mary”. She passed us about 100 yards on our port beam, and a moment later there was a blinding flash, a dull heavy roar, which ceased as suddenly as it began, followed by a few seconds silence, and then the patter of falling debris. All that was left of the “Queen Mary” was a great mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke about 600 to 800 feet high, which temporarily obscured our view of the enemy, but a few seconds later we drew clear.’

In spite of such harrowing scenes, the New Zealand’s crew continued to engage the enemy with numerous well-aimed salvoes, the whole under the direction of Admiral Pakenham and Captain John Green. The crew were doubtless relieved to know that the latter was wearing the piupiu and tiki as instructed. As mascots went, they did the trick, with just one enemy shell hitting the New Zealand on her after turret causing no casualties.

Down continued in New Zealand until November 1920, and was invalided out of the Navy at Portsmouth in May 1924. Sold with copied record of service and his original ‘Special Souvenir Pass’ issued by the Auckland Electric Tramways Company for use by the officers and crew of H.M.S. New Zealand during the visit to Auckland, April-May 1913.