Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A scarce 'underage Casualty' sole entitlement British War Medal awarded to Sapper A. J. Crockett, 1/3rd Kent Fortress Company, Royal Engineers, who lost his life, aged 17, when H.M.S. Hythe was almost cut in two by the much larger troopship Sarnia which accidentally rammed her at speed and in pitch-black conditions off the Gallipoli Peninsula on 28 October 1915

British War Medal 1914-20 (2564 Spr. A. J. Crockett R.E.) in damaged named card box of issue, extremely fine £120-£160

Alfred James Crockett was born in Gravesend in 1898, the eldest son of James and Eliza Crockett of 19 Prospect Place, Gravesend. His father worked as a steamship seaman, but rather than follow in his maritime footsteps, Alfred attested at Gillingham for the Corps of Royal Engineers and was posted to the 1/3rd Kent Fortress Company. This unit was effectively a 'Pals' Battalion in all senses, dominated by men - often pre-war friends - from Tunbridge Wells, Southborough and the surrounding villages in and around the Ashdown Forest. The men were commanded by the popular Captain David R. H. P. Salomons, sole heir to Sir David Lionel Salomons of Broomhill, a magistrate and former mayor of Tunbridge Wells and Honorary Colonel of the Kent Royal Engineers.

Completing his training at Sheffield Hall, Draper Street, Southborough, Crockett and his comrades travelled from Devonport to Malta and on to Mudros Island (Limnos Bay) aboard H.M.T. Scotian. Here, 5 officers and 213 men of the 1/3rd transferred to the waiting 509-tonne former cross-Channel steamer Hythe, commanded by the Admiralty to work on troop movements in the Dardanelles. A small vessel, it was believed that her size and shallow draught would present a smaller target for enemy torpedoes.

Leaving Mudros at 1600hrs on 28 October 1915 for the 50-mile journey to Cape Helles, it appears that Hythe was heavily overladen with both men and equipment; as an engineer unit tasked with improving the perilous duckboards and infrastructure on the peninsula, it would be logical that the vessel was packed tight with tools and resources. The dangers were further heightened by blackout conditions in the latter stages to avoid enemy detection. Clive Maier, author of a full account of events published on the Southborough Memorial website, notes:
‘Men were packed on the decks, many huddling under an awning that had been rigged to give a little relief from rain and spray. At about 20:00, as they neared their destination, men donned their kit, drivers went to their vehicles and the Hythe doused all lights. Within minutes the lightless Sarnia [almost triple the gross tonnage of Hythe] was spotted, steaming back empty to Mudros Bay from Cape Helles and on a collision course.’

Desperate to avoid contact, both vessels attempted to change course but it was too late:
‘The Sarnia struck the port side of the Hythe with such force that its bows cut halfway through the ship. That brought Hythe to a dead stop and caused its mast to collapse on top of the awning. Many were killed instantly by the bow and mast, but the others fared little better because the immense damage caused the Hythe to sink rapidly... It was all over in as little as 10 minutes.’

The subsequent enquiry found considerable issue with the sheer numbers of men on board, the lack of life jackets and the inability of many to swim. Many of the survivors - rescued by a lone lifeboat from the (holed) Sarnia - had simply survived by clinging on to floating debris, their fate determined by luck rather than anything else. The tragedy cost the lives of the C.O. and 128 men of the 1/3rd Fortress Company, along with 15 further army personnel and 11 of Hythe's crew. Only 103 members of the 1/3rd survived.

The impact of the disaster on the people of Kent, and Tunbridge Wells in particular, is hard to quantify. Much as the forthcoming slaughter on the Somme would prove devastating to vast swathes of industrial England - all 'Pals' who had met the call of Lord Kitchener - the loss of so many Kent men in such circumstances, before they even had the chance to fight, proved particularly upsetting; several pairs of brothers were lost on the Hythe, a father and son drowned together, and some 99 children were left fatherless. For many years afterwards the local people of Southborough held a 'Hythe Sunday' church service to remember loved ones.

His body lost to the sea, Crockett is commemorated upon the Helles Memorial, Turkey, one of the youngest servicemen to die during the campaign. As he did not officially enter a theatre of War, he was not entitled to either a 1914-15 Star or a Victory Medal.

Sold with a Royal Engineers brass cap badge.