Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte

The Great War D.S.M. awarded to Able Seaman H. J. Crone, Royal Navy, for his gallant deeds in the Q-Ship Penshurst: having joined her crew back in April 1916, he was present in all six of her famous actions under Francis Grenfell and Cedric Naylor, right up until her loss in the Irish Sea in December 1917

Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (J. 12562 H. J. Crone, A.B., Atlantic, 20.22 Feb.8 Mar. 1917), good very fine £1600-1800

D.S.M. London Gazette 23 May 1917.

Henry James Crone was born in Erith, Kent in September 1895 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in June 1911. By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he was serving as an Able Seaman in the cruiser Gloucester, in which ship he was employed in the pursuit of the Goeben and Breslau and, in February 1915, at the capture of the German supply ship Macedonia.

Coming ashore to Vivid I in early 1916, he next joined the Q-ship Penshurst (a.k.a. Q.7) that April, aboard which vessel he served right up until her loss in December 1917. The “Splendid Penshurst” was one of the most famous and highly decorated of Q-ships, her two captains, Francis Grenfell and Cedric Naylor, both receiving multiple decorations - the latter ended up as the most highly decorated Naval officer of the Great War, with three D.S.Os and two D.S.Cs to his name, the whole for services in the Penshurst.

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte.

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Having joined the ship in April 1916, Crone shared in all of her actions, the first of which occurred in November of the same year, when she sank the UB-19 on the 30th. The latter had been spotted by a seaplane lying off Alderney, Grenfell putting off the “panic party” and then engaging the enemy submarine from 250 yards - 13 of UB-19’s crew were rescued.

Then on 14 January 1917, she sighted the UB-37, Kapitain Lieutnant Günther. The U-boat opened fire immediately and Penshurt’s captain, Grenfell, ordered the usual “abandon ship” tactics to be carried out. Slowly the UB-37 closed in until she was 700 yards off the Q-ship’s starboard bow and twice in succession Penshurst was hit by shell fire and several members of her crew, who were waiting in concealment for the order to ‘Open fire’, were killed or wounded. At first Captain Grenfell anticipated that Günther would take UB-37 around to the Q-ship’s boats off Penshurt’s port quarter and that such action would afford the opportunity of decreasing the range, but it soon became obvious that Günther had no intention of closing in and Grenfell decided to reveal his true colours and commence an action. At 4.24 p.m. Penshurst hoisted her White Ensign and her apparently deserted decks became alive with activity as the screens concealing her armament were lowered and her guns opened a rapid fire on the submarine. The first shell from Penshurst’s 12-pounder struck the base of UB-37‘s conning tower and when the black smoke which resulted from the violent explosion had cleared away, it was observed that a part of the U-boat’s conning tower was missing. A second shell caused further damage to UB-37‘s hull and at least four more hits were registered on her conning tower before she sank to the bottom with all hands. To ensure the U-boat’s destruction, Penshurst steamed over the position where she had disappeared and dropped depth-charges before returning to Portland.

Just over a month later, on 22 February, Penshurst engaged the U-84 off the south coast of Ireland. Having avoided a torpedo attack, Grenfell and his men achieved several hits, causing U-84 significant damage and wounding members of her crew - the U-Boat managed to limp back to Germany on the surface, where Admiral Scheer described her survival as a miracle.

On 8 March Grenfell fought another surface action with a U-Boat at the Eastern end of the English Channel. Both vessels were badly damaged, Penshurst requiring a major refit, but Grenfell added to his brace of D.S.Os with rapid advancement to Captain. Crone was awarded the D.S.M.

Cedric Naylor now assumed command, and fought his first action as captain on 2 July, in the Western Approaches, his gunners getting in 16 hits on the U-Boat before it fled the scene as three of our destroyers pitched up.

Again in action on 19 August, Penshurst was torpedoed and badly damaged by gunfire, exposing her hidden guns. Despite this, the submarine surfaced and Penshurst pretended to “run away” according to plan. She then opened fire with her 3-pounder gun in an attempt to entice the submarine closer before opening up with her heavier guns. Hits were scored against the submarine and eventually Penshurst used her 12-pounder with good effect and hit the submarine four times, causing it to break off the action and dive. Penshurst, badly damaged, was unable to follow up with depth charges, and so set course for Plymouth and much needed repairs.

As stated above, Crone was also aboard Penshurst in her final action on 24 December 1917, in the Irish Sea, versus the U-110, when she was again torpedoed, this time fatally - with two exceptions, however, all the crew were subsequently rescued. Posted to Vivid I, Crone returned to active service in Q-Ships in the Wexford Coast from March 1918 until the end of the War. He was invalided as a result of an injury to his left foot in August 1919.