The Paul Bentley Collection

An extremely early Second War D.S.C. group of nine awarded to Skipper Lieutenant H. C. Gue, Royal Naval Reserve

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1939’ and privately engraved, ‘Chief Skipper H. C. Gue, D.S.C.’, hallmarked London 1939; British War Medal 1914-20 (15376 D.A. H. C. Gue. L.D.H., R.N.R.); Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-18 (Henry C. Gue); Victory Medal 1914-19 (15376 D.A. H. C. Gue. L.D.H., R.N.R.); Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-1939 (Ch. Skpr. H. C. Gue. D.S.C., R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Naval Reserve Decoration, G.VI.R., 1st issue, the reverse officially dated ‘1939’, mounted court-style, generally good very fine (9) £2,000-£2,400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Paul Bentley Collection.

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D.S.C. London Gazette 1 January 1940:

‘For unfailing courage, endurance and resource in H.M. Trawlers, Drifters and Minesweepers in their hard and perilous task of sweeping the seas clear of enemy mines and combating submarines.’

Henry Charles Gue was in London on 1 May 1894, and entered the Royal Naval Reserve as a Deck Hand on 27 March 1917. Demobilised in the rate of Leading Deck Hand in March 1919, he was appointed a Skipper in October 1924 and advanced to Chief Skipper in October 1934, and it was in the latter rank that he volunteered for service in the Red Sea, in support of anti-smuggling operations off Palestine in the late 1930s, most probably in a trawler converted for inshore patrol work.

Appointed to the requisitioned trawler Cape Spartel in November 1939, he went on to win his D.S.C. in a matter of weeks, thereby becoming just the 26th recipient of the decoration to be listed in the London Gazette for the 1939-45 War, ahead even of the River Plate awards. Chief Skipper Gue received his award at an investiture held on 5 March 1940.

Gue removed to another trawler, the Pitsman, in April 1941, and to the Athenian as C.O. and Skipper Lieutenant, in March 1944, in which latter vessel he served in support of the Normandy landings prior to being placed on the Retired List at the end of the year. His R.N.R. Decoration was announced in the London Gazette in February 1945.

Sold with copied record of service and other research.