A Collection of Boer War Medals to the Royal Navy

Six: Acting Chief Petty Officer F. Stephens, Royal Navy, who was among those lost on the occasion of H.M.S. Formidable being torpedoed in the Channel on 1 January 1915

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, no clasp (P.O. 2 Cl., H.M.S. Terpsichore) large impressed naming; Africa General Service 1902-56, 1 clasp, Jubaland (P.O. 2 Cl., H.M.S. Terpsichore); 1914-15 Star (179143 Act. C.P.O., R.N.); British War Medal 1914-20, unnamed; Victory Medal 1914-19 (179143 Act. C.P.O., R.N.); Naval Good Shooting Medal, E.VII.R. (179143 P.O. 1 Cl., H.M.S. Formidable, 1910, 12 in. B.L.) contact marks and edge bruising, thus nearly very fine or better, the second rare (6) £600-700

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Collection of Boer War Medals to the Royal Navy.

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Ex Captain K. J. Dougas-Morris, R.N. Collection and Barrett J Carr Collection.

Frederick Stephens was born at Cocking, Sussex on 8 December 1878 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in April 1894. Advanced to Petty Officer 2nd Class in January 1901, he served on the 2nd class cruiser Terpsichore from February 1901 to February 1903, which period encompassed both of that ship’s active commissions in the Boer War, in addition to her part in the Jubaland operations of November 1900 to April 1901. He was advanced to Petty Officer 1st Class in October 1902. A total of 273 Queen’s South Africa Medals were awarded to the ship’s company of the Terpsichore, 136 of them without clasp. Just 225 Africa General Service Medals were issued to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines for “Jubaland”, 45 of them to the ship’s company of the Terpsichore.

Joining the battleship Formidable in the same rate in April 1909, Stephens was awarded the Naval Good Shooting Medal in the following year and the L.S. & G.C. Medal in January 1913, but, having been appointed an Acting Chief Petty Officer, was among those lost when that ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U.24 off Portland Bill in the English Channel on 1 January 1915:

‘ ... At 2.20 a.m., as the squadron was passing through a number of fishing smacks, Formidable was struck by a torpedo on the starboard side abreast her foremost funnel. She swung out of the line and began to lower her boats at the same time beginning to list to starboard. The weather had been growing steadily worse and the ship was soon listing so badly that her engines stopped and she lay helpless with her head to the sea.

The night was now very dark and the launching of the boats, without the assistance of steam, was a difficult operation. In all, four were got out, but of these one barge capsized, but the other, containing 43 men, was picked up by the Topaz. The pinnace, with 60 men, managed to reach Lyme Regis, and the cutter, with 71 men, was later picked up by the Brixham smack Provident, skipper William Pillar, who by splendid seamanship gybed his small craft, despite the danger, and came alongside the cutter. This boat was overloaded and in a bad way, but all the men were safely transferred before she sank, though the Provident only carried a crew of three men and a boy. Diamond also picked up 37 officers and men.

Meanwhile. the bulk of the ship’s company were still on board the battleship when, about 3.05 a.m., she was struck by another torpedo, this time on the port side, abreast the after funnel. All hope of saving her had now vanished and the men were sent to break up woodwork for saving life. During this time a large liner with lights burning passed close to the scene, but although Topaz made a signal to her to stand by, which she acknowledged, she did not comply and steamed out of sight. Topaz was then ordered by Captain Loxley to steam away as the submarine was still in the vicinity. With great reluctance Commander W. J. B. Law obeyed, endeavouring to stop another steamship on his way. At 4.45 a.m., about two and a half hours after she was first struck, Formidable turned over to starboard and sank.

Of the 780 persons on board, 35 officers, including Captain Loxley, and 512 men were drowned.’

Stephens, who was the son of John and Sarah Stephens of Newhaven, Sussex, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial. Sold with copied service paper