The outstanding Second War submariner's D.S.M. and Bar group of seven awarded to Leading...

The outstanding Second War submariner’s D.S.M. and Bar group of seven awarded to Leading Seaman D. Duckers, Royal Navy, who completed at least 35 war patrols as H.S.D. operator and senior ASDIC rating in H.M. submarines United and Tapir Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R., with Second Award Bar (JX.213687 D. Duckers, A.B.) impressed naming; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, 1 clasp North Africa 1942-43; Burma Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted court-style for display, good very fine or better (7) £4,000-£5,000 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- D.S.M. London Gazette 12 October 1943: ‘For courage, resolution and skill successful patrols in H.M. Submarines.’ The original recommendation for an immediate award states: ‘For skill and outstanding devotion to duty as senior Asdic rating of the submarine during 17 consecutive patrols in the Mediterranean. Throughout this time he has conducted himself with unfailing good spirits under at times the most arduous conditions. When United was once forced to remain submerged for over 36 hours and was hunted continuously throughout the night for 13 hours, this rating remained closed up at the Asdic set for 13 hours without relief and by his coolness, vigilance and efficient operating, played a major part in the successful evasion of the enemy. He has frequently materially assisted in the success of attacks by providing an accurate estimation of the enemy’s speed by their revolutions and has invariably displayed the utmost coolness during enemy counter attacks.’ D.S.M. Second Award Bar London Gazette 19 June 1945: ‘For courage, endurance and outstanding skill in successful patrols whilst serving in H.M. Submarines.’ The original recommendation for an Immediate Bar to the D.S.M. states: ‘Leading Seaman (H.S.D.) Donald Duckers, H.M. S/M. Tapir. For outstanding skill as H.S.D. operator in an attack on a German U-boat, in first detecting the U-boat and subsequently providing most accurate information of its movements which helped materially in its destruction. For consistent efficiency of a very high order in running his department, and for consistent cheerfulness and courage during 36 patrols in war.’ The covering remarks of the Rear Admiral commanding 3rd Submarine Flotilla state: ‘Fully concur with remarks of Commanding Officer. An experienced rating whose technical skill undoubtedly greatly assisted the Commanding Officer to bring the attack to a successful conclusion. The reasons given for the shortness of the list of recommendations are entirely concurred in; the chief credit for this very fine attack must go to Lieutenant J. C. Y. Roxburgh, D.S.O., D.S.C., Royal Navy, and his Asdic operator.’ Donald Duckers was born in Manchester on 5 July 1913, and educated at Bury Grammar School prior to finding employment as a salesman for a paper firm in Liverpool. On entering the Royal Navy as an Ordinary Seaman in August 1940, he volunteered for submarines and, having passed his training course, joined the Tigris in March 1941. In her he participated in operations in Arctic waters, including a successful patrol which accounted for five enemy transports and another severely damaged, the latter laden with supplies for the Murmansk front. His C.O., Commander H. F. Bone, D.S.O., D.S.C., was presented with a young reindeer by a grateful Russian Admiral, gift and crew safely returning home to their depot ship. In February 1942, Duckers removed to the P. 44 (a.k.a. United) as one of her H.S.D. operators, the commencement of a memorable tour of operations in the Mediterranean with the famous ‘Fighting Tenth’ Flotilla, his first D.S.M. reflecting service in 17 war patrols, the whole under the command of John Roxburgh, D.S.O., D.S.C. During that period United accounted for the Italian submarine Remo in the Gulf of Taranto on 15 July 1943, four merchantmen and three schooners, in addition to damaging others. She was also credited with the probable destruction of the Italian destroyer Bombardiere west of Sicily on 17 January 1943. Extensive coverage of United’s exploits can be found in John Wingate’s The Fighting Tenth, the author having been her First Lieutenant during Ducker’s time aboard. A hair-raising run-in with some E-boats, in which Duckers’ skills as the Asdic operator were in much demand is just one of many extraordinary encounters related by Wingate, encounters that more often than not resulted in punishing depth charge attacks, on one occasion for a duration of 13 hours. But there were lighter moments, such as the occasion Roxburgh received a signal informing him of the safe arrival of a daughter, news that prompted the running up of the ‘stork flag’ to accompany United’s ‘Jolly Roger’ – a plain white sheet with a black stork carrying a baby in its beak. Duckers, who received his D.S.M. at a Buckinghamshire Palace investiture in November 1943, accompanied Roxburgh to his next command, the recently launched Tapir in October 1944. And it was more or less between them that they plotted the destruction of the U-486 off Bergen on 12 April 1945, thereby winning the accolade of being among the handful of naval personnel to have successfully participated in a ‘sub-on-sub’ encounter; a full account of the action appears in Geoff Jones’s Submarines versus U-boats. The U-486 had sunk the troopship S.S. Leopoldville off Cherbourg on 30 December 1944. Crammed with 2235 American troops from 66th Infantry Division, 763 soldiers were killed, making it the heaviest loss an American Infantry Division suffered from a U-boat attack during the war. Awarded a Bar to his D.S.M., Duckers departed Tapir in September 1945 and was demobbed in January 1946. Sold with an impressive array of original documentation and photographs, including the recipient’s Asdic Operator’s Log covering the period September 1942 to August 1943 in United, and likewise for Tapir in the period March to August 1945; his Certificate of Service and Submarine Detector History Sheet, the last date stamped at Portsmouth on 27 January 1941; Admiralty letter informing him of his award of the Bar to his D.S.M., dated 26 June 1945; a dozen or so wartime photographs, including excellent crew and ‘Jolly Roger’ images, assorted newspaper cuttings, and correspondence with John Roxburgh, his old skipper.