A fine Great War D.S.M. group of six awarded to Chief Petty Officer S. G. White, Royal...

A fine Great War D.S.M. group of six awarded to Chief Petty Officer S. G. White, Royal Navy, Coxswain of H.M.S. Gipsy for the capture and destruction of the U-48 in the North Sea on 24 November 1917 Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (147690 S. G. White, C.P.O. H.M.S. Gipsy. North Sea. 24 Nov. 1917); Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 1 clasp, Defence of Ladysmith (147690 P.O. S. G. White, H.M.S. Powerful) officially engraved naming; 1914-15 Star (147690 S. G. White, C.P.O. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (147690 S. G. White, C.P.O. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (147690 S. G. White, C.P.O. H.M.S. Hampshire) mounted as worn, edge bruising and contact wear but generally nearly very fine (6) £1,400-£1,800 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- DSM London Gazette 22 February 1918: ‘For services in action with enemy submarines.’ The recommendation states: ‘H.M.S. Gipsy. Capture of German submarine U48 24 November 1917. Coxswain. Especially deserving, although no member of my ship’s company left anything to be desired.’ Awarded for services aboard the destroyer Gipsy when, together with five or six drifters, she attacked the German submarine U-48 which had become stranded on the Goodwin Sands on 24 November 1917. Whilst three of the little craft were swooping from the north-west, H.M.S. Gipsy, armed with a 12-pounder and 6-pounder, came down from the northward. Both drifters and destroyer maintained a vigorous fusillade and were soon joined by another two drifters and an armed trawler bringing more guns to bear. Eventually the U-48 was seen to be on fire and her Captain, Lieutenant-Commander Edeling destroyed the confidential books and ordered “Cease Fire”. The boat was abandoned and scuttled with explosives which went off after the crew had jumped overboard. One officer and twenty-one men were picked up out of a complement of forty-three. Amongst the awards for this action was a D.S.O. for Lieutenant-Commander Robinson of the Gipsy and DSCs for the skippers of the first three drifters on the scene. For further details see The Auxiliary Patrol, p 247-251; The Merchant Navy, Vol. III, p 72; and Submarine and Anti-Submarine, p198-199. Silvanus George White was born at St Alkmunds, Derby, on 4 January 1874, and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 1 February 1889. Advancing rapidly through the rates he achieved Petty Officer status in January 1897, advanced to P.O. 1st Class in the following April, and joined H.M.S. Powerful on 8 June 1897. A member of Powerful’s Naval Brigade in South Africa throughout the defence of Ladysmith, he was advanced to Acting Chief Petty Officer on 8 June 1900, upon being paid off. He received his L.S. & G.C. medal whilst serving in H.M.S. Hampshire in February 1907 and was shore pensioned in December 1913, only to be recalled from the Royal Naval Reserve in August 1914. For the most part he served at various shore establishments and depot ships but whilst at Attentive II he was posted to the destroyer Gipsy from May 1917 until the end of the War, and was finally demobilised on 7 January 1920. Sold with copied record of service and other research.