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Auction: 11007 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 32

A Well Documented Second War Casualty Group of Three to Signalman K.G. Corbett, Royal Navy, Killed in Action Whilst Serving in ´Q´ Ship H.M.S. Fidelity, 1.1.1943 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal, nearly extremely fine, with named enclosure slip and card box of issue addressed to ´Mr. G.H. Corbett, Downings, 42 Kingstone Avenue, Steyning, Sussex´, and the following related contemporary documents: - Parchment Certificate of Service - 24 letters from Corbett mainly addressed to his mother, covering the period 3.7.1941-13.12.1942, a large proportion written from H.M.S. Fidelity - Several photographs of recipient in uniform - Telegram informing Mrs. Corbett that her son is missing in action, dated 23.1.1943, and two letters to the same effect - Several letters of condolence including from the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth; The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and Roysse´s School - Certificate of The Inspector of Seamen´s Wills - named Lloyds Bank Commemoration Scroll, with letter of enclosure from the Chairman of Lloyds Bank Ltd. (lot) Estimate £ 200-300 JX212306 Signalman Kenneth George Corbett, born Reigate, 1917, son of George Hamblin Corbett; educated at Roysse´s School and was employed as Bank Clerk prior to enlisting in the Royal Navy, 12.8.1940; undertook Signals Training at H.M.S. Mercury prior to being posted to H.M.S. Fidelity, 22.7.1942, ´Am afraid that I will not be up this weekend as my long awaited draft has come. In future please address all letters to H.M.S. Fidelity, c/o G.P.O. London´ (Letter included in lot refers); the latter was a French Merchant vessel called Le Rhin, which had escaped to Britain after the fall of France, 1940, and volunteered its´ services to the Royal Navy; it was commissioned as a Special Service Vessel, 24.9.1940, and armed with four 4inch guns, four torpedo tubes and equipped with two seaplanes and a Motor Torpedo Boat and torpedo nets; her role as a ´Q´ Ship was to transport S.O.E. agents to and from the French coast whilst on covert operations; by June 1942 she had also been equipped with a company of Marines; in November 1942 it was decided that Fidelity would embark for the Far East where she was to act as an offshore base from which to mount Commando operations on the Japanese held coasts of South East Asia; for the initial part of her journey she joined a convoy; whilst acting as rescue ship she became detached from the convoy and was damaged by an attack from U-615, then sunk by the torpedoes of U-435, 1.1.1943; of the 326 on board ship only 10 survived; Corbett is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Sold for
£800