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Auction: 18003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 570

(x) A 1944 D.S.M. group of eleven to Petty Officer Telegraphist J. R. Melrose, Royal Navy
Distinguished Service Medal, G.VI.R. (P.O. Tel. J.R. Melrose. P/J62858); British War and Victory Medals (J.62858 J.Melrose. B.Tel. R.N.); Naval General Service 1915-62, G.VI.R., 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-1939 (J.62858. J.R. Melrose. L.Tel. R.N.); 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Coronation 1953; Naval L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (J.62858 J.R. Melrose. L.Tel. H.M.S. Greenwich.), the BWM and VM very fine, the remainder better and a fine combination of awards (11)

D.S.M. London Gazette 8 June 1944.

James Russell Melrose was born at Fauldhouse, Linlithgow on 21 July 1901 and joined the Royal Navy as Boy Telegraphist during November 1916. Having seen appointments ashore at Ganges and Dolphin, he served in H.M.S. Topaze from March 1918-October 1919, and afterwards in the cruiser Castor. Awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in 1934, Melrose witnessed further active service off Palestine.

Posted to the Signalling School at Portsmouth in October 1940, Melrose returned to sea in the destroyer Blencathra in the following month and remained similarly employed until August 1945. During this period she sustained damage whilst intercepting the German merchant raider Michael in March 1942, before suffering further damage from enemy aircraft in June 1942.

She later lent valuable service in Operations "Husky", "Avalanche" and "Shingle", in which latter - on 9 March 1944 - Blencathra played a notable role in the depth-charge attack that led to the scuttling of U-540 in the Tyrrhenian Sea. At the end of the same month - on the 29th - she again participated in a successful action, this time assisting in the pursuit, illumination and destruction by gunfire of the U-223. Here, then, the probable actions for which Melrose won his D.S.M.

Blencathra was back in action off Utah beach on 8 June 1944 and remained in Home Waters until the end of the War; Melrose, meanwhile, received his D.S.M. at an investiture held in October 1944.
Sold with original Admiralty letter relating to the award of the D.S.M. and Coronation Medal 1953 certificate, together with copied service records and research.


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Sold for
£950