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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 868

INTRODUCTION

At 19.10 hours on 26 May 1941, Striking Force Leader Commander 'Tim' Coode opened up the throttle of his Swordfish 5A and sped off the rolling decks of Ark Royal. The carrier had been pitching up to fifty feet in stormy seas, and with cloud level as low as 600 feet, the task ahead seemed suicidal. But if this gallant officer and his fellow airmen doubted the effects which their ensuing attack might have on the enemy, Kapitan Lindemann of the Bismarck had reason to believe otherwise: the previous day he had witnessed the bravery of 'Mad-dog Englishmen' in a similar attack launched by Victorious and he was all too aware that he might yet be 'kippered' by the Fleet Air Arm.

Behind Coode's climbing stringbag - on the windswept decks of Ark Royal - anxious crew saw another 14 Swordfish depart and disappear into the bleak and stormy sky, each sent on its way by a wave from the green flag of Commander Traill, up on the bridge. Circling over Tovey's flagship, H.M.S. Renown, Coode was gratified by the safe arrival of all elements of his fragile task force. Picking up a course to H.M.S. Sheffield, his second rendezvous point, he waved on the Swordfish. Unbeknown to them, they were embarking on what is now recognised as one of the most celebrated missions ever flown by the Fleet Air Arm.

Just hours earlier, another force from Ark Royal had erroneously dropped 11 torpedoes against H.M.S. Sheffield - such were the weather conditions and communications on that fateful day in 1941. 'Sorry for the kipper' had been the remorseful message sent by one pilot to Captain Larcom, who stood shaken on the bridge of his fast manoeuvring cruiser. Admiral Somerville, no less disturbed, indulged in a tirade of four-letter expletives which would have shocked the ears of the roughest stoker.

The awesome responsibility of restoring confidence in the Fleet Air Arm and 'kippering' the Bismarck now rested on the shoulders of Coode and his fellow aviators, among them Petty Officer (T.A.G.) Vivian Graham. In fact, the hopes of all their fellow countrymen relied on the outcome of this bravest of encounters, for no-one else was going to stop the Bismarck reaching Brest.


An exceptional and emotive Fleet Air Arm group of six awarded to Chief Petty Officer (A.) V. R. Graham, Royal Navy

Honing his skills as a T.A.G. in Fairey Swordfish during the Norwegian campaign in 1940 - and having suffered the indignity of being shot down by the Vichy French in Operation "Menace" - he returned to the fray in the famous strike against the Bismarck on 26 May 1941

On that memorable occasion, he flew as T.A.G. of Swordfish 2B of 810 Squadron, piloted by Lieutenant D. F. Godfrey-Faussett, D.S.C., the latter reporting:

'Attacked from the starboard beam with two aircraft under intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire. Long range anti-aircraft fire on approach and on return. Aircraft 2A and 2B attacked together coming out of the cloud one mile away. First engaged by close range (red tracer). Fire was also opened with heavier stuff evidently time fused. Some of this went into the sea and some burst beyond and above. Aircraft was hit in tail plane and port lower main plane. The heavy fire continued with accuracy up to four miles and appeared to be predicted all the time as bursts followed the aircraft, going off just above … '

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. and G.C., G.VI.R., 1st issue (F55072 V. R. Graham, P.O.A., H.M.S. Kestrel), minor official correction to 'Kestrel' on last, very fine or better (6)

Vivian Read Graham was born in Gateshead, Durham on 20 August 1909 and entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class in December 1924. Rated Ordinary Telegrapher in August 1927, he transferred to the Fleet Air Arm as a Telegraphist Air Gunner - T.A.G. - in January 1935 and enjoyed a spate of carrier seagoing appointments in Courageous, Eagle, Furious and Glorious in the period leading up to the renewal of hostilities in September 1939.

Off to war - Norway and Dakar

Joining Daedalus in August 1939 and the carrier Ark Royal in February 1940, Graham was advanced to Acting Petty Officer Airman in May 1940. Flying from Ark Royal, he took part in the following sorties during the Norway campaign of 1940:

25 April 1940 - Anti-submarine patrol; 28 April 1940 - Bombing Vaernes aerodrome; 16 May 1940 - Bombing Hemnes; 4 June 1940 - Fighter Patrol (Reported on weather at Narvik); 6 June 1940 - Air Defended Area (ADA) Patrol and Patrol for enemy shipping; 8 June 1940 - ADA patrol Risoy; 9 June 1940 - Reconnaissance for convoy; 10 June 1940 - Reconnaissance and search for enemy battleships; 13 June 1940 - Reconnaissance of evacuation vessels (T.N.A. ADM199/15, 479 & 480, refer).

Graham subsequently participated in Operation "Menace", the unsuccessful attempt to capture Dakar Harbour from Vichy French Forces in September 1940. Acting as T.A.G. in Swordfish L2644 of 820 Squadron, piloted by Lieutenant (A.) Richard Sydney Hankey, R.N., with Temporary Sub. Lieutenant (A.) Anthony Wilfred Noel Dayrell, R.N., his aircraft was one of six assigned to attack Vichy destroyers in the harbour. It was hit by A.A. fire at 1530 hours and Hankey was forced to ditch in the sea. He was slightly injured but all three were picked up by H.M.S. Echo (T.N.A. ADM358 and ADM199/907, refer).

'Sink the Bismarck!'

As a Telegraphist Air Gunner of Swordfish 2B of 810 Squadron, piloted by Lieutenant D. F. Godfrey-Faussett, D.S.C., Graham subsequently took part in the famous attack on the Bismarck, an attack that ultimately led to the enemy pocket battleship's destruction on 27 May 1941.

On 24 May 1941, Bismarck sank the Royal Navy's flagship Hood and severely damaged the Prince of Wales. The aircraft carrier Ark Royal received a direct order from Churchill, as part of Force H, to hunt down the Bismarck and sink her. On 26 May Bismarck was running for the safety of the French port of Brest and a last-ditch attempt to slow her down with an airborne torpedo attack from Ark Royal's aircraft was ordered that night.

As cited above, the attacking force was led off Ark Royal's pitching decks by Lieutenant-Commander 'Tim' Coode at 1910 hours. Assigned to the second wave of the attack was Lieutenant (A.) D. F. Godfrey-Faussett, R.N., piloting Swordfish 2B of 810 Squadron, with Graham as his T.A.G. and Sub. Lieutenant (A.) L. A. Royall, R.N., as Observer. Of their subsequent experiences, Godfrey-Faussett modestly reported:

'Aircraft was in No. 2 Sub. Flight part of the striking force of second wave of attack on Bismarck. Attacked from the starboard beam with two aircraft under intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire. Long range anti-aircraft fire on approach and on return. Aircraft 2A and 2B attacked together coming out of the cloud one mile away. First engaged by close range (red tracer). Fire was also opened with heavier stuff evidently time fused. Some of this went into the sea and some burst beyond and above. Aircraft was hit in tail plane and port lower main plane. The heavy fire continued with accuracy up to four miles and appeared to be predicted all the time as bursts followed the aircraft, going off just above. Armament was sub-divided, each aircraft being engaged by a separate control.'

In truth, amidst a torrent of anti-aircraft fire, Coode's force of Swordfish had undertaken one of the most celebrated actions of the war, second only perhaps to Eugene Esmonde's 'Channel Dash' attack of February 1942. Two torpedoes struck home, one amidships on Bismarck's port side resulting in slow flooding, and the second in the steering area. Her rudders were consequently jammed in a turning position, and although she was still underway at good speed, she was directionless in the water. Attempts to steer by varying the speed of the three propellers failed.

With Bismarck's steering control jammed the Royal Navy's Force H and Home Fleet were able to catch up and subject her to extensive shelling and torpedoing, after which she turned over and sank the following morning; the wreck of the Bismarck was discovered in 1989.

At the time of the attack no definitive statement of whose torpedo had hit the Bismarck was released. However, following observation of the wreck, historian Mike Rossiter credited Jock Moffat as by far the most likely, through analysis of the flight paths. However, the son of another Swordfish pilot that attacked the Bismarck - Kenneth Pattison - believes that it was his father that damaged the ship.

Graham - whose Swordfish was one of four F.A.A. aircraft hit by fire from Bismarck - remained in 810 Squadron until September 1941.

His subsequent wartime postings were to Buzzard in September 1941, Illustrious in December 1941, back to 810 Squadron in January 1942, the R.N. Air Stations at Daedalus and Kestrel between January and October 1942, Goshawk in November 1942, where he was advanced to Chief Petty Officer Airman in May 1943, Daedalus in May 1945, Sanderling in July 1945 and Nighthawk in August 1945.

Postscript

Graham's post-war postings included an appointment in 782 Squadron, flying Merlin helicopters, in 1949. Awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal back in July 1942, he was finally discharged to a pension in August 1949 and died at Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in April 1986; sold together with the recipient's riband block from uniform and cloth and bullion Fleet Air Arm badge.



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Estimate
£2,400 to £2,800