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Auction: 21002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 187

Three: Ordinary Seaman E. A. R. Hambly, Royal Navy

1914-15 Star (J.31817, E. A. R. Hambly, Boy. 1., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.31817 E. A. R. Hambly. Ord. R.N.), nearly extremely fine (3)

Ernest Alfred Reuben Hambly was born at Leyton, Essex on 5 June 1898 and was an office boy upon his joining the Royal Navy on 5 June 1914. He served aboard Orion from 8 February 1915-26 March 1917. She saw action during the Battle of Jutland as the lead ship of the 2nd Division and was the fifth ship from the head of the Battle. In the early stages of the Battle she fired four salvos of armour-piercing, capped shells from her main guns at the Markgraf at 1832hrs, scoring one hit that knocked out a 5.9" gun and killed or disabled its crew. About 1915hrs, she engaged Lützow at about 19,000yds with six salvos of APC shells and claimed to straddle her with the last two salvos. These last salvos were actually fired at the destroyer G38 which was screening the battlecruiser and laying a smoke screen. Lützow was also fired at by Monarch during this time and was hit five times between the sisters. They knocked out two of her main guns, temporarily knocked out the power to the sternmost turret as well as causing a fair amount of flooding. This was the last time that Orion fired her guns during the battle, having expended a total of 51 13.5" APC shells.

Hambly was invalided from the Royal Navy with a tumour on 18 October 1917.

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Sold for
£95

Starting price
£30