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Auction: 21002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 206

'Over the R./T., Lieutenant Buller, the C.O. of M.T.B. 666, called up Gemmell. His plight was desperate, yet he spoke casually and seemed so unconcerned that it sounded as if he was telephoning a friend ashore. On the bridge we listened to him (the message was amplified for all to hear) reporting in his usual matter-of-fact tone, "I'm in a bad way, with all engines disabled. I've lost some men over the side and am preparing to abandon ship. I've destroyed the CBs [Confidential Books]. I've got one of the blighters snooping around my stern, and another steaming up the starboard side … "'

Able Seaman Randall Tomlinson recalls the desperate plight of M.T.B. 666 on the night of 4-5 July 1944; see Dog Boats at War, by Leonard C. Reynolds, O.B.E., D.S.C.

The well-documented and outstanding Second World War Coastal Forces' D.S.C. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Commander D. N. Buller, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

The gallant C.O. of M.T.B. 666 - 'All The Sixes' - he commenced his command with a spate of operations out of Lerwick in late 1943, among them a 'cloak and dagger' job in which he delivered radio equipment to agents on the Norwegian coast. On a similar mission, after lying-up under camouflage for 24 hours, 666 returned home with a brace of Christmas trees lashed to her deck, gifts from the Norwegian Resistance for Winston Churchill and the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret

On coming south to Lowestoft in early 1944, Buller and 666 were quickly in action off the Dutch coast, one such nocturnal outing in early June resulting in the destruction of four enemy vessels and the award of his D.S.C.

However, as cited above, 666's luck finally ran out in a ferocious firefight off Ymuiden on the night of 4-5 July 1944, when she was hit by a 37mm. shell in her engine room and set alight - stopped, helpless and with no power for her gun turrets - she was then raked by 88mm. fire at point blank range: Buller gave the order to abandon ship and, in common with his crew, some of them wounded, was fortunate indeed to be picked up an enemy armed trawler

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated '1944' and additionally inscribed 'Lt. Cdr. D. N. Buller. R.N.V.R. H.M.M.T.B. 666'; 1939-45 Star, additionally inscribed 'Lt. Cdr. D. N. Buller. R.N.V.R. H.M.M.T.B. 666'; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, mounted for wear, good very fine (6)

D.S.C. London Gazette 19 September 1944.

Donald Napier Buller was born in London on 3 December 1907, the son of George Cecil Buller, a wealthy jewellery merchant, and his wife Winifred, a famous aviatrix; she qualified for her flying licence at the Breguet Flying School, near Douai, in 1912 and, among other achievements, held the women's record for cross-country flying in England.

His parents having separated in 1914, Donald completed his education at Harrow, where he became head boy and excelled at squash racquets. He also became a keen yachtsman and joined the R.N.V.R. supplementary Reserve. Called-up in December 1939, he was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant and commanded a harbour defence patrol vessel from March 1940-May 1941, prior to taking command of a Motor Launch in an anti-submarine flotilla operating out of Freetown in West Africa; a Colonial Office passport issued to Buller at Gibraltar in August 1941 remains a mystery, but he is believed to have crossed the border into Spain.

Norwegian waters - Cloak and Dagger - Christmas trees

In late 1943, Buller took command of M.T.B. 666. Dog Boats at War, by Leonard C. Reynolds, O.B.E., D.S.C., takes up the story:

'Another of the 58th Flotilla boats to arrive early at Lerwick was M.T.B. 666, commanded by Lt. D. N. Buller. On 13 December [1943], there was an urgent call for a boat to carry out a clandestine operation (known in the boats as 'cloak and dagger'), and as no other boat was available, Buller found himself plunged in at the deep end on his first patrol in these waters. One-boat operations were, in fact, rare. It was a complete success: he landed fuel and radio equipment to agents, and brought back ten refugees.'

Reynolds continues:

'The weather and winter seas were still the greatest threats in the minds of the crews. One morning in February 1944, M.T.B. 666 (still Lt. Buller) had been on patrol with M.T.B. 625 of the Norwegian Flotilla. They left the coast after an uneventful night in the Inner Leads, but were met by an appalling north-easterly gale and the boats were separated. A few miles off the Norwegian coast, 625's keel was broken, and her forward compartments began to flood. Torpedoes were fired and ammunition thrown overboard to lighten the boat. During the night that followed the R.A.F. station at Sumburgh Head (the most southerly point of Shetland) recorded the amazing wind velocity of 130 m.p.h. 625 struggled westward and, kept afloat by the partially empty fuel tanks, hardly manoeuvrable and with only one engine running, she was beached in Shetland. She was wrecked in a salvage attempt some days later.

Meanwhile 666, leaking very badly, had managed to make Shetland and had found shelter in a tiny sheltered anchorage north of Lerwick; next day she was helped back to base. Her return passage had taken twenty-four hours longer than usual.'

On another occasion, after lying under camouflaged nets for 24 hours, 666 returned to Lerwick with a brace of Christmas trees lashed to her deck: they were a gift from the Norwegian Resistance, one of them intended for the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret and the other for Winston Churchill.

Home Waters - D.S.C.

In March 1944, 666 and the 58th Flotilla came south to Lowestoft, and commenced a flurry of patrols off the Dutch coast. It was on just such a patrol on the night of 9-10 June that Buller won his D.S.C.

In the company of her consorts, 666 fought a major action against four armed trawlers and a gun coaster off Egmond. Of the six torpedoes fired by the flotilla, four found their mark, but 681 was hit by return fire and sank with a loss of three men. Nonetheless, with four enemy vessels destroyed, the action was deemed a success.

In addition to Buller's D.S.C., 666's crew won three D.S.M.s and three 'mentions' on the same occasion.

Journey's end - Loss of 'All the Sixes'

As cited above, it was on another patrol - on the night of 4-5 July - that 666 met her end in another ferocious firefight. Reynolds takes up the story:

'There was one more momentous action in this period for the 58th Flotilla, with a bizarre ending. Although the action report is not available, there are two personal accounts of each phase and also a report from the Naval Historical Branch, with details compiled from access to German records:

The boats involved on 4-5 July were Gemmell in 687, 729 (Forman and his crew from 681, sunk only three weeks before), 723 (McDougall), 666 (Buller) and 684 (Storrie) - all long-standing CO's in the 58th. At 0047 they made radar contact with enemy ships, and closed in until, by 0132, they were a mile and a half from Ymuiden. At 0214, a German patrol of Vps 1411 and 1415, with AFs 41 and 47 (Schelde Gun-boats) sighted them and opened fire with their 20-mm. and 37-mm. armament. Gemmell fired rockets and moved in for a torpedo attack, two boats (723 and 684) claiming hits on two targets. When they retired to regroup, they realized that 666 was not with them. The account by Randall Tomlinson, an A.B. on the bridge of the SO's boat, records graphically the sequence of subsequent events:

'Over the R./T., Lieutenant Buller, the C.O. of M.T.B. 666, called up Gemmell. His plight was desperate, yet he spoke casually and seemed so unconcerned that it sounded as if he was telephoning a friend ashore. On the bridge we listened to him (the message was amplified for all to hear) reporting in his usual matter-of-fact tone, "I'm in a bad way, with all engines disabled. I've lost some men over the side and am preparing to abandon ship. I've destroyed the CBs [Code Books]. I've got one of the blighters snooping around my stern, and another steaming up the starboard side … "'

Gemmell picked up the microphone and quietly gave orders to Buller and to the rest of the flotilla. "Hold on. We're coming in. I'll draw their fire while Archie [McDougall in 723] and 'Aspic' [Storrie in 684] will come alongside and take off your crew."

"Aspic, Roger, Out" and "Archie, Roger, Out" were the brief acknowledgments from the two COs. He led the other four boats in towards 666 and all hell let loose. Everyone was firing everything they'd got - tracer of every colour criss-crossing as the enemy's fire intensified.

I went to assist the 6-pounder crew, but they needed neither help or inspiration. Almost knee-deep in empty shell cases the lads had a formed a human chain to pass up shells from the lockers below decks, as the ready-use boxes on deck had long since been emptied. As a crew we had all experienced heavy fire many times, but this was the fiercest ever, with many big calibre guns in addition to machine-guns, all now at really close range.

Reluctantly, Gemmell realized it was impossible to rescue our shipmates on the doomed 666, and even to save ourselves was now a serious problem. He grasped the microphone and called the flotilla - or rather what was left of it as only 723 and 729 were still close up in our wake astern. "Hallo Jackals, Hallo Jackals. It's too much, too much. Follow me, follow me." We turned away and increased to full speed. Almost at once I saw 723 just astern receive a direct hit on the bridge: a shower of red sparks burst amidships, she reeled, slowed, swung off course but regained station almost at once.

Gemmell grabbed the mike and yelled, "Hallo Archie. Are you OK?" A dazed voice came through, "No. We've had a direct hit on the bridge and it's a shambles. But we'll keep going."

The sad sequel to this came as we neared Lowestoft. 723 flashed up with the message, "Lieutenant McDougall has died." Gemmell was desolated. He had lost Don Buller and Archie McDougall - two old and trusted friends - in one night, and 666, one of his most reliable boats.'

As it transpired, 666 had the last laugh. She was taken in tow by the enemy and, at length, berthed in an E-Boat bunker at Ymuiden. By the following morning, her leaking fuel tanks had built up such a density of fumes that when a light was switched on in the bunker, it ignited with catastrophic results: one E-Boat was totally destroyed and another severely damaged.

For his own part - and having been picked up by a German armed trawler - Buller was incarcerated at Marlag 'O', from whence he endured the forced march to Lubeck in early 1945. Fourteen of his crew had been wounded in the action and two of them later died.

Postscript

Following his repatriation, Buller remained on the strength of the 'Wavy Navy' until 1963, and otherwise enjoyed a successful career on the Stock Exchange. On his retirement, he and his wife sailed a 75-foot motor cruiser around the Mediterranean, prior to finally settling at Ashton-under-Hill, near Evesham. He died on 11 November 1993.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including:

(i)
The Sir John Cass Nautical School, letter of certification for the recipient completing the Coastal Yacht Master Course, dated 5 December 1939.

(ii)
Admiralty letter of notification for the recipient's appointment to the rank of Temporary Probationary Sub. Lieutenant, R.N.V.R., dated 15 December 1939.

(iii)
A series of ship 'flimsies', comprising King Alfred (January, 1940); H.M.S. White Bear (January to March, 1940); H.M.S. Osprey (June-July, 1940); H.M.M.L. 265 (November 1941 to January, 1943), a glowing report that describes the recipient as 'a good leader, possesses drive and initiative. Would make an excellent C.O. … '; Drake (January to March 1943); and M.T.B. 666 (December 1943 to April 1944), once again with a glowing report, 'extremely energetic, and a good and courageous seaman.'

(iv)
A Naval Identity Card, with portrait photograph, dated 27 June 1940.

(v)
Three Naval Message forms (1940-41), one praising Buller's work for locating an underwater obstruction in the harbour defence patrol craft Silver Grey, together with a related watchkeeping certificate gained in the same vessel, dated 13 May 1941.

(vi)
A Spanish consular identity certificate / passport, to visit La Linea, San Roque and Algeciras, but without permission to stay overnight, with portrait photograph, dated 14 August 1941.

(vii)
Admiralty telegram informing the recipient's next of kin of his posting as 'missing in action', dated 6 July 1944.

(viii)
Two letters from one of his ratings, Richard Jolliff, D.S.M., written in May and July 1945, the first enthusing about the possibilities of 'getting another boat together … I have to win the £5 which Dad bet me, to go to sea and get another gong if possible … '; the second less so, 'I don't suppose I shall ever go to sea again [since] my nerves are shot to pieces … '

(ix)
Admiralty letter informing the recipient of compensation to the tune of £52 for the loss of his kit in M.T.B. 666 but not for his 'leather waistcoat', which was deemed to be an article of private clothing.

(x)
Order of Release from Naval Service, dated 7 November 1945, together with related Admiralty letter, dated 10 April 1946.

(xi)
Admiralty Honours & Awards Branch, letter notifying the recipient that his D.S.C. will be forwarded to him by post, dated 18 December 1945.

(xii)
Admiralty letter notifying the recipient of his appointment as a Temporary Lieutenant-Commander on the Royal Naval Volunteer (Supplementary) Reserve (R.N.V.S.R.), dated 29 September 1947; together with R.N.V.S.R. Identity Card, with portrait photograph, dated 15 February 1961 and letter removing the recipient from the Active List on reaching the age of 55, dated 15 January 1963.

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Sold for
£5,000

Starting price
£2200