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Auction: 22001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 207

Three: Stoker F. Jones, Royal Navy, who served aboard the Cornwall at the Battle of the Falkland Islands

1914-15 Star (SS.115267, F. Jones, Sto.1., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (S.S.115267 F. Jones. Sto.1. R.N.), the BWM with loose retaining rod, otherwise good very fine (3)

Frederick Jones was born at Pentraeth, Anglesey on 24 October 1893 and joined the Royal Navy on 13 January 1914. During the Great War he served aboard the Cornwall until 1917. In accordance with Sturdee's plans, Cornwall, her sister ship, Kent, and the light cruiser Glasgow immediately set off in pursuit while the battlecruisers and the slow armoured cruiser Carnarvon dealt with the German armoured cruisers. At 14:45 Glasgow, the fastest of the British cruisers, was close enough to Leipzig to open fire and the two ships exchanged salvos and scoring the occasional hit. An hour later, the Germans scattered in different directions; Cornwall and Glasgow pursued Leipzig while Kent went after Nürnberg. Cornwall closed on the German ship at full speed, trusting to her armour to keep out the 105-millimetre (4.1 in) shells, while the unarmoured Glasgow manoeuvred at a distance. The range from Cornwall was 7,000 yards (6,400 m) at 18:00 and her shells set Leipzig on fire. Five minutes later, the German ship had ceased firing and the British ships closed to 5,000 yards (4,600 m) to see if she would surrender. One last gun fired and Leipzig did not strike her colours so the British fired several additional salvos at 19:25. The German captain had mustered his surviving crewmen on deck preparatory to abandoning ship, but the ship's flag could not be reached because it was surrounded by flames, and the British shells wrought havoc on the assembled crew. Leipzig fired two green flares at 20:12 and the British ships closed to within 500 yards (460 m) and lowered boats to rescue the Germans at 20:45. Their ship capsized at 21:32 but only a total of 18 men were rescued in the darkness. Leipzig had hit Cornwall 18 times, but she did not lose a single man. The British ship rescued one officer and three ratings from Leipzig. Cornwall spent much of the rest of the month searching for the German ships that had not yet been captured or destroyed before departing for home on 3 January 1915.

Jones was invalided on 1 October 1917; sold together with named boxes of issue.

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Sold for
£140

Starting price
£60