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Auction: 22003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 283

The superb 'Battle of Jutland 1916' Medaille Militaire group of five awarded to Engine Room Artificer Class II W. E. R. Maccabe, Royal Navy, who also saw action at Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank, later surviving the sinking of H.M.S. Attack on 27 December 1917

1914-15 Star (271655 W. E. R. Maccabe. E.R.A. 2. R.N.), the number '1' double-struck; British War and Victory Medals (271655W.E.R. Maccabe. C.E.R.A. 2 R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (271655. W.E.R. Maccabe, C.E.R.A. 2Cl. H.M.S. Dido.); France, Republic, Medaille Militaire, silver, silver-gilt and enamel, pitting and minor edge wear, very fine overall (5)

Medaille Militaire London Gazette 16 September 1916.

William Ernest Reginald Maccabe was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire on 7 January 1883 and worked as a fitter and turner prior to enlisting in the Royal Navy as an Engine Room Artificer Class IV on 15 June 1904. He saw a number of postings prior to the Great War including H.M.S Hecla, Blenheim and Venus.

Early Engagements - Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank

The outbreak of hostilities found Maccabe as Engine Room Artificer Class II aboard the Achearon-class destroyer H.M.S. Attack. She was attached to the First Destroyer Flotilla and as such took part in the battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August 1914 as part of Harwich Force.

Early the next year Attack, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Cyril Callaghan, again put to sea with a British force intent on catching a German Fleet at Dogger Bank. They succeeded and the ensuing battle cost the High Seas Fleet the armoured cruiser Blucher and over 1,000 casualties. Damage to the Lion during the action forced Admiral Beatty to briefly transfer his Flag to the Attack before moving on to the Queen Mary.

U-boat hunting and Jutland

Not long after the Battle of Dogger Bank Attack along with her consorts Ariel and Achearon were sent to investigate a U-boat sighting near Aberdeen. Attack made the first sighting of their opponent, U-12, and all three destroyers moved to attack. U-12 dived; however Ariel spotted her periscope and rammed her, forcing the stricken vessel to surface. All three destroyers then opened fire, sinking the U-boat on the surface.

Still with Attack at the Battle of Jutland Maccabe had been promoted to Engine Room Artificer Class I. During the fighting the First Destroyer Flotilla was attached to Beatty's battlecruiser squadrons, seeing action during the 'run to the north'. For his good work during the battle and the preceding campaign Maccabe was awarded the French Medaille Militaire, the only award of this medal to the ship.

Loss of the Attack

Attack was moved onto convoy duty in the Mediterranean following the Battle of Jutland. While stationed outside Alexandria alongside the troopship Aragon she came into the sights of SM UC-34. The first torpedo struck not Attack but the troopship and with hundreds of soldiers aboard Attack moved quickly to assist.

As the deck began to fill with soaked and shaken survivors another torpedo struck, this time catching Attack amidships. She was split in two with her bunkers torn open and oil flooding onto her luckless passengers, many of whom had only just been pulled from the sea.

Such was the damage done that Attack sank in less than ten minutes and many of those who just moments before had been rescued were pitched back into the sea and overcome by the fumes of the spilled oil. Maccabe was lucky to escape from the engine room and get to into the sea from where the ships boats - already deployed to rescue men from the Aragon- plucked him to safety.

Epilogue

Posted back to Blenheim on 1 January 1918 he ended the war aboard the depot ship H.M.S. Dido. Maccabe was promoted Chief Engine Room Artificer on 1 October 1922 and continued to serve until 14 June 1926 when he was shore pensioned; sold together with copied service papers, Wikipedia entry for H.M.S. Attack and a typed summary.

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Sold for
£950

Starting price
£950