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Auction: 22133 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 954

Nine: Acting Petty Officer L. E. Tomlinson, Royal Navy, whose service saw him with the Merchant Cruiser Orvieto in the Great War, Malaya during the Arab Revolt and Revenge during the Second World War

British War and Victory Medals (J.45805 L. E. Tomlinson. Ord. R.N.); Naval General Service 1915-62, G.VI.R., 1 clasp, Palestine 1936-39 (J.45805 L. E. Tomlinson. L. Smn. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, with France and Germany Clasp; Burma Star; Defence and War Medals; Royal Naval L.S.&G.C., G.V.R. (J.45805 L. E. Tomlinson. A.B. H.M.S. Wishart.), mounted as worn, contact marks overall, the first two heavily polished, very fine (9)

Leonard Ernest Tomlinson was born at Nottingham, Nottinghamshire on 23 June 1900 and enlisted on 22 October 1915 as Boy Class II, being promoted Boy Class I on 2 February 1916. Serving ashore for much of the war Tomlinson was posted to H.M.S. Orvieto on 9 November 1917, an armed merchant cruiser. He was promoted Ordinary Seaman aboard this vessel on 25 January 1918.

Posted to the Destroyer Rattlesnake in the final days of the war on 8 November 1918, Tomlinson continued to serve after its conclusion being promoted Able Seaman with H.M.S. Cardiff on 1 November 1919. Over the next few decades he served on a number of vessels including Courageous, Revenge and Wishart, being promoted Leading Seaman aboard the latter on 24 August 1934.

After a brief stint aboard Amazon Tomlinson joined H.M.S. Malaya on 30 October 1936. Not long after this she was stationed of Haifa, a key strategic port during the Arab Revolt. The role of the navy in the war was partly to ensure the British control of various ports as well as providing shore parties and expertise in manning heavy guns or other areas. Notably Malaya provided naval mines during the fighting which were used to demolish buildings.

Tomlinson moved on from Malaya to Hereward on 10 October 1939 and remained with her until 1939 when he was posted to H.M.S. Revenge on 19 July. He received his pension the next month but the threat of war kept him from retirement, going on to serve with the rank of Leading Seaman (Pensioner). Opening the war in the Atlantic they were soon thrown into the thick of the fighting.

Her first major action was Operation Medium, a spoiling attack intended to slow the construction of the German transport fleet being prepared for the invasion of Britain. Revenge led the Task Force which advanced on the port of Cherbourg on 15 September 1940 under cover of an air raid before opening fire. She fired over 800 shells during the attack and despite being under heavy fire from the shore defences suffered no hits, nevertheless the results of the British attempts to halt invasion preparations were not decisive.

Tomlinson was promoted Acting Petty Officer on 11 November 1941 the month after Revenge was transferred to the Eastern Fleet. She was not part of the Battle of Ceylon, being too old to compete with the modern Japanese battlecruisers. She was finally recalled in mid-1943 and Tomlinson was posted to H.M.S. Collingwood. He was released to the Reserve on 18 October 1945; sold together with copied service papers and medal rolls.

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Sold for
£300

Starting price
£300