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Auction: 23001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 136

Five: Stoker First Class J. Towl, Royal Navy, a veteran of the Battle of Jutland who was killed in action the next year when H.M.S. Valkyrie struck a mine in the North Sea on 22 December 1917

1914-15 Star (301983 J. Towl. Sto. 1. R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (301983 J. Towl. Sto. 1. R.N.); Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., fixed suspension (301983. John Towl, Sto. 1 Cl. H.M.S. Dido.); Memorial Plaque (John Towl), good very fine (5)

John Towl was born at Launceston, Cornwall on 10 March 1883 and enlisted with the Royal Navy as Stoker Class II on 17 November 1902. Posted to Vivid II. He saw remarkably varied service in the decade before the Great War including stints with Medusa, Donga and Sapphire II being promoted Stoker Class I with the latter on 1 July 1906. On the outbreak of the Great War Towl was serving ashore at the base Vivid I.

His first posting afloat during the war was the Light Cruiser Cordelia. This Caroline-class warship was part of the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron and under the command of Captain Beamish. At the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916 she was part of Admiral Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet and took part in both the 'Run to the South' and the 'Run to the North'. Her role here was to screen the fleet and in that cause she fired around fifteen shells in total, keeping the probing enemy destroyers at bay.

Briefly joining the compliment of the destroyer Bullfinch he later joined H.M.S. Valkyrie. At the time this destroyer was serving in the 10th Destroyer Flotilla attached to Harwich Force and serving as the Flotilla Leader. The destroyers and light cruisers from this formation were engaged in offensive sweeps and also convoy escort missions. It was while escorting one of these convoys from Britain to the Netherlands that Valkyrie struck a mine. This did not sink her but twelve men were killed outright with another seven dying of wounds in the coming days. Towl was one of those killed outright by the blast he is buried in St. Thomas’ Cemetery, Launceston, Cornwall; sold together with a copied service record.

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Sold for
£260

Starting price
£210