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Auction: 23003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 231

A Great War U-Boat action D.S.O. group of five awarded to Commander W. Bradley, Royal Naval Reserve, who attacked a U-Boat on one occasion and who attempted to ram two others

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel; 1914-15 Star (Commr. W. Bradley, R.D., R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals (Commr. W. Bradley. R.N.R.); Royal Naval Reserve Decoration, G.V.R., E.VII.R., with hallmarks for London 1909, good very fine (5)

Approximately 123 D.S.O.'s awarded to the Royal Naval Reserve for the Great War.

D.S.O. London Gazette 27 June 1917, the original citation states:

'For his prompt action in command of Minona, in attacking a hostile submarine from which a torpedo was fired, passing about 20 feet off the Yacht on 19th April 1915. Also for endeavouring to ram hostile submarines on the 28th April and 9th July 1915.'

William Bradley was born at Barrow-in-Furness on 11 April 1866. Serving with the Merchant Navy, he became a Master on 24 September 1892. Commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve on 11 March 1896, he was promoted Lieutenant on 24 March 1902 and retired on 11 April 1911.

Returning to the fold during the Great War, Bradley was promoted Lieutenant-Commander on 7 December 1914. By this time he was serving on the ageing Steam Yacht Minona, at that time serving in the Auxiliary Patrol Fleet. Little is known about Bradley's D.S.O.-winning act of gallantry, however, Sir Archibald Hurd records the Minona charging to the rescue of four steamers against a German U-Boat.

Bradley was promoted to Commander on 31 December 1915 and posted to command Agatha from March 1916-May 1917. Before taking on the Patrol Yacht Goissa in May 1917, but fortunately leaving before she was mined in 1918. Ordered to President for convoy duties in December 1917 he left her in March 1918 to serve under Rear Admiral Boyle at Stornoway on Iolaire as Acting Captain. He was lucky to be removed from that vessel, for she was to founder and sink in tragic circumstances on approach Stornoway on New Year's Day 1919, when returning islanders home from the Great War.

As it was, Bradley finished the Great War with a spell on Vivid (For Leave) and was confirmed as Commander (Retired) on 16 June 1919, in recognition of services rendered during the war. It is noted in his 1921 papers that he was in Command of the Canadian Government Merchant Marine Trading between Canada and Australasia for a period of 2 years and had also taken up the shore based role of Shore Port Warden, Port of Vancouver, British Colombia.

Bradley died on 13 October 1934.

Notably Minon was bought privately by Richard Burton and given as a gift to Elizabeth Taylor in 1967. She was renamed Kalizma after their three daughters, Kate, Liza and Maria. On 21 May 2022, in London, at the 17th annual edition of the Boat International World Superyacht Awards, the Kalizma was announced the winner of a "Judges Special Award" and was nominated for the "Best Rebuilt Superyacht Award".

Sold together with a medal for Zeal, engraved (Comdr W. Bradley, R.D., R.N.R. 14-4-15 C.E. Cranton Naval Base).

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Sold for
£1,800

Starting price
£1400