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Auction: 23111 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 1017

(x) A very fine 'Live Bait Squadron' L.S. & G.C. awarded to Gunner C. B. West, Royal Marine Artillery, of the armoured cruiser Hogue one of three such vessels sunk on 22 September 1914 by U-9

Royal Navy L.S. & G.C. (9916 C. B. West. Gunner. (A.BDR) R.M.A.), good very fine

Charles Benjamin West was born at Durrants, Hampshire on 9 January 1884, and worked as a baker prior to enlisting with the Royal Marine Artillery on 11 February 1902. Serving with a number of warships and shore establishments including the battleship Anson, the cruiser Euryalus and Defence. He was discharged to the Reserve before the Great War on 10 February 1914.

Remobilised on 4 August 1914, West was posted to the armoured cruiser Hogue. This was part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron - unfortunately nicknamed the ‘Live Bait Squadron’ - made up of obsolete ships crewed mainly by the men of the Royal Naval Reserve. With the Squadron’s escorts returned to port due to bad weather they had little protection on 22 September 1914 when they were caught in the open by U-9.

Aboukir was hit first, with the crews of all three ships believing her to have struck a mine. Hogue was the second targeted - she was the only one to see the enemy (opening fire briefly before the U-Boat's torpedoes struck her) but failing to hit the target. After Hogue went down Cressy was also hit, and as she was overloaded with men rescued from the first two ships, casualties were high.

Despite this, West survived the attack and was able to escape being returned to England the next day. Posted first to Cyclops, that same day he joined the Scapa Flow guardship Royal Arthur on 31 December. The next year he removed to St. Angelo, Malta where he was demobilised on 2 March 1918.

West appears on the 1939-45 census as a builder’s labourer (R.N. Pensioner); he died in Portsmouth in September 1959; sold together with copied research including service papers, medal rolls and census data.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£65

Starting price
£40