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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 464

(x) The first ships to sail under Operation Dynamo proceeded without escort via Route Z, and after an uneventful voyage Mona's Isle berthed at the Gare Maritime at about midnight. When she cast off five hours later she had 1,420 troops on board.
The voyage back to Dover was not so easy. For the first twenty miles the Mona's Isle was within artillery range of the shore- which was now in enemy hands- and she was soon being repeatedly hit by shellfire. Luckily, the shells did not explode, and when her rudder was hit her master managed to keep going by steering with the main engines. Slowly she limped out of range of short artillery- only to be attacked from the air by six Me 109s that made repeated passes, machine-gunning the decks. By the time she arrived back at Dover, twenty-three of her passengers were dead and dozens were wounded.

(The first round trip made by any ship during Operation Dynamo as described in The Fighting Spirit by Charles G. Wheeler, refers)

A remarkable 'Destroyer Flotilla 1918' M.I.D. group of nine awarded to Leading Stoker G. W. Cummings, a Jutland veteran and lucky survivor of the Action of 11-12 December 1917 who later returned to service as a pensioner with H.M.S. Mona Isle the first ship to complete an evacuation run during the Operation Dynamo

1914-15 Star (J.15589, G. W. Cummings, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.15589 G. W. Cummings L.S. R.N.), with M.I.D. oakleaves; 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. (J.15589 G. W. Cummings L.S. H.M.S. Iron Duke); Corps of Commissionaires Long & Meritorious Service Medals, silver issue, named 'G. W. Cummings' to the reverse; Corps of Commissionaires Long & Meritorious Service Medals, bronze issue, these last two separate the campaign and long service awards mounted as worn, heavy contact marking, polishing and pitting, good fine (9)

George William Cummings was born at Hamwell, Middlesex on 14 November 1894 and enlisted with the Royal Navy on 1 January 1912 as Boy Class II. Serving on a number of ships before reaching his majority including Prince George, Carnarvon and Monarch he was appointed Ordinary Seaman with the last.

Jutland

Advanced Able Seaman on 26 January 1914 Cummings joined the destroyer Hecla in May that same year. On the outbreak of the Great War this vessel was serving as the Depot ship for the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla. Cummings was to serve the first half of the war with her before removing to another destroyer within the Flotilla Midge on 18 March 1916.

This vessel served with Admiral Beatty's portion of the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland. She was attached to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron as an escort, she did not suffer any losses in the battle. After the action Cummings was posted to the M-class destroyer Pellew on 18 July 1916.

The Action of 11-12 December 1917

This newly built vessel was consigned to convoy duties for the duration of the war, having several near misses in 1917. Cummings was promoted Leading Seaman with her on 11 November of that year. At the end of the year- in a bid to draw out the German U-boats- the Admiralty laid a trap consisting of what appeared to be a lightly defended convoy but was in fact armed merchantmen. Unfortunately the plan went awry when they were attacked, not by U-boats but a strong force of German destroyers.

The armed merchant ships turned away while Pellew and her sister ship Patridge turned on the enemy in a bid to by them time. Heavily outnumbered the German force detached a destroyer to engage the convoy while the remainder engaged the British ships.

Patridge took heavy hits with one torpedo tube being seriously damaged, despite this she was able to launch one which struck V100 but did not explode. Heavy seas made firing difficult, the gunner had to wait until they were out of the trough of the waves before taking shots. Patridge was struck in the engine room and came to a dead stop, hit multiple times the order was given for the vessel to be abandoned.

Pellew was now alone, she too had been struck in the engine room but managed to retain some speed. However the leads to her torpedo tubes had been severed, rendering the weapons useless. Crippled and unable to make use of her most potent weapons she was lucky forced to make use of the bad weather to withdraw. With the covering action already a failure fighting on was useless and she took refuge in Norway with the rest what remained of the convoy.

Cummings went ashore on 30 July 1918 remaining there for the rest of the war, he received a 'mention' for 'For services in Grand Fleet Destroyers between 1 January and 30 June 1918' (London Gazette 11 December 1918). Posted to Strenuous after the end of hostilities he saw service with many vessels between the wars, notably being awarded his L.S. & GC. with Iron Duke. He was pensioned on 13 November 1934.

Mona's Isle and the Dunkirk Evacuations

As war became inevitable Cummings returned to service on 31 August 1939 as Leading Seaman (pensioner). Posted first to Armed Boarding Vessel no. 3 he later joined the Armed Boarding Vessel (also described as an Ocean Boarding Vessel) Mona's Isle on 14 September 1939.

This was the first of 8 Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels to be requisitioned for the evacuation. She was the first vessel to leave Dover- not including the radio link destroyer Wolsey- and had a peaceful crossing on the night of 27 May 1940. Her return journey was to prove less tranquil as she left France with 1,420 troops aboard the German guns on the Gravelines opened fire, however it was to be the Luftwaffe which proved a greater trial.

One of the soldier's rescued by Mona Isle gave the following testimony:

'We had a quiet time for about an hour or so until we saw planes approaching. The boys thought that they were spitfires but they turned out to be Dorniers [SIC] who strafed the boat... I had a premonition that they weren't British and took shelter in an alcove, the bullets were passing within an inch or two from my feet, had I been on deck I certainly would have been killed. As it was I got a bullet in the shoulder and, as I was being treated for that, we were shelled by German guns.

Mona Isle made a second trip on 2 June taking off another 1,200 men. Her commander received the D.S.O. for his leadership and one Petty Officer earned the D.S.M. for sticking to his gun despite multiple wounds.

Cummings left Mona Isle on 29 July 1940 and went ashore at Victory I. He was soon posted to the Fleet Air Arm Base, Deadalus, remaining there for the rest of the war.

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

Sold for
£400

Starting price
£170