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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 529

Eight: Yeoman of Signals J. H. Thurston, Royal Navy who was on H.M.S. Shikari when she made seven trips evacuating troops from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo, rescuing over 3000 troops from certain capture; Shikari had the distinction of being the last naval vessel to leave Dunkirk

British War and Victory Medals (70882 J. H. Thurston. Sig. Boy. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R., 2nd issue (J.70882 J. H. Thurston. L. Sig. H.M.S. Dolphin); Dunkirk Medal, partial erasure on unit on first and last, nearly very fine (8)

James Henry Thurston was born in Looe, Cornwall on 21 December 1900 and was a canteen steward's assistant when he joined the Royal Navy as a Boy II on 22 March 1917. He served in several training depots before being sent as a Boy Signaller to H.M.S. Gorgon which was so heavily modified that it missed most of the Great War. Her claim was that it fired the last rounds on the German held coast towards the end of the Great War. Thurston was awarded his L.S. & G.C. on 27 March 1935.

In October 1938 and for the remainder of the Second World War he served on H.M.S. Shikari, an S-class destroyer.

This vessel had been used as a control ship on naval exercises but was withdrawn for service upon the commencement of hostilities in September 1939. Deployed for convoy duties around the coast in the Spring of 1940 she was transferred to Dover command as part of the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo. Deployed on operations here from 28 May 1940 Shikari was notably involved in rescuing French soldiers from the sinking S.S. Prague off Gravelines on 1 June. She gave further aid to her allies over the next few days as the withdrawing French troops who had been guarding the Dunkirk beaches were evacuated. Indeed she was to prove the last of the Royal Navy ships to make the dangerous run in as the German Army closed on the Allied enclave, exchanging fire with shore batteries as she escaped the net.

On the completion of the evacuations Shikari was posted back to convoy duty, being given Atlantic duty in September. Stationed on convoy defence in the North-Western Approaches in March 1943 it was here that the ship hit bad weather and nearly foundered. Shikari survived her ordeal and was later active in Operation Rosegarden while operating out of Iceland. During this time she faced heavy attack from U-boats before returning to the North-Western Approaches. She had served faithfully for much of the war but by this time the S-class was being replaced by the American leased Captain-class vessels. Shikari was withdrawn from Operations in September 1944 and saw only training duty for the rest of the war. She was sold for scrap in November 1945; sold together with copied research and box of issue for Second World War campaign Medals.


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Sold for
£210

Starting price
£70