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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 598

(x) A Merchant Navy Casualty's group of three awarded to Deck Boy R. R. Cunningham, Merchant Navy, who died in the sinking of the S.S. Deptford on 13 December 1939

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, sold together with a contemporary slip of issue, with handwritten naming as is usual to the Merchant Navy, good very fine (3)

Robert Rudd Cunningham was born in at Cockermouth, Cumberland on 22 September 1920, the son of William and Dorothy Cunningham of 37 Mary Port, Cumberland. Registered at London he had the official number 162524, working with the cargo ship S.S. Deptford. She was a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship, carrying iron ore from Narvik, Norway - Middlesbrough in later 1939.

She was not far out of port Narvik on 13 December 1939, when- at 15:28- she was struck in the foreship by U-38. Deptford sank within 5 minutes, and of her 39 man crew only five survived, being picked up by the Norwegian fishing vessel Firda. Cunningham is commemorated upon the Tower Hill Memorial; sold together with a handwritten biography and blog post on the S.S. Deptford.

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

Sold for
£80

Starting price
£80