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Auction: 23112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 600

The campaign group of four awarded to Stoker Petty Officer E. W. Small, Royal Navy, who took part in the gallant Defence of Hong Kong whilst serving in H.M.S. Thracian; she put up an impressive fight which eventually saw her crew landed as Bluejackets before the eventual surrender, with Small becoming a Prisoner of War

1939-45 Star; Pacific Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.VI.R, 1st type (KX.80043. E. W. Small. S.P.O. H.M.S. Defiance), very fine (4)

Eric William Small, was born at Winscombe, Somerset on 8 June 1910 and was serving in the Hong Station at the outbreak of war with Japan on 8 December 1941.

The only naval vessels present to repel the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong were Thracian, together with a large river gunboat Cicala, two smaller ones, and the squadron of six M.T.B.s and a small number of armed merchant vessels (auxiliary patrol vessels). All other destroyers had been sent to Singapore on 8 December 1941.

On 10 December, she took part in a raid on Japanese crafts attempting to land on Lamma Island. The Royal Marines attached to the depot ship Tamar were deployed to assist the land forces, with their commanding officer instructing his men to defend the island "…to the last man and last round.' Thracian evacuated some of the 5/7th Battalion, Rajput Rifles from the Devil's Peak area while shells and mortars fell all around them and transported them to Aberdeen, on the south of the island. Meanwhile the Naval Dockyard was under constant bombardment but was not evacuated. The old wooden depot ship Tamar was taken out of the basin and sunk at a buoy in the harbour on 12 December. The Japanese attempted to negotiate a surrender on 13 December and again four days later, but both were firmly refused. A serious attempt to cross the harbour was made by the Japanese on the night of 15 December.

Thracian sailed from Aberdeen into Kowloon Bay, shielded by the darkness against the enemy guns, to intercept junks full of enemy troops. The need to keep close to the shore entailed some risks and she was inadvertently run aground, which caused damage and flooding to her forward compartments. However, she got herself off, then destroyed the junks and was able to return to Aberdeen, where efforts were made by the dockyard staff to dock her there the next evening. The following afternoon an accurate high level bombing attack was made on the Aberdeen dockyard, starting big fires and many casualties, with one near miss slightly damaging Thracian further.

When it was found that the damage caused by grounding could not be repaired, the decision was made to strip Thracian of all armament and early on 17 December she was undocked and steamed round to Repulse Bay, where she was run aground and abandoned on Round Island. The crew continued to defend the colony as infantry and would suffer heavy losses in the battle and subsequent captivity. On 24 December 1941, Japanese troops began salvaging the ship, and she was later captured by the Imperial Japanese Army, being used as Patrol Boat No. 101 later in the Second World War. The Hong Kong Garrison surrendered on 25 December 1941, with Small being interned at Nagoya Camp until being liberated on 2 September 1945.


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Sold for
£320

Starting price
£170