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Auction: 24003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 147

Sold by Order of a Direct Descendent

The 1944 M.B.E. group of six awarded to Commissioned Engineer A. Dunn, Royal Navy, who was later Chief Engineer aboard Discovery II during her 1952 Antarctic Shelf research voyage

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, 2nd Type, Military Division, Member's (M.B.E.) breast Badge, silver; British War and Victory Medals (M.7024 A. Dunn. Act. E.R.A. 4. R.N.); 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted as worn, edge bruise and contact marks to Great War pair, very fine (6)

M.B.E. London Gazette 1 January 1944.

Arthur Dunn was born at Darlington, Durham on 31 January 1898 and entered the Royal Navy on 2 January 1914 with the rank of Boy Artificer. He was to serve ashore for much of the Great War, reaching his majority with the Shore Establishment Indus on 1 January 1918. Having done so he remained ashore until October when he joined the battleship Repulse; whilst aboard her he saw the surrender and scuttling of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow.

Further advanced E.R.A. Class III with the depot ship Pandora on 5 October 1921 and E.R.A. Class II with the light cruiser Birmingham on 5 October 1925, it was in this latter rank that Dunn saw submarine service with H48 in 1928 before going ashore to Pembroke where he was appointed Warrant Officer on 1 April 1929.

Promoted Commissioned Engineer on 1 July 1939, a testimonial written by his son outlines his story during the war stating:

'Arthur Dunn was awarded this medal [M.B.E.] for his service on Atlantic convoys escort duties during the Battle of the Atlantic. He must have made at least ten crossings with vital supplies from the USA and Canada which were essential for the survival of the UK during WWII. His ship was HMS BURHAM, formerly USS Orlick; it was one of 50 ancient US ships given to Britain by the US in return for the concession for the US to use UK naval bases in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Only two of the 50 ships were actually commissioned by the RN; Arthur Dunn was Chief Engineer and kept it going despite its age and unreliability.'

Retiring with the rank of Lieutenant on 26 November 1948 he continued to work as a naval engineer, being Chief Engineer aboard the RRS Discovery in 1952. During this time she was involved in an Oceanographical cruise of the Antarctic; sold together with London Gazette extracts, service papers and two booklets produced by the Dunn family including information on the recipient's service history provided by his son.

For the medals of his son, Lieutenant-Colonel D. Dunn, please see Lot 137.

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