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Auction: 26001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 212

The well-documented Second World War D.S.C. group of eight awarded to Commander E. A. Stocker, Royal Navy, a career naval officer whose Midshipman's Journal charts the postwar tour of the Battleship New Zealand around her namesake nation with Lord Jellicoe aboard, providing a wealth of information and original documentation

Decorated for his services early in the war on H.M.S. Vanessa, he spent a crucial seven months in 1943 as Executive Officer at Bonaventure, the main training base and depot ship for the X-craft midget submarines which successfully put the Tirpitz out of action for six months

Distinguished Service Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse of the Cross engraved '1940', hallmarks for London 1939, and additionally engraved 'Lt. Cdr. Eric A Stocker. R.N.', 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Italy Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Jubilee 1935; Coronation 1937, sold together with the recipient's original Midshipman's Log Book containing additional named documentation, good very fine (8)

D.S.C. London Gazette 11 July 1940: 'For services in the Royal Navy since the outbreak of war aboard H.M.S. Vanessa.'

Eric Alonzo Stocker was born at St. Austell, Cornwall on 16 April 1900, the son of Frederick and Bertha Stocker. Appointed Midshipman with New Zealand on 13 August 1919 while the ship was stationed at Sydney he was soon to join the homecoming tour she made to her namesake. They arrived at Wellington on 20 August 1919, Stocker's Midshipman's Diary refers stating:

'Went to stations for entering harbour, mine being at main derrick. We stationed in slowly & when we rounded the point into the harbour itself the whole town was in sight. When we got closer we saw & heard the crowds of children who were there to greet us.'

They had trouble berthing by 10:00 Jellicoe went ashore to greet the Governor-General who then came aboard in turn, after which it was the turn of the public, Stocker continues:

'At 2p.m. the ship was thrown up [SIC] to visitors of whom we had 9840 aboard. Pandemonium reigned till 5 p.m. when we started getting the visitors away.'

Further visits included Port Lyttleton and Auckland where Stocker attended a military ball and found himself joining the Ship's Captain for a game of golf against some of the ladies of the town. The visit continued, stopping at Suva in Fiji, Apia in Samoa before steaming on to Canada and later the United States. The journal only ends in January 1921 at Madras in India, it was at this time that Stocker received his commission.

Commissioned Sub. Lieutenant on 15 January 1921 he attended a short course of instruction in August 1923 and up until the Second World War spent most of his time on submarines; H24, December 1924 to May 1926, L16 May 1926 to July 1926, HMS Hood, July 1926 to December 1928, K26, May 1927 to June 1928, followed by his first command posting to H24, December 1928 to August 1929.

Posted away from submarines he spent from December 1929 until March 1933 on Argus, Marlborough, Tribune, and Ross. Posted back to submarines and command appointments, firstly L69, April 1932 to May 1933, Douglas May to June 1933, Rover in China from November 1933 to August 1936, Seawolf from March to July 1937, Dolphin from January to October 1938 and lastly Dwarf October 1938 to February 1939

H.M.S. Vanessa.

In February 1940, Lieutenant Commander Stocker was given command of Vanessa performing convoy escort and patrol duties.

She and the destroyer Gallant were escorting Convoy C.W. 6 in the English Channel on 13 July 1940 when it came under German air attack shortly after leaving Dover. A bomb dropped by a Junkers Ju 87 landed in the water six yards astern of Vanessa knocked her propellers out of service. The destroyer Griffin towed her to port where she underwent repairs at Chatham Dockyard which were not completed until 4 November 1940.

Vanessa was out of action for four months and after successful repair trials she resumed her convoy protection duty role.

On 19 June 1941 Vanessa was escorting convoy F.S. 18 off Cromer when she was attacked by an enemy aircraft. A direct hit was sustained on the sheer strake at the fore end of No. 1 boiler room, and. the bomb finally burst on the ship's bottom in N. 1 boiler room. The outer bottom plating was blown upwards over the whole length of No. 1 boiler room and 9 ft. forward of it, between 2nd longitudinal starboard and bilge keel port, and a hole 6 ft. by 9 ft. was made in the outer bottom. Severe damage was caused to the surrounding structure. The upper deck plating was split and blown upwards from near the after end of No. 2 boiler room to the bulkhead at the fore end of No. 2 oil fuel tank and the E, R. A's and C.P.0's messes. Immediate flooding of No.1 and 2 boiler rooms and No.2 oil fuel tank took place. No, 1 boiler room was wrecked, No. 1 boiler exploded, and No. 2 boiler was severely damaged. The forward funnel was blown overboard and the after funnel was wrecked.

Vanessa immobilised and out of action and was taken in tow to Yarmouth for substantial repairs. In the meantime, Stocker left Vanessa to take up his next appointment in the West African port of Freetown at the depot ship Philoctetes from July 1941 to February 1943.

H.M.S. Bonaventure & 'Operation Source'

On 13 May 1943 Stocker, with his lengthy submarine background, was given a vital role and posted as the Executive Officer to Bonaventure at Loch Striven which become the main training base and depot ship for the X craft midget submarines. During August 1943 training and trials were carried out using the midget submarines in preparation for Operation Source, an attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord, Norway.

On 11 September 1943, the six X-Craft set out from Bonaventure with the intention of delivering a knock-out blow to the Tirpitz, which had just returned to her safe haven after a successful raid on Spitsbergen, Norway. Despite a number of the X craft being lost, the operation was a success, and the Tirpitz was put out of action for the next six months.

On 28 February 1944 Stocker was given command of H.M.S. Cutty Sark spending the next 4 months on her before being given his final wartime command from June 1944 until 28 August 1945 on H.M.S. Hastings. He had in April 1945 been given his final promotion to Commander. Hastings had been laid up briefly at Hartlepool before re-fitting as a training target for the 3rd Submarine Squadron in Holy Loch from October 1944 until February 1946.
Retiring from the Royal Navy Stocker returned to his native Cornwall dying at Truro on 14 December 1969.

Sold together with copied research including census data and service papers as well as the recipient's original Midshipman's journal whilst he was serving with H.M.S. New Zealand and H.M.S. Malaya covering the period 1919 to 1921, containing a further archive comprising newspaper clippings, photographs, invitations and his original commission certificate and Board of Enquiry reports following the action on 19 June 1941.

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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,400

Starting price
£800