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Auction: 26003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 173

(x) The campaign group of three awarded to Midshipman C. D. E. Badcock, Royal Navy, son of Paymaster Captain K. E. Badcock, Royal Navy who was among those who lost their lives when the cruiser H.M.S. Neptune was mined off Tripoli in December 1941

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, with related Admiralty condolence slip in the name of 'Midshipman Charles David Edgar Badcock, R.N.', and a letter of condolence to his mother from an officer serving in H.M.S. Jackal, dated 25 April 1942, extremely fine (3)

Charles David Edgar Badcock was born in 1923 the son of Paymaster Captain K. E. Badcock, Royal Navy. Appointed Midshipman in 1941 and assigned to the Neptune. In October and November 1941 he was temporarily detached to join the destroyer Jackal for training but then rejoined the Neptune.

Neptune led Force K, a raiding squadron of cruisers in 1941. Their task was to intercept and destroy German and Italian convoys en route to Libya. The convoys were supplying Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa with troops and equipment. Force K was sent out on 18 December 1941, to intercept a convoy bound for Tripoli, right after the brief fleet engagement at sunset known as First Battle of Sirte.

On the night of 19-20 December, Neptune, leading the line, struck two mines, part of an Italian minefield laid by an Italian cruiser force in June 1941. The first struck the anti-mine screen, causing no damage. The second struck the bow hull. The other cruisers present, Aurora and Penelope, also struck mines. While reversing out of the minefield, Neptune struck a third mine, which took off her propellers and left her dead in the water. Aurora was unable to render assistance as she was already down to 10 knots (19 km/h) and needed to turn back to Malta. Penelope was also unable to assist.

The destroyers Kandahar and Lively were sent into the minefield to attempt a tow. The former struck a mine and began drifting. Neptune then signalled for Lively to keep clear. Kandahar was later evacuated and scuttled with a torpedo by the destroyer Jaguar, to prevent her capture.

Neptune hit a fourth mine and quickly capsized, killing 737 crew members. Initially some 30 others survived the sinking, but they also died of wounds and exposure in the subsequent days. As a result, only one was still alive when their Carley float was picked up five days later by the Italian torpedo boat Generale Achille Papa. The sole survivor, Norman Walton, spent 15 months in an Italian prisoner of war camp. In 1991, Walton travelled to the small city of Nelson, New Zealand, to unveil a memorial to Neptune. Of the 764 that perished, 150 were New Zealand sailors. Badcock has no known grave and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. The circumstances of Neptune's loss remained classified until after the war. After reading of Badcock's death in the Times, Lieutenant John Boyle of the Jackal wrote to Badcock's mother stating "In the short time he was with us we had all come to love your son as one of the most charming people we had ever met and people like him can very ill be spared."; sold together with copied research.

For family medals, please see Lot 236.

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

Estimate
£200 to £300

Starting price
£160