.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Approximately 20 Soviet Red Stars to Allied personnel for the 1939-45 War, six of them to men of the Merchant Navy; sold with three original Membership Booklets appertaining to the same.
B.E.M. London Gazette 1.1.1943. Recommendation states 'Chief Officer Prance and Steward Robert Quick were shipmates in a vessel which made three voyages to Russia in the Empire Byron. On her last voyage she was subjected to constant air and sea attack. Despite his previous experiences on the North Russian route, Steward Quick re-engaged in this vessel for a further voyage and faced unflinchingly all dangers and hazards'.
Soviet Red Star London Gazette 17.11.1942 'In recognition of gallantry in the convoying of ships to northern ports of the Soviet Union'.
Chief Steward Robert Quick, B.E.M., was born in St. Ives, Cornwall in May 1881 and was thus aged 61 years when he signed on for service with the S.S. Empire Byron in the ill-fated Arctic Convoy P.Q. 17. Carrying 3,500 tons of military stores, the Empire Byron sailed with the convoy from Reykjavik on 27.6.1942, and following receipt of the notorious signal to "Scatter" on 4 July, altered course by 20 degrees to veer away from the main body.
At 0827 hours on the 5th, Lieutenant-Commander Bielfeld of the U-703 put a torpedo into the Empire Byron's main Engine Room, causing a 'Between decks explosion which trapped a dozen Gunners below'. The crew abandoned ship and under the orders of Captain Wharton concentrated in two boats, one of which had an engine. The Officers discarded uniform items indicating their ranks as the Germans would be sure to seek out the Captain and no doubt take him prisoner aboard the U-Boat. Among those compelled to discard such insignia was John Rimington, a Captain in the R.E.M.E., who was to have advised the Russians on their new Churchill tanks. He remained, however, resplendent in a pure white duffel coat. A few minutes later Empire Byron's boiler exploded, tearing a gaping hole in the hull. Water cascaded in and the ship went to the bottom with the loss of 18 Gunners and Ratings. Lieutenant-Commander Bielfeld ordered U-703 to surface and closed on the two lifeboats:
'A tall blond Officer', accompanied by a German Seaman in 'polished leggings toting a machine-gun', descended on to the U-Boat's deck, and began berating the British Seamen who were struggling with unfamiliar oars. As they neared the Submarine, the German Officer asked, "Why are you fighting? You aren't Communists are you? So why do you risk your lives to take tanks to the Bolsheviks? Who is your Captain?" Nobody stirred or answered, and according to David Irving's The Destruction of Convoy P.Q. 17, the blond 'German's eyes fell on the rather distinguished-looking Chief Steward [Quick], but he hastily said he was not the Captain; finally, the Officer saw Captain Rimington, and told him to step on to the submarine's deck; the Army Captain's protests went unheeded, and he was taken down below. The U-Boat Commander then returned to the lifeboats an Engineer his men had fished out of the sea. At the same time, the lifeboats were handed tins of biscuits and apple-juice, and a piece of sausage. "How far is the nearest land?" asked Captain Wharton. "About 250 miles" answered the blond Officer. A klaxon sounded within the submarine, and she submerged taking the captured Briton with them'.
Thus cast adrift, 61 year old Quick subsequently endured the following ordeal as detailed by Captain Wharton in his report:
'We rowed to the S.E. throughout the afternoon of the 6th until the men became exhausted and then at about 1900 hours we took the other lifeboat in tow and started the motor, steered S.E. and making about four knots. A little before 1900 we saw a submarine on the surface astern signalling to a single aircraft which was circling overhead, but neither of them took any notice of us. Our compass was of little use to us, but we had the sun throughout the 24 hours and were able to steer by it and make a good course. We sighted one German plane on the 7th and also a Steamer which was on fire and abandoned, but sighted nothing further until 10th when we sighted the Corvette Dianella steaming towards us. Her crow's nest look-out had sighted our red sails and we were picked up about 1320 on 10th in position 73.48 N. 41.21 E., having been in the boats for five and a half days, and covering 250 miles towards the land. We remained on board the Daniella and landed at Archangel on 16 July'.
B.E.M. London Gazette 1.1.1943. Recommendation states 'Chief Officer Prance and Steward Robert Quick were shipmates in a vessel which made three voyages to Russia in the Empire Byron. On her last voyage she was subjected to constant air and sea attack. Despite his previous experiences on the North Russian route, Steward Quick re-engaged in this vessel for a further voyage and faced unflinchingly all dangers and hazards'.
Soviet Red Star London Gazette 17.11.1942 'In recognition of gallantry in the convoying of ships to northern ports of the Soviet Union'.
Chief Steward Robert Quick, B.E.M., was born in St. Ives, Cornwall in May 1881 and was thus aged 61 years when he signed on for service with the S.S. Empire Byron in the ill-fated Arctic Convoy P.Q. 17. Carrying 3,500 tons of military stores, the Empire Byron sailed with the convoy from Reykjavik on 27.6.1942, and following receipt of the notorious signal to "Scatter" on 4 July, altered course by 20 degrees to veer away from the main body.
At 0827 hours on the 5th, Lieutenant-Commander Bielfeld of the U-703 put a torpedo into the Empire Byron's main Engine Room, causing a 'Between decks explosion which trapped a dozen Gunners below'. The crew abandoned ship and under the orders of Captain Wharton concentrated in two boats, one of which had an engine. The Officers discarded uniform items indicating their ranks as the Germans would be sure to seek out the Captain and no doubt take him prisoner aboard the U-Boat. Among those compelled to discard such insignia was John Rimington, a Captain in the R.E.M.E., who was to have advised the Russians on their new Churchill tanks. He remained, however, resplendent in a pure white duffel coat. A few minutes later Empire Byron's boiler exploded, tearing a gaping hole in the hull. Water cascaded in and the ship went to the bottom with the loss of 18 Gunners and Ratings. Lieutenant-Commander Bielfeld ordered U-703 to surface and closed on the two lifeboats:
'A tall blond Officer', accompanied by a German Seaman in 'polished leggings toting a machine-gun', descended on to the U-Boat's deck, and began berating the British Seamen who were struggling with unfamiliar oars. As they neared the Submarine, the German Officer asked, "Why are you fighting? You aren't Communists are you? So why do you risk your lives to take tanks to the Bolsheviks? Who is your Captain?" Nobody stirred or answered, and according to David Irving's The Destruction of Convoy P.Q. 17, the blond 'German's eyes fell on the rather distinguished-looking Chief Steward [Quick], but he hastily said he was not the Captain; finally, the Officer saw Captain Rimington, and told him to step on to the submarine's deck; the Army Captain's protests went unheeded, and he was taken down below. The U-Boat Commander then returned to the lifeboats an Engineer his men had fished out of the sea. At the same time, the lifeboats were handed tins of biscuits and apple-juice, and a piece of sausage. "How far is the nearest land?" asked Captain Wharton. "About 250 miles" answered the blond Officer. A klaxon sounded within the submarine, and she submerged taking the captured Briton with them'.
Thus cast adrift, 61 year old Quick subsequently endured the following ordeal as detailed by Captain Wharton in his report:
'We rowed to the S.E. throughout the afternoon of the 6th until the men became exhausted and then at about 1900 hours we took the other lifeboat in tow and started the motor, steered S.E. and making about four knots. A little before 1900 we saw a submarine on the surface astern signalling to a single aircraft which was circling overhead, but neither of them took any notice of us. Our compass was of little use to us, but we had the sun throughout the 24 hours and were able to steer by it and make a good course. We sighted one German plane on the 7th and also a Steamer which was on fire and abandoned, but sighted nothing further until 10th when we sighted the Corvette Dianella steaming towards us. Her crow's nest look-out had sighted our red sails and we were picked up about 1320 on 10th in position 73.48 N. 41.21 E., having been in the boats for five and a half days, and covering 250 miles towards the land. We remained on board the Daniella and landed at Archangel on 16 July'.