The Second War group of three awarded to Acting Sub-Lieutenant R. C. A. Barnes, Royal Naval...

The Second War group of three awarded to Acting Sub-Lieutenant R. C. A. Barnes, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who killed in action in the ill-fated raid on Dieppe in August 1942 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45, with original Admiralty condolence slip in the name of ‘Temporary Acting Sub-Lieutenant Raymond Charles Arthur Barnes, R.N.V.R.’ and in their O.H.M.S. card forwarding box addressed to his father, extremely fine (3) £400-£500 --- Importation Duty This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK --- --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, June 2002. Raymond Charles Arthur Barnes was born in Romford, Essex in April 1921, the son of Charles Frederick and Ellen Matilda Barnes, who later moved to Banstead, Surrey. At the time of his death in action at Dieppe on 19 August 1942, aged 21, Barnes was borne on the books of the shore establishment H.M.S. Tormentor at Warsash, Hampshire, the Combined Operations principal landing craft training base. Although the exact circumstances of his fate are unknown, he was most likely killed manning a landing craft. Two fellow officers from Tormentor were killed on the same occasion, Temporary Lieutenant Edgar Hunt, R.N.V.R. and Lieutenant-Commander Charles Corke, R.N.V.R. The fate of Corke is described by Hilary St. George Saunders in Combined Operations: ‘Six landing craft made a landing in broad daylight 25 minutes late on one of the two chosen beaches near Berneval, and a seventh at the other. The six, which through the mischance of the naval action, arrived late, came under heavy fire. They were led by Lieutenant-Commander C. L. Corke, R.N.V.R., covered by the fire of Motor Launch 346, which subsequently engaged and drove ashore a small armed German tanker, the “Franz.” Lieutenant-Commander Corke was soon mortally wounded, his coxswain killed and the wheel taken by a private soldier. The troops were landed from the craft, which was in a sinking condition. Lieutenant-Commander Corke gave orders for the wounded to be transferred to another craft; but he, a dying man, would endanger no man's life, and so he remained where he was alone and went down with his ship … ’ In common with Lieutenant-Commander C. L. Corke, Barnes has no known grave. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.