A fine Great War D.S.M. group of four awarded to Able Seaman N. L. Rae, H.M. Submarine B11,...

A fine Great War D.S.M. group of four awarded to Able Seaman N. L. Rae, H.M. Submarine B11, Royal Navy, for his gallantry during the sinking of the Ottoman battleship Messudiyeh in the Sea of Marmora on 13 December 1914 - all the crew of the B11 were valiant, with her captain, Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook, being awarded the V.C.; her second in command, Lieutenant S. T. Winn, the D.S.O.; and the entire of the rest of the crew the D.S.M. Distinguished Service Medal, G.V.R. (232229 N. L. Rae. A.B., H.M. Submarine. B.11.); 1914-15 Star (232229, N. L. Rae, A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (232229 N. L. Rae. A.B. R.N.) good very fine (4) £3,000-£4,000 --- V.C. London Gazette 22 December 1914: Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook, Royal Navy ‘For most conspicuous bravery on the 13th December 1914, when in command of the Submarine B.11, he entered the Dardanelles, and, notwithstanding the very difficult current, dived his vessel under five rows of mines and torpedoed the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh, which was guarding the mine-field. Lieutenant Holbrook succeeded in bringing the B.11 safely back, although assailed by gun-fire and torpedo boats, having been submerged on one occasion for nine hours.’ D.S.O. London Gazette 22 December 1914: Lieutenant Sydney Thornhill Winn ‘In respect of his services as second in command of Submarine B.11 which torpedoed the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh in the Dardanelles on the 13th December 1914.’ D.S.M. London Gazette 1 January 1915: Able Seaman Norman Lester Rae, O.N., 232229 (in a joint citation with Petty Officer William Charles Milsom, O.N., 182452; Petty Officer Thomas Henry Davey, O.N., 215464; Chief Engine Room Artificer, 2nd Class, John Harding, O.N., 270410; Engine Room Artificer, 1st Class, Anthony Douglas, O.N., 270773; Stoker Petty Officer Patrick McKenna, O.N., 284570; Leading Seaman Alfred Edmund Perry, O.N., 234677; Leading Seaman Wilfrid Charles Mortimer, O.N., 219476; Able Seaman George Read, O.N., 231010; Able Seaman Edward Buckle, O.N., 237869; Able Seaman Tom Blake, O.N., J.1383; Signalman Frederick George Foote, O.N., J.1862; Acting Leading Stoker John Henry Sowdeii, O.N., 308448; and Stoker, 1st Class, Stephen James Lovelady, O.N., K.2240). ‘For service in the Dardanelles in Submarine B.11 on the 13th December 1914.’ Norman Lester Rae was born in Basingstoke on 19 August 1888 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on 15 September 1904. Advanced Able Seaman on 24 April 1908, he served during the Great War in the submarine B.11 under the command of Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook. Following the outbreak of the Great War, H.M. Submarine B.11, a rather primitive vessel launched on 21 February 1906, with a crew of two officer and 14 ratings, was redeployed from Malta to Tenedos, an island just south of the entrance to the Dardanelles, joining the fleet monitoring the entrance of the Dardanelles. When Britain formally declared war on Turkey on 5 November 1914 it was decided to probe the Straits from here, although they were known to be heavily defended by minefields and shore batteries, while fierce currents made them hazardous to navigate. On 13 December 1914 B.11 submerged a mile off Cape Helles at the western end of the Straits and, having dived under five rows of mines through uncharted currents, eventually reached Sari Sighlar Bay, south of Chanak on the Asian shore. Here she discovered the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh at anchor, which was carrying more than 700 men. firing a single torpedo from a distance of 750 metres, the torpedo hit the ship’s stern, causing her to capsize and sink, with the loss of 10 officers and 27 other ranks. Despite very heavy Turkish fire B.11 succeeded in returning safely to Tenedos; the return journey taking over eight hours, with any attempt to use the periscope resulting in heavy fire being brought to bear on her. For their great gallantry in attacking and sinking the Messudiyeh, all the crew of the B.11 were decorated; her captain, Lieutenant N. D. Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross; her second in command, Lieutenant S. T. Winn, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order; and all fourteen ratings (including Rae) were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. They were also awarded £3,500 of prize money, with Holbrook receiving £600; Winn £480; the Petty Officers £240; and the seamen £120. For Rae and the other seamen this was the equivalent of almost three years’ pay. Rae served in various other submarines and shore based establishments for the rest of the War, and was shore demobilised on 27 March 1919. He subsequently emigrated to South Africa. Sold with a presentation pocket watch, by J. W. Benson, London, the outer silver case engraved ‘NLR’ on one side, and ‘Sunk by B11. “Messudiyeh” Dardanelles, Dec. 13. 1914’ on the other; and a hand-written letter written to the recipient from his former skipper, Commander Norman Holbrook, V.C., dated 12 December 1958.