The First doubts arose when, much further down river, I happened to glance astern and saw giant

The First doubts arose when, much further down river, I happened to glance astern and saw giant spouts of water gushing skywards and getting even closer to where I was standing. The doubts intensified when I heard the whine of large projectiles overhead and the distinct sound of bullets ricocheting from the superstructure around us. All of this gave me an uneasy feeling that I would soon be told it was time to leave the protection of the gun turret. On every run I made between the turret and the shell locker I had the distinct feeling of being completely at the mercy of our Chinese friends who could clearly be seen on the banks.When suddenly there were no more shells to lift and load, I had a silly notion that we had emptied the after magazine but there appeared through the smoke the figure of Chief Gunnery Instructor Robinson, who ordered two of us to get below at all speed. I only discovered that my companion was Boy Seaman Benny Bound when we landed in a tangled heap on the deck of the magazine, the two of us having been thrown from the ladder following a tremendous explosion above us.We immediately started loading shells on to the hoist, and in the confines of the magazine it was thankfully impossible to see what was going on above, and that the ship was to make another attempt to haul Amethyst off the mud bank where she lay grounded. I remember very little about the remainder of the action except that it seemed to go on forever and it was obvious the ship could not survive many more direct hits.'Boy 1st Class Terry Hodgins recalls events aboard H.M.S. Consort as she came under heavy fire in attempting to rescue the Amethyst on 20 April 1949; he was stationed in Y-Gun.The Naval General Service Medal awarded to Boy 1st Class T. J. Hodgins, Royal Navy, whose memories of H.M.S. Consort in action on 20 April 1949 are extensively quoted in 'Loyal and Steadfast - The Story of H.M.S. Consort'Naval General Service 1915-62, 2 clasps, Malaya, Yangtze (SMX. 818272 T. J. Hodgins, Boy 1, R.N.), an official late claim of the 1960s, together with the recipient's H.M. Armed Forces Veteran's lapel badge, extremely fine. Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.