Offered is a group of 7 medals to Stoker Petty Officer Joseph Clements, who served for over 27 years in the Royal navy, including the bombardment of the Dardanelles, battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland, before switching to submarines, serving for many years in the China Station on subs
Offered is a 1914 - 15 Star, impressed named K.16368, J.H. CLEMENTS. STO.2. R.N.; british War and Victory Medals (1914 - 18), impressed named K.16368 J.H. CLEMENTS. STO.1. R.N.; 1939 - 45 Star, Defence & War Medals (1939 -45) WW2 medals un named as issued; Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (G.V.) impressed named K.16368 J.H. CLEMENTS. S.P.O. DOLPHIN. Court mounted as worn comes with copies of service records WW1 & 2, medal rolls, census 1911 and picture.
Stoker Petty Officer Joseph Henry Clements was born on the 8/3/1894 in Hackney, London. The 1911 census records him working as a printer, however when he enlisted his trade was recorded as a chair maker. He enlisted into the Royal Navy on the 30/9/1912 as a Stoker 2nd Class. During his service he served on a variety of H.M. ship and shore bases including H.M.S. Indomitable (Invincible-class battlecruiser) 15/2/1913 – 18/3/1918. In August 1914 she was part of the pursuit of Goeben and Breslau and on the 3/11/1914, the Indomitable and Indefatigable bombarded the Turkish forts in the Dardanells. During the twenty-minute bombardment, a single shell struck the magazine of the fort at Sedd el Bahr at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, displacing 10 guns and killing 86 Turkish soldiers.
Battle of Dogger Bank: During the Battle, Indomitable fired 134 shells at Blücher before she capsized and sank and at the end Indomitable was ordered to tow Lion back to port as one of her engines had been knocked out, the other was failing and she'd been hulled a number of times beneath the waterline.
Jutland: During the Battle she engaged German cruisers, avoided a torpedo strike and also engaged the German battlecruisers Derfflinger hitting her three times and Seydlitz once.
Submarine service: His service papers initially only record the depot ships and it is unknown is he served on the ship or submarines attached.
H.M.S. Dolphine (Submarine depot ship) 19/3/1918 – 28/5/1918. Adamant (Submarine depot ship, Eastern Mediterranean Squadron) 19/3/1918 – 16/7/1919.
Subs in Hong Kong
Post war he continued service in submarines. Dolphine 17/7/1919 – 23/10/19. Titania (Submarine depot ship China Station Hong Kong) 24/10/1919 – 18/8/1920. Ambrose (Submarine depot ship) but was serving on the L5, 19/8/1920 – 10/2/1921. Titania 11/2/1921 – 18/7/1921.
HMS Titania and HMS Ambrose were the two ships commissioned at Chatham as depot ships for the 4th Submarine Flotilla, China. They left Devonport in October 1919 arrived in Hong Kong 14/4/1920. The submarines of the 4th Flotilla that accompanied HMS Titania and HMS Ambrose were all of the L class, these were L2, L5, L6, L8, L19, L20 and L33. Tamar (R.N. base ship Hong Kong) 19/7/21 – 7/9/21. Ambrose (Depot ship 4th Submarine Flotilla Hong Kong) serving on the L4 8/9/1921 – 19/12/1921.
Dolphine, Lycia (Submarine depot ship) serving on the L25 (submarine mine layer). L6, L27, L23, Oberon (Submarine) L56, L71. Ceres (C-class light cruiser), discharged to shore pensioned 29/9/1934.
Recalled for WW2 on the 6/9/1939, his service record shows Pembroke 2 (accounting base at Chatham for small ships etc). Pembroke 4 (Accounting base at Nore for small ships etc) 1/1/1941 -? He discharging from HMS Europa (Naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations) 1/9/1945. He died 23/7/1972 in Poplar, London.
Note the 1939 Star which would signify that he spent at least 6 months in areas of active operations. Promoted to S.P.O 1/121924 and awarded L.S & G.C Medal 19/10/1927.
