Description

WW1 and WW2 British Royal Navy medal group to Petty Officer Ernest Howard, who served during the bombardments of Turkish forts at the Dardanelles on the H.M.S. Vengeance (February 1915 – July 1915) and he was a survivor when H.M.S. King Edward VII was mined and sank in 1916.

1914 – 15 Star, impressed named J.16890. E.C.HOWARD. A.B.R.N.; British War and Victory Medals, impressed named J16890 E.C.HOWARD. A.B.R.N.; British War and Defence Medals 1939 – 45, these last two unnamed as issued and Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (K.G.V, 1st version) impressed named J16890 E.C.HOWARD. P.O.H.M.S.VERNON.

The medals are original period swing mounted and come with copy service records, medal roll and research for HMS Vengeance’s Gallipoli service.

Ernest Charles Howard was born on 14/7/1894 at Egham, Surrey. Prior to enlisting he was employed as a ‘market gardener’. He enlisted on the 14/7/1912 as a Boy II class and served on various ships and shore establishments including: H.M.S IMPLACIBLE, H.M.S. VENGANCE 9/1/1913 –29/7/1915. H.M.S KING EDWARD VII (Pre-Dreadnought Battleship) 25/11/1915 – 6/1/1916 (Sunk) H.M.S. DOLPHIN 24/1/1916 – 6/8/1916 (submarine depot ship). H.M.S. TITANIA 7/8/1916 -16/4/1917. (submarine depot ship). H.M.S. DOLPHINE 17/4/1917 – 13/12/1917. H.M.S. AMBROSE 14/12/1917 – 26/11/1918 (submarine depot ship). Long Service medal 5/11/1927. Continued to serve on submarine depot ships -1931 and pensioned 13/7/1934. The 1939 census records him living at the Geological Society Burlington House, City of Westminster, London with his wife and occupation P.O. During WW2, he was recalled 31/8/1939 as a Petty Officer (Pensioner) 18/11/1940 (temporary gunner) still serving 18/6/1945. He died in Hampshire, April 1984. H.M.S. Vengeance was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy and a member of the Canopus class. She covered the landing of the Plymouth Marine Battalion at Ostend, Belgium, on 25/8/1914. For this operation, she and the other five ships of the squadron, along with six destroyers, escorted the troopships. On 22/1/915, Vengeance was selected to take part in the Dardanelles campaign and arrived at the Dardanelles in February 1915. She participated in the opening bombardment of the Ottoman Turkish entrance forts on 18 February and 19 February 1915. H.M.S Vengeance’s Gallipoli campaign makes for stirring reading, naval gunfire to suppress shore fortifications, receiving return fire from the shore batteries, H.M.S. Vengeance saw a VC Action, when a detachment from Vengeance landed and came under fire from Ottoman infantry on the far side of Kumkale. Lieutenant-Commander Eric Gascoigne Robinson, who led Vengeance’s demolition party, went forward by himself to destroy an Ottoman anti-aircraft gun, then led his detachment to destroy a second anti-aircraft gun and the one remaining gun at the Orkanie battery. The ship supported the landing on the 25th April and beyond. A fine fighting navy group.