Description

SUBMARINES MEDITERRANEAN AGEAN WW1 ROYAL NAVY MEDALS BOATSWAIN BIRCHER

Offered is a set of 4 medals to Boatswain Frederick Bircher, who began his naval career as a boy sailor, serving during the first world war in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea, as well as postwar aboard submarines, seeing further service during the second world war

1914 – 15 Star, impressed named J.33721. F.A. BIRCHER. BOY 1. R.N.; British War and Victory Medals (1914 – 18), impressed named J.33721 F.A. BIRCHER. A.B. R.N.; Royal Navy long Service and Good Conduct Medal (G.V.) impressed named J.33721 F.A. BIRCHER P.O. H.M.S. DOLPHIN. Medals service polished, being swing mounted as worn with original frayed ribbons & comes with copies of service papers, medal rolls and 1939 census.

Boatswain Frederick Arthur Bircher was born on the 20/8/1898 at Gloucester. He was working as a labourer in a paper mill when he enlisted as a Boy 2^nd Class into the Royal Navy on the 15/1/1915. He served on a variety of H.M. ships and bases including: Impregnable (training school) 15/1/1915 – 27/4/1915. Pembroke I 28/5/1915 – 31/5/1915. Forward (scout cruiser) 1/6/1915 – 20/7/1918 serving in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. Vivid I 21/7/1918 – 30/10/1918. Defiance (Royal Navy’s torpedo school) 31/10/18 – 31/3/1919.

Post war he continued to serve on Vivid I, Crescent, Hood, Defiance, Columbine & wwarded L.S. & G.C. Medal August 1931.

Submarine service included Dolphin (depot ship for subs) serving on H27, H24, H52, S.C, R10, Adamant, L52, Thames, Greenwich (Depot ship) and pensioned to shore 19/8/1938.

The 1939 census records him as a R.N. pensioner working as a ‘tester electrical systems’ in Coventry.

Recalled for WW2 he served aboard Drake 1 4/12/1939, Defiance 9/12/1939 – 25/2/1940, Britannia (Royal Naval College) & Vernon. Temporary Commissioned Boatswain 23/4/1940 Controlled Mining (C/M Devonport). His file is marked ‘to reassessment 14/9/1946’. He died on the 22/12/1981 at Cubbington, Warwickshire.