Description

Offered is a WW1 & WW2 medal group to Leading Telegrapher G. Liquorish, Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Reserve, who was serving in H.M.S. Pessac, when it was sunk by enemy aircraft on 29 April 1941

British War and Victory Medals (1914 – 18), both impressed named J. 56349 G. LIQUORISH. O. TEL. R.N.; 1939 – 45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, War Medal (1939 -45) all un named as issued; Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Reserve Medal (G.V.), impressed named J. 56349 (CH. B.21.218.) G. LIQUORISH. L. TEL. R.F.R. Swing mounted for display, comes with copies of service records and medal rolls.

George ‘tasty’ Liquorish was born on the 1/2/190 at Camberwell, London. A small man at 5’2, he was working as a ‘boy’ with a provisions merchant when the joined the Royal Navy on the 1/8/1916 as a Boy 1st Class. He served during the war on the following H.M. ships and shore bases: Impregnable (Boys training ship), Ganges (Boy training ship), H.M.S. duke of Edinburgh (Duke of Edinburgh-class armoured cruiser) 19/2/1917 – 3/8/1918. Pembroke I (accounting base) 4 -29/8/1918. H.M.S. Venerable (depot ship for minesweeper Sloops) serving on the Sefton 30/8/1918 – 24/1/1919.

Post war he continued to serve aboard Pembroke, Calliope (engine room fire in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores in October 1919), Columbine (depot ship for the Tenedos), Dunedin, Victory I, Endeavor, Hecla, Pembroke (Malcolm), Cambria and the Shropshire, finishing at Pembroke I & II, being discharged to shore ‘Time expired’ 31/1/1930.

He immediately joined the Royal Fleet Reserve 1/2/1930. He was mobilised during the Munich Crisis 28/9/1938 – 1/10/1938.

He was again mobilised for WW2 on 27/8/1939 serving aboard H.M.S. Mentor (Lews Castle as accommodation for the air and ground crew of 700 Naval Air Squadron) 1/10/1939 – 10/7/1940. Pembroke I 11/7/1940 – 26/7/1940, Pembroke IV for Pessac (Auxiliary patrol vessel) 27/7/1940 – 29/4/1941 which was damaged by German bombing at Plymouth and sank with heavy bottom damage. The vessel was repaired and refloated in 1942. He further served on the Paris (French Courbet-class battleship which was seized by the British and used as a depot ship) 1/4/1941- 30/4/1941. H.M.S. Lynx (Dover base) 24/5/1941 – 8/11/1941.

The full record of service finishes after this date and the following entries occurs:  12/6/1944 H.M.H.S. Maine (Maine acted as Base Hospital Ship at Alexandria in Egypt and treated a total of 13,514 patients, despite being damaged during air raids on the port. She also participated in the evacuation of Crete, the Siege of Tobruk and the Allied invasion of Sicily).

Released from service at Pembroke on 15/9/1945, he died in June 1984, at Northumberland.

The medal rolls are noted that duplicate medals were issued in 1941, his originals possibly having been lost in the sinking of H.M.S. Pessac.