Description

Offered is a 1914- 15 Star, impressed named 175125 G. SMITH. O.O. R.N., British War and Victory medals, impressed name 175125 G. SMITH. C.P.O. R.N., Royal Navy Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (E.VII.) impressed named 175125 GEORGE SMITH. P.O.1 CL. H.M.S. VERNON. Court mounted for display. Comes with copies service record and medal roll.

Chief Petty Officer George Smith was born on the 7/6/1877 at Overton, Hampshire. A grocers assistant by trade, he enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy 2^nd Class on the 19^th July 1893.

He served on a variety of H.M. ship and shore bases including: St Vincent (trainings ship for boys), Inflexible (Iron clad battleship), Excellent (shore base, gunnery school), Resolution ( Royal Sovereign-class pre-dreadnought battleship), Alexandra (central battery ironclad), Volage (Volage-class corvette), Victory 1 (accounts base), Vernon (torpedo training school), Pembroke I (Accommodation and supply centre), Duke of Wellington (Harbour based flag ship hulk), Canopus (Mediterranean fleet pr dreadnought battleship), Fire Queen (special purpose steam yacht), Cormorant (receiving ship Malta), Eclipse (Eclipse-class protected cruiser).

WW1: H.M.S. Hecla (a torpedo boat carrier/depot ship) 10/8/1914 – 26/2/1919

H.M.S. Hecla was a Depot ship at Buncrana September 1917 to December 1918 she was the Depot Ship for the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla and Auxiliary Patrol, prior to that Depot ship based at Chatham to the 7th Submarine flotilla.

C.P.O Smith spent about 4 years at H.M.S. Vernon the torpedo school as a leading seaman, P.O & C.P.O so it it highly probable that he was a torpedo instructor/expert hence the posting to H.M.S. Hecla.

26/2/1919 discharged to shore pension as a Chief Petty Officer.

Promoted Petty Officer in 1903 and granted L.S.&G.C. 1910, which was the last year of the reign of King Edward VII.