WW1 U-BOAT ATTACK ROYAL NAVY KILLED IN ACTION MEDALS 75516 J PALMER HMS VERNON

Offered is a Royal Navy, killed in action medal group to Chief Petty Officer J. Palmer, who was killed when his ship, H.M.S. Genista was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-57, 26th february 1916.

1914 – 15 Star, impressed named 75516 J.PALMER. C P.O. R.N.; British War and Victory Medals, impressed named 175516 J.PALMER. C.P.O. R.N.; Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Edward VII), impressed named 175516 JOSEPH PALMER. P.O. 1CL, H.M.S. VERNON. Period swing mounted; miniature 1914 – 15 medal trio, swing mounted; brass Princess Mary Tin with original Christmas card and original period print Princess Mary and corresponding envelope; original Admiralty medal award document dated 30/11/1923. Comes with copy’s service records, medal roll, Commonwealth War Graves certificates and newspaper articles.

Chief Petty Officer Joseph Palmer was born on the 2nd June 1878 at Barking, Essex. He enlisted into the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on the 12/8/1893 and progressed through the ranks to Petty Officer 1st Class by October 1903. He served on a variety of ship and shore stations including the following H.M. Ships: Vincent (which was the home of the Royal Navy section of the Royal Naval Reserve's London centre), Australia, Inflexible, Mohawk, Rambler (survey vessel), Excellent (shore establishment) Duke of Wellington (floating hulk used as barracks for cadets) Prince George, Britannia (training ship), Racer, Tamar (Hong Kong shore base) Widgeon, Bonaventure, Prince of Wales, and Vernon (Shore establishment).

HMS Hindustan (London-class pre-dreadnought battleship) 15/5/1912 – 7/9/1915. She arrived at Malta on 27 November 1912 and subsequently participated in a blockade by an international force of Montenegro and in an occupation of Scutari.

H.M.S. Genista 21/5/1916 – 23/10/1916. Arabis-class minesweeping sloop launched on 26 February 1916 and sunk by the German submarine U-57, 23 October 1916. Of the 85 Officers and men, only 12 survived. P.O Palmer went down with the ship and has no grave but the sea. He is commemorated at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

From the Admiralty: On October 23, the Queenstown sloop Genista was on patrol some 120 miles west from Cape Clear. At 4.15 p.m. she had met the Leyland S.S. Alexandrian, homeward bound, and was escorting her in. At about 6.20 p.m. the Genista was suddenly struck by a torpedo on the port side, shattering the ship fore and aft and a second hit her about the main engine room a few moments later. There was just time to get the four Carley rafts afloat, when the ship broke in two. The Alexandrian turned and a torpedo fired at her just missed astern. She sent out a signal at 6.30 p.m. and Admiral Bayly at once ordered the sloops Camellia and Zinnia to proceed to the spot.

The Zinnia arrived at 10.30 p.m. but saw nothing. Admiral Bayly, knowing the difficulty sloops had in picking up a position, put to sea himself in the Adventure at 10.30 p.m. and arrived on the spot at 10 a.m. October 24. A strong south-south-east wind was blowing with a tumbling sea. At about 10.45 a.m. a Carley raft was seen and 12 survivors of the Genista were picked up from four rafts. After 16 hours exposure they were all cheery and wanted only sleep and warmth. The remainder, including the captain, Lieutenant-Commander John White, went down in the ship.