welshdoc Posted 12 July , 2008 Share Posted 12 July , 2008 Hi all. just picked up a Distinguished Service medal 1914-15 star trio, to PO RNR A7982 AJ Edwards awarded 1917 on the HM ST Germain of Aux. Partrol. Now Im guessing thats its the Dover patrol but apart from that Ive not managed to find out anything yet apart form it may be a trawler. I dont think its the ship of the same name sunk by an U boat in WW2. So any help wouild be appreciated. I'm about to try the London Gazette again to find his citation if any. Gareth Edit just found his LG entry http://www.londongazette.co.uk/ViewPDF.asp...service%20medal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARABIS Posted 12 July , 2008 Share Posted 12 July , 2008 St Germain was a hired trawler [ex-Golden City] of 1907, 307 tons, 1-6 pdr AA, minesweeper. Admiralty no. 552, Port no. H.929 [Hull]. There is a small mention of St. Germain in The Auxiliary Patrol by E. Keble Chatterton. She picked up the survivors of UB 109 on 29th July 1918 after striking a mine in the English Channel. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 12 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 12 July , 2008 Thanks Dave, no mention of what may have happened in 1917 for a PO to be awarded a DSM? Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARABIS Posted 12 July , 2008 Share Posted 12 July , 2008 Just found this in Swept Channels by Taffrail. On February 26th [1917], the trawler St. Germain, commanded by Lieutenant A. Lansley D.S.C., R.N.R., struck a mine near Folkestone, the foremast being thrown over the side by the explosion. The trawler Strathgairn - Skipper Waters, D.S.C., R.N.R. - at once went to the rescue. Lansley, thinking the St. Germain was about to sink, ordered Waters alongside, and set about transferring his confidential documents, ammunition, depth charges and small moveable gear. Then going below, he examined the damage to his ship. She had struck the mine with her bows, and he found that a great volume of water was pouring in through a large crack in the foremast bulkhead. With three men - William Forsyth, the second hand; Charles M. Foot, an engineman; and Albert Edwards, a leading seaman R.N.R. - Lansley determined to make every effort to save his ship. Having stopped up the crack in the bulkhead as best they could with mats, canvas and bedding, a tow-rope was passed to the Strathgairn, and Waters was told to tow the St. Germain stern first towards the shore. The fires of the damaged ship had been extinguished by the inflow of water, but sufficient steam remained in the boiler for the pump to be kept going. The weather became bad on the way in towards the shore. However, Lansley managed to keep the water from rising, and was able to beach his vessel at Folkestone. For their share in preserving the St. Germain, Forsyth, Foot and Edwards each received the D.S.M. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 12 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 12 July , 2008 David, you are a star, thats absolutely brilliant, its so nice to know why a chap won his medal. Many thanks for your time and effort. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARABIS Posted 12 July , 2008 Share Posted 12 July , 2008 You're welcome Gareth, that's a nice medal group you have there. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence Munson Posted 12 July , 2008 Share Posted 12 July , 2008 Hello - To add for interest - a pre-war photo of S.T. Golden City Cheers, Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 13 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 13 July , 2008 Thanks Terry for the pic, its hard to beleive that a trawler can survive hitting a mine and a battleship or 3 at Galliploi were sunk by same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historydavid Posted 13 July , 2008 Share Posted 13 July , 2008 Doc, it is just a question of where the mine made contact. In the bows or stern you had a good chance of surviving; quite a number of ships had their bows or stern blown off completely and made it back to port. In the enginerom area and you were likey to go down very quickly, because this section was usually very large and open. Best wishes David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James A Pratt III Posted 13 July , 2008 Share Posted 13 July , 2008 A problem with many of the RN's pre-dreadnought battleships is they had centerline bulkheads in the Engine rooms. A mine or torpedo hit on one of them caused the ship to capsize. See Warship 2005 for more info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 14 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 14 July , 2008 Thanks guys interesting points, I must admit that I thought there was so much explosive in a mine (we used to have one on our seafront and it looked very large) that it would blow a small ship to bits. Just proves how little I know. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 14 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 14 July , 2008 This detail obtained from FLeetwood Online Archive of Trawlers Golden City H929 Later 1914 Saint Germain 1920 Registered as H125 1920 Was sold and renamed Terra Nova 1923 Was eenamed the Santa Abdelata Constructed 1907 by Mackie & Thomson in Glasgow Yard No. 339 Gross Tons 307 Length 140.7 ft Beam 23 ft Depth 11.9 ft Date Scrapped 1970 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davetodd Posted 14 July , 2008 Share Posted 14 July , 2008 This detail obtained from FLeetwood Online Archive of Trawlers Golden City H929 Later 1914 Saint Germain 1920 Registered as H125 1920 Was sold and renamed Terra Nova 1923 Was eenamed the Santa Abdelata Constructed 1907 by Mackie & Thomson in Glasgow Yard No. 339 Gross Tons 307 Length 140.7 ft Beam 23 ft Depth 11.9 ft Date Scrapped 1970 A little bit more:- Her Official Number was 124737 and during WW1 her Admiralty Number was 552.Served from Feb.1915 to 1919 as Minesweeper. 1920 went to Portugal. Best Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 14 July , 2008 Share Posted 14 July , 2008 The mine that damaged St. Germain was laid by the German submarine UC 16 on February 26, 1917. Yes, the trawler hit it the day it was laid. Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshdoc Posted 17 July , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2008 There was one casualty Name: KIRK, GEORGE HERBERT Initials: G H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Deck Hand Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve Unit Text: H.M. Trawler "St. Germain." Date of Death: 26/02/1917 Service No: 5843DA Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 26. Memorial: CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL Bit unlucky hitting a day old mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mickbeth Posted 7 April , 2014 Share Posted 7 April , 2014 Hi, my name is Michelle and I can across this post. I am trying to Find any further records of this salvage, as lieut. A.I.Lansley D.S.C, R.N.R was my great grandfather. If anyone could help that would be greatly appreciated. It means the world to me. Kind Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 8 April , 2014 Share Posted 8 April , 2014 Michelle, Sir Reginald Bacon's "The Dover Patrol" (he was Admiral Commanding Dover) has an account of Lansley's action. You could get it from a library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g6yfb Posted 12 April , 2014 Share Posted 12 April , 2014 Michelle, try the following link and do a search on your great grandfathers name, you should find him listed 1st January to 31st January 1916 as awrads for DSC. http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishLGDecorationszzDSC.htm regards Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tony Babb Posted 31 May , 2014 Share Posted 31 May , 2014 Hi, my name is Michelle and I can across this post. I am trying to Find any further records of this salvage, as lieut. A.I.Lansley D.S.C, R.N.R was my great grandfather. If anyone could help that would be greatly appreciated. It means the world to me. Kind Regards Hi Michelle. After the St. Germain was beached it was salvaged by RFA Racer. My son's Great Grandfather John Foulkes was a salvage rigger on the Racer and left us documents, one of which shows that the Germain was the 2nd ship that they salvaged after HMS Racer had been converted to a salvage ship, If you want to get details of the Racer you can look on the Historical RFA website link below http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-racer He did not leave any pictures or words of this actual salvage unfortunately. I hope you find this of interest. Regards Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Melanie Lee{Kirk} Posted 21 February , 2017 Share Posted 21 February , 2017 On 17/07/2008 at 19:13, welshdoc said: There was one casualty Name: KIRK, GEORGE HERBERT Initials: G H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Deck Hand Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve Unit Text: H.M. Trawler "St. Germain." Date of Death: 26/02/1917 Service No: 5843DA Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: 26. Memorial: CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL Bit unlucky hitting a day old mine. This is the bit I am interested George Herbert Kirk was my Great Grandfather some records show 25/02/1916? He was a Wood Box Maker from Grimsby before being called up for the reserves. He left behind his wife Gertrude who was a fishing net braider, 3 daughters and 2 sons, one of which was my grandfather Albert Edward Kirk who was an Engine stoker on fishing boats ended up in Hull and had my dad Captain Raymond Kirk {Merchant Navy}. just thought I would post make George seem more real rather than just a casualty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 I recently found an original book The Dover Patrol 1915-17 this book has A Lansley stamped in the front cover and is signed by him under his name, the most interesting thing there is an original photo of the trawler showing the damage from the mine, this was in the book, where it describes hitting the mine. How this book which was his, found its way to New-Zealand would be an interesting story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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