HMS Highflyer and the Halifax Explosion 6 Dec 1917 and Sgt William Henry Middleton PLY/14254 RMLI

[Grandrew2]

I am researching the Naval Career of Sgt William Middleton RMLI and in particular his career on HMS Highflyer on which he served between 13 April 1917 to 26 Nov 1918. He had been promoted to Sgt RMLI in June 1916 on leaving HMS Roxborough (where he served from 4 June 1912 to 11 June 1916). At the time he joined Highflyer was being refitted in Gibraltar and there had largely been a change of crew as 320 ratings joined then. I believe 70 of these were Marines. In May she set sail for Plymouth to start work on Convoy escort duties between the UK and Canada. In July 1917 she escorted the first Convoy to leave Canada.

William was Mentioned in Despatches in LG 21 June 1918 Page 7303 and I believe this was for good work done in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion on the 6^th December 1917. I have been able to identify four from Highflyer mentioned in that despatch.

Lt Commander Jehoiada Jeaffreson Brewer

Petty Officer James Clements O.N. 229164

Ord Seamen Charles Lambert  O.N. J32946

And Sgt William Henry Middleton RMLI PLY/14254

Brewer’s Officer papers have a note “He displayed conspicuous ability and energy on the occasion of the Halifax explosion, and it was primarily due to him (the Comdr. having been killed) that I was able to sail with a convoy only five days after the explosion with extemporised fittings.

And similarly, PO J Clements papers note “commended for attempting to save life and alleviate suffering on the occasion of the explosion at Halifax (NS) on 6 Dec 1917”

Unfortunately, Lambert & Middleton’s papers have no such explanation merely noting the date of the LG 21 June 1918. Am I safe in assuming their MID was for the same action?

Sgt Middleton is the only Marine who was MID from the High flyer on the 21 June 1918. To get an MID for the Halifax explosion with over 400 onboard it must have been something special like Brewer & Clements. If anyone has any information on what the Marines did on the Highflyer and Middleton in particular I would love to hear about it.

 

Many thanks

 

Andrew Grantham

 

Edited 1 April by Grandrew2
missing year

[horatio2]

It is worth noting that the dozens ofMiDs in June 1918were “for services in the Patrol Cruisers … during the period 1st January to 31st December, 1917”. Sgt MIDDLETON was in HIGHFLYER from 13 April 1917. In principle, his mention could have been for services before or after the Halifax explosion but, noting HIGHFLYER’s employment (days on convoy duty and in harbour) in that period, I do incline to the notion that he was mentioned for his actions on 6-10 December 1917, before she sailed from Halifax on 11 December. Sgt MIDDLETON was probably the senior RMLI man on the complement and he would have taken charge of perhaps 40-50 RMLI Other Ranks in the clean-up.

The possibility remains, however, that his mention was for some eight months cumulative performance of his duties, noting that his Ability as a sergeant was invariably assessed as Superior.

Further information on Sgt MIDDLETON is to be found in a file of papers in his name (his Attestation Pack), which is held in the archive of the Fleet Air Arm Museum (National Museum of the Royal Navy). It is possible that material on Halifax and his MiD is included.

Edited 1 April by horatio2

[Grandrew2]

Thank you Horatio2 for your kind and very helpful reply.

 I had no idea there might be an Attestation Pack at Fleet Air Arm Museum I will give them a ring and see how I might access that. I thought the papers in Class ADM 188 at the National Archives was as good as it gets. Most of what I know about Halifax 6 Dec 1917 I have gleaned online and from previous threads on GWF although I noted some are over 10 years old now. I hope the following will be useful to someone in the future

 

I found the London Gazette for the Award of Albert Medals on 26 March 1918. Only Triggs, the Commander and William Becker got the Albert medal from the crew of the Highflyer’s whaler and the citation for the award states that there were seven in the whaler:-

 

On the 6th December, 1917, the French steamer " Mont Blanc," with a cargo of high explosives, and the Norwegian steamer " Imo," were in collision in Halifax Harbour. Fire broke out on the '' Mont Blanc'' immediately after the collision, and the flames very quickly rose to a height of over 100 feet. The crew abandoned their ship and pulled towards the shore. 

The Captain of H.M.S. "Highflyer," which was about a mile away, at once sent off a boat to see if anything could -be done to prevent loss of life, and Commander Triggs, volunteering for this duty, immediately got into the ship's whaler and pulled to the scene. A tug and the steamboat of H.M.C.S. "Niobe" were seen going there at the same time. 

Commander Triggs boarded the tug, and finding it was impossible to do anything for the " Mont Blanc," decided to endeavour to get the " I m o " away, giving directions accordingly to the tug. He returned to the whaler, and was pulling towards the bows of the " Imo," which was about 300yards from the "Mont Blanc," to pass a line from her •to the: tug, when a tremendous explosion occurred. 

Of the seven people in the whaler, one, Able Seaman Becker, -was rescued alive on the Dartmouth shore, whither he had swum; the remainder perished. 

It is clear that after communication with the tug, Commander Triggs and the rest of the boat's crew were fully aware of the desperate nature of the work they were engaged in, and that by their devotion to duty they sacrificed their lives in the endeavour to save the lives of others. 

 

Other accounts I have seen suggest 10 in the whaler and this seems to be corroborated by the CWGC which shows 9 casualties for the Highflyer on the 6 Nov 1917

 

James Dowling Able Seaman 222641

Samuel David Prewer Able Seaman 236276

Lieut James ,Rayward Ruffles

Leading Seaman S Claude Eggleton Rushen 234241

Commander Tom Kenneth Triggs

Edwin Benjamin Rogers Stoker 1^st Class K/21331

Robert Jones Engine Room Artificer 1^st Class270699

Francis Kelly Stoker 1^st Class K/21331

Joseph Murphy Able Seaman J/2808

 

Plus Able Seaman Becker, J5841 the only survivor from the whaler. 

 

This was not the only act of Gallantry that day by the crew of the Highflyer in a separate incident described in the same Gazette of 26^th March 1918. The explosion set the tug Musquash on fire. 

 

Leading Seaman Thomas N. Davis, O.N. J.I8334 (Dev.), and 

Able Seaman Robert Stones, O.N. J.29998 (Dev.). 

These two managed to get all the ammunition over board and lived to tell the tale. They too were awarded Albert Medals. 

 

There was a total of six Albert Medals - one in Gold, (to Triggs), awarded as a result of the disaster. The other two went to members of the crew of HMCS “Niobe” and were awarded nearly a year later in the LG 18 Feb 1919.

 

Mr Albert Charles Mattison, late Acting Boatswain, Royal Canadian Navy, and Stoker Petty Officer Edward S.(sic) Beard, late Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve.

 

Mattison’s Albert Medal was sold by DNW Medal Auctions in 1911 and hammered at £19,000. 

 

 

 

[horatio2]

1 hour ago, Grandrew2 said:

Of the seven people in the whaler, one, Able Seaman Becker, -was rescued alive on the Dartmouth shore, whither he had swum; the remainder perished. 

I agree that the Albert Medal citation has it wrong: the whaler was carrying ten people. The list in the HIGHFLYER ship's log confirms this The normal crew for a whaler would be five oarsmen and a coxswain, all seamen ratings. Those named include a Leading Seaman (nominally the coxswain?) and four Able Seamen. One of the two officers probably acted as coxswain and three engineering rating passengers, an ERA and two stokers, provided technical skills for the task ahead.

Thank you for posting the Albert Medal details.