Guest SaltySal Posted 4 July , 2006 Share Posted 4 July , 2006 Hi Everybody. I'm hoping you can help me. My Great Grandfather was Leading Stoker Robert McCoy (actually his real name was McKay but that is another story!) and he was mentioned in dispatches in the London Gazette 5 April 1918 for having the Order of the Rising Sun 8th Class conferred on him by the Emperor of Japan. This was all already known by the family because of course he had the medals - what we don't know, and can't find out, is what he got the medal for! He was also awarded the D.S.M on 14 May 1918, possibly for the same thing but we don't know. I know these others also received the Order of the Rising Sun award on the same day: 4th Class Flt -Surg. Samuel Conner MB RN 7th Class CPO Ernest J Bright; Sto P.O Samuel T Burchill; Act. CPO Robert CB Jenkins; Act. Mech. Charles S Lyne 8th Class AB Samuel Bickley; Sto 1st Cl. William T Taylor; AB Richard C Trevithick; Sig. Thomas W Woolcock; Ldg. Sea. Charles Yendle Is there anybody who can help me out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 4 July , 2006 Share Posted 4 July , 2006 The Allies had an interchange of medals. It was normally the case that the bestowing nation would let the receiving nation decide which one of their people would receive the decorations. I think it's likely that the award of the Order of the Rising Sun , or Kiokujitsasho, was for the same reason that he won the DSM. The Order was established in 1876, in eight classes. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SaltySal Posted 4 July , 2006 Share Posted 4 July , 2006 The Allies had an interchange of medals. It was normally the case that the bestowing nation would let the receiving nation decide which one of their people would receive the decorations. I think it's likely that the award of the Order of the Rising Sun , or Kiokujitsasho, was for the same reason that he won the DSM. The Order was established in 1876, in eight classes. Terry Reeves Many thanks for that. Is there any way I can find out what the DSM was for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted 4 July , 2006 Share Posted 4 July , 2006 I believe I'm correct in saying that the DSM, like the MM for the army, didn't come with citations in the London Gazette so no details there. However, do you know where he was resident at the time? The local newspapers are a very good source for this type of information and would probably carry an item about a local man being awarded a gallantry medal. Hope this helps. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SaltySal Posted 4 July , 2006 Share Posted 4 July , 2006 However, do you know where he was resident at the time? The local newspapers are a very good source for this type of information and would probably carry an item about a local man being awarded a gallantry medal. Hope this helps. Steve I can't believe I didn't think of that! Many thanks I will look into it. I know exactly where he was resident at the time - my grandfather (his son) still lives there! Many thanks once again. This is a fantastic site and I really appreciate the help people have given me on this and my other post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historydavid Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Hello Sal, If your GGF was serving in the Mediterranean in early 1918 it is posible that his medals were awarded for his actions in connection with the sinking of either of these two Japanese merchant ships: 1 On 29 Jan, 1918 the Tosho Maru was sunk by the German submarine UC 54 in the Galite Channel, Tunisia. 2 On 6 Mar, 1918 the Daiten Maru was sunk by the German submarine U 35 somewhere in the Mediterranean. Hope this helps with your search David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 See the thread on DSM citations. Citations may not have been published, but you can find far more for a DSM action than you can for the Military Medal. Per Mare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Is there a citation for the 4th Class to Flt -Surg. Samuel Conner MB RN? It was probably the same incident, checking in ADM 12 would prove or disprove it. But practice weightlifting, ADM 12s are heavy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Also, what ship(s) did your man serve on? That could tell us a lot... Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SaltySal Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Thanks for the DSM Citations link very useful. As to the ships my great grandfather served on during WWI: Essex (Monmouth Class) 1/1/1914 - 28/8/1916 Vivid (Now known as Devonport Naval Base) 24/8/1916 - 15/12/1916 Pembroke (Chatham Shore Base) 15/12/1916 - 15/12/1916 Blenheim (Destroyer Depot Ship) 16/12/1916 - 31/3/1918 I'm guessing the "incident" took place whilst he was on the Blenheim. I really appreciate all your help guys. I have lots more sources to look at now. Just a note of interest - GGF was on the Hood from 24/2/1920 (when it was called the Crescent) until 14/5/1923 as Ch. Stoker and was on the voyage to Rio in Aug. 1922. I have his King Neptune Certificate for his "first crossing of the equator"! (I have his continuous service record from when he joined in 1902 until he finally left in 1933 aged 50, in the RFR! Although for some reason he also went back for a month in Sept. 1938 to Drake (Devonport) - any ideas why?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
per ardua per mare per terram Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Is there a name in brackets after Blenheim? What was he doing form 1/4/18? Crescent was the depot ship for Rosyth, Hood was still working up and not commissioned in Feb 1920. So he was carried on the books of Crescent until Hood was actually commissioned. As far as I know being part of the working up and then commissioning crew meant that you were highly regarded. There is a detailed timeline for on the Hood Association web site, you can look at all the ports he called at on the tour. The Munich Crisis was in September 1938, which caused a general mobilisation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Lowrey Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Wasn't Blenheim and associated destroyers in the Mediterranean the entire war? If so, I think I'm starting to see a trend. Or at least an association: A number of Japanese warships also served in the Med... Best wishes, Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SaltySal Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Is there a name in brackets after Blenheim? What was he doing form 1/4/18? There is a name in brackets - it looks like Ribble. Does this make sense? From 1/4/1918 - 15/12/1918 he was on the Egmont (Ribble) From 16/12/1918 - 10/2/1919 he was on the Vivid (Ribble) From 11/2/1919 - 23/2/1920 he was on the Vivid FROM 24/2/1920 - 31/3/1921 he was on the Crescent I have just found out from my grandfather that GGF was called back into service in 1939 when we went to war again. He was based at Devonport and was involved with assigning new recruits (because he moved my grandfather from a South African shore base posting to a ship serving on the McKay (of all ships!) when he turned up in Plymouth! Between leaving the navy in 1933 and being recalled in 1939 he was the Ch. Stoker (in charge of the boiler) at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth - a job he went back to in 1943 until his retirement. As regards the sinking of the Japanese ships - GF remembers his Dad saying something about going over to the ship and recovering the bodies of the sailors. I'll look into the Tosho Maru and the Daiten Maru. You guys have been brilliant - you know so much stuff! It is fantastic to learn so much about the life of GGF - I only wish I had met him in person, he was a tough (Boxing Champion) little (about 5'3") Irishman who my Dad adored. You have helped me to understand a little about his life - thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kin47 Posted 5 July , 2006 Share Posted 5 July , 2006 Hello RIBBLE was an E class destroyer of 1904. She started in China in 1914, then to the Med for 1914 to 1918. All best don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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