BWM and VM Pair to Lieutenant Harold Northcote Sumner, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve ( RNVR )

British War Medal, 1914 - 1918 (Lieut. H.N. Sumner. R.N.V.R.).
Allied Victory Medal, 1914 - 1919 (Lieut. H.N. Sumner. R.N.V.R.).
officer’s style victory medal - high gilt with chocolaty bronze showing through in places. Mounted as worn.

Medals confirmed in ADM 171/91 p.253 (PRO). Sub-Lieut.(tempy.), RNVR, 29 December, 1915. Lieut. RNVR (tempy.) 29 December, 1916. Served in Motor Launch (ML) 371 with effect from 3 October, 1916 (In Command). 580 Motor Launches saw service in the First World War. The type he commanded was built by Elco in 1915. It was of 37 tons, 86 x 12ft, carried 1 x 13pdr as its main armament, and had a crew of 9 - 10. The class had 29 war losses. Of the remaining 551 boats, a total of 52 survived until 1921 and the last six were sold 1926 - 27, the last in service being ML 339. Many found a last resting place as houseboats moored by the banks of estuaries. The ML’s main claim to fame was the part played by them in the Zeebrugge raid on St George’s Day, 1918.

The medals will be supplied with a copy of his short service record and six modern photographic copies of different MLs. There is an energy of these craft which foreshadowed the torpedo boat commands of WW2. Demobilised in March 1919. Address given as 19 West Park Road, Kew Gardens, London. He also was In Command at some point of ML 389.

Code: 53468