183
Three: Private J. W. Messam, Royal Marine Light Infantry, who was among those lost when...
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Description
Three: Private J. W. Messam, Royal Marine Light Infantry, who was among those lost when H.M.S. Pathfinder was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914, the first ship ever to be sunk by a self-propelled torpedo fired by a submarine, she blew up and sank within four minutes
1914-15 Star (CH.16830, Pte. J. W. Messam, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (CH.16830 Pte. J. W. Messam. R.M.L.I.) together with Memorial Plaque (John William Messam) in its card envelope, extremely fine (4) £180-£220
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
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John William Messam was born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, on 15 June 1892, and joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry at Deal in October 1910. Embarked in the cruiser H.M.S. Pathfinder in mid-July 1914, he was among those lost when she was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914. An account of her loss appears on the War History Online website:
‘Almost immediately after the torpedo hit, another explosion rocked the ship, this time from the forward magazine. Cordite bags, used as a propellant in the ship’s artillery, had caught fire and caused a chain reaction. The cordite and shells had exploded, destroying the forward half of the ship, and sending the bow plunging into the sea at an angle of almost 45 degrees … Men jumped overboard, while others screamed in agony from burns and injury. The sea was awash with bodies, debris, soot, and blood. 2,000 yards away, a periscope sat bobbing, then slowly moved away … The sinking of the Pathfinder proved once and for all that submarines were a viable weapon of war.’
For U-21’s captain, Otto Hersing, it was a moment for celebration, his achievement gaining him the sobriquet Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe in the German home press - the ‘Destroyer of Warships’: a new and terrible age of naval warfare had indeed begun.
For Aldous Huxley, author of the classic novel Brave New World, there was nothing to celebrate. Quite the contrary. He was residing near St. Abb’s Head at the time of the disaster and wrote to his father, describing how wreckage and human remains from Pathfinder were strewn all over the sea, one grisly discovery being a sailor’s cap still attached to half of its owner’s head.
Aged 19, Messam was the son of John and Alice Jane Messam, of 143 Church Road, Swanscombe, Kent. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
1914-15 Star (CH.16830, Pte. J. W. Messam, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (CH.16830 Pte. J. W. Messam. R.M.L.I.) together with Memorial Plaque (John William Messam) in its card envelope, extremely fine (4) £180-£220
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
John William Messam was born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, on 15 June 1892, and joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry at Deal in October 1910. Embarked in the cruiser H.M.S. Pathfinder in mid-July 1914, he was among those lost when she was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914. An account of her loss appears on the War History Online website:
‘Almost immediately after the torpedo hit, another explosion rocked the ship, this time from the forward magazine. Cordite bags, used as a propellant in the ship’s artillery, had caught fire and caused a chain reaction. The cordite and shells had exploded, destroying the forward half of the ship, and sending the bow plunging into the sea at an angle of almost 45 degrees … Men jumped overboard, while others screamed in agony from burns and injury. The sea was awash with bodies, debris, soot, and blood. 2,000 yards away, a periscope sat bobbing, then slowly moved away … The sinking of the Pathfinder proved once and for all that submarines were a viable weapon of war.’
For U-21’s captain, Otto Hersing, it was a moment for celebration, his achievement gaining him the sobriquet Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe in the German home press - the ‘Destroyer of Warships’: a new and terrible age of naval warfare had indeed begun.
For Aldous Huxley, author of the classic novel Brave New World, there was nothing to celebrate. Quite the contrary. He was residing near St. Abb’s Head at the time of the disaster and wrote to his father, describing how wreckage and human remains from Pathfinder were strewn all over the sea, one grisly discovery being a sailor’s cap still attached to half of its owner’s head.
Aged 19, Messam was the son of John and Alice Jane Messam, of 143 Church Road, Swanscombe, Kent. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
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Three: Private J. W. Messam, Royal Marine Light Infantry, who was among those lost when H.M.S. Pathfinder was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914, the first ship ever to be sunk by a self-propelled torpedo fired by a submarine, she blew up and sank within four minutes
1914-15 Star (CH.16830, Pte. J. W. Messam, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (CH.16830 Pte. J. W. Messam. R.M.L.I.) together with Memorial Plaque (John William Messam) in its card envelope, extremely fine (4) £180-£220
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Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
John William Messam was born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, on 15 June 1892, and joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry at Deal in October 1910. Embarked in the cruiser H.M.S. Pathfinder in mid-July 1914, he was among those lost when she was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914. An account of her loss appears on the War History Online website:
‘Almost immediately after the torpedo hit, another explosion rocked the ship, this time from the forward magazine. Cordite bags, used as a propellant in the ship’s artillery, had caught fire and caused a chain reaction. The cordite and shells had exploded, destroying the forward half of the ship, and sending the bow plunging into the sea at an angle of almost 45 degrees … Men jumped overboard, while others screamed in agony from burns and injury. The sea was awash with bodies, debris, soot, and blood. 2,000 yards away, a periscope sat bobbing, then slowly moved away … The sinking of the Pathfinder proved once and for all that submarines were a viable weapon of war.’
For U-21’s captain, Otto Hersing, it was a moment for celebration, his achievement gaining him the sobriquet Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe in the German home press - the ‘Destroyer of Warships’: a new and terrible age of naval warfare had indeed begun.
For Aldous Huxley, author of the classic novel Brave New World, there was nothing to celebrate. Quite the contrary. He was residing near St. Abb’s Head at the time of the disaster and wrote to his father, describing how wreckage and human remains from Pathfinder were strewn all over the sea, one grisly discovery being a sailor’s cap still attached to half of its owner’s head.
Aged 19, Messam was the son of John and Alice Jane Messam, of 143 Church Road, Swanscombe, Kent. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
1914-15 Star (CH.16830, Pte. J. W. Messam, R.M.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (CH.16830 Pte. J. W. Messam. R.M.L.I.) together with Memorial Plaque (John William Messam) in its card envelope, extremely fine (4) £180-£220
---
Importation Duty
This lot is subject to importation duty of 5% on the hammer price unless exported outside the UK
---
---
John William Messam was born in Shepherd’s Bush, London, on 15 June 1892, and joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry at Deal in October 1910. Embarked in the cruiser H.M.S. Pathfinder in mid-July 1914, he was among those lost when she was torpedoed by the U-21 off St. Abb’s Head in the Firth of Forth on 5 September 1914. An account of her loss appears on the War History Online website:
‘Almost immediately after the torpedo hit, another explosion rocked the ship, this time from the forward magazine. Cordite bags, used as a propellant in the ship’s artillery, had caught fire and caused a chain reaction. The cordite and shells had exploded, destroying the forward half of the ship, and sending the bow plunging into the sea at an angle of almost 45 degrees … Men jumped overboard, while others screamed in agony from burns and injury. The sea was awash with bodies, debris, soot, and blood. 2,000 yards away, a periscope sat bobbing, then slowly moved away … The sinking of the Pathfinder proved once and for all that submarines were a viable weapon of war.’
For U-21’s captain, Otto Hersing, it was a moment for celebration, his achievement gaining him the sobriquet Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe in the German home press - the ‘Destroyer of Warships’: a new and terrible age of naval warfare had indeed begun.
For Aldous Huxley, author of the classic novel Brave New World, there was nothing to celebrate. Quite the contrary. He was residing near St. Abb’s Head at the time of the disaster and wrote to his father, describing how wreckage and human remains from Pathfinder were strewn all over the sea, one grisly discovery being a sailor’s cap still attached to half of its owner’s head.
Aged 19, Messam was the son of John and Alice Jane Messam, of 143 Church Road, Swanscombe, Kent. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.
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