WW1 killed in action DSO medal Royal Navy group Lt Commander Warner HMS Torrent

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WW1 killed in action DSO medal Royal Navy group Lt Commander Warner HMS Torrent:
$4015.80

For sale is aGreat War destroyer captain’s D.S.O. group of four awarded to Lieutenant-Commander F. A. Warner, Royal Navy, who was killed when his command H.M.S. Torrent was mined in the North Sea

Medal group consisting of: DistinguishedService Order (G.V.R.); 1914-15 Star named LT. COMMR. F. A. WARNER, R.N.);British War and Victory Medals named LT./ COMMR. F. A. Warner. R.N. Swing mounted, they come with copies of service records, newspaper clipping and research.

Ex. Jason Pilalas Collection

D.S.O. London Gazette 23/5/1917: ‘In recognition ofservices in the Destroyer Patrol Flotillas, Armed Boarding Steamers, etc.,during the period ended 30 September 1916.’

Lt Commander Frederick Archibald Warner was born in Couva, Trinidad on31/12/1884. He entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in Britannia in May 1900.Advanced to Sub. Lieutenant in February 1905 and to Lieutenant in June 1907, hereceived his first command, Torpedo Boat 25, in August 1911.

At the outbreak of the Great War, he was transferred to commandH.M.S. Coquette (destroyer) from August 1914 – February 1916. She was stationedwith the Nore Local Flotilla based at Sheerness. He was fortunate in thatshortly after he left her, she struck a mine on 7/3/1916 and was sunk with allhands.

Promoted to Lt Commander in June 1915, he took command ofHMS Myngs (destroyer) from March 1916 until February 1917. She was part of theDover Patrol covering the channel with the 10th Flotilla.

On 25/4/1916, the flotilla engaged German battlecruisersreturning from their bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but the destroyerdid not record any hits. By the end of the year, British naval traffic in theStrait of Dover had increased dramatically and the flotilla was heavilyinvolved in escorting convoys across to France as threats from Germansubmarines also increased.

Taking command of HMS Torrent(destroyer) from 11/2/1917.

On the night of 4/5June 1917 the Dover Patrol carried out a bombardment of the German-held port ofOstend using the monitors Erebus and Terror, with the Harwich force sailing tocover the operation. Torrent was one of a group of four light cruisers and ninedestroyers patrolling off the Thornton Bank. At about 02:30 hr the groupencountered two German torpedo boats S15 and S20. The two torpedo boatsretreated under heavy fire towards Zeebrugge, and Torrent, along with Satyr,Sharpshooter and Taurus were ordered to pursue. S20 was immobilised by a hit inthe boiler room and was sunk, while S15, although heavily damaged, was able toescape, with the British destroyers turning back to avoid fire from shorebatteries.

At about 02:00 hr on 23/12/1917, the Torrent, Surprise,Tornado and Radiant ran into a German minefield, with Torrent striking the firstmine. Surprise and Tornado went to rescue Torrent's crew, but Torrent struck asecond mine and quickly sank. In an attempt to rescue survivors, Surprise andTornado also struck mines and sank. Only Radiant was undamaged and picked upthe survivors from the three ships. In total, 12 officers and 240 other rankswere killed from the three ships. Only three of Torrent's crew survived, with68 killed, Lt Commander Warner being one of the killed.

Married in early 1917, his only child Sir Frederick"Fred" Archibald Warner was born in May 1918.

His brother Captain Thornton Sparr Warner, 11th Battalion GloucestershireRegiment was killed in action on the Somme 23/7/1916.

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