World War One’s first naval VC headlines the sale of a major collection, while a British MM awarded to an American OSS operative impresses
PILALAS COLLECTION FETCHES £1.8M SO FAR
The first naval VC of World War One and a bomb disposal GC were among were big sellers the sale of the Jason Pilalas Collection in July
Fetching £240,000, the first Royal Navy VC of World War One was the undeniable highpoint at the sale of an impressive collection of Royal Navy medals and other items at Noonans.
The medal was awarded to Captain Henry Ritchie, who was born in Edinburgh on January 29, 1876. He was the executive officer of the battleship HMS Goliath when World War One erupted in August 1914, and the ship was sent to East Africa to destroy the German cruiser Königsberg.
In November, with the commerce raider trapped in the Rufiji Delta, Ritchie was given command of the captured cable ship Duplex. Sailing to Dar-esSalaam, where German ships had been keeping Königsberg supplied, and with his battleship offshore, Ritchie prepared to enter the harbour. However, the Duplex was unreliable, so on November 28 instead took Goliath’s steam pinnace inside, alongside HMS Fox’s cutter to plant demolition charges on enemy ships in the harbour.
