TOPIC:

Picture courtesy of Lockdales

Lusitania interest - the superb and highly interesting group of medals awarded to Commander William Thomas Turner OBE RNR, Captain of the RMS Lusitania when it was sunk by a German Submarine in May 1915.

OBE (silver hallmarked 1917)
Transport Medal with S.Africa 1899-1902 clasp (W T Turner)
1915 Star Trio (Commr W T Turner RNR)
Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society Medal (Wm T Turner 4th off'cr SS City of Chester for Jumping into the Alexandra Dock and Rescuing a Boy Apl 7/1883).

He was born in Liverpool, serving under his father’s command on the Queen of the Nations. While serving on the Cherborg, Turner gained recognition for personally rescuing a man and a boy who had fallen in the water after the Alice Davies was wrecked in a collision with the Cherborg. He later rescued a 14 year old boy from the Alexandra Dock (medal with group), and he received an illuminated scroll from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society for rescuing the crew of the Vague in 1897. During the Boer War he was Chief Officer of the Umbria. He received another Illuminated Scroll from the L.S.& H.S. upon rescuing the crew of the West Point in 1910. In 1915 when the Lusitania was sinking, Turner ordered survivors evacuated, believing himself to be the last person on board he climbed the halyards to keep from being washed away and to remain with his ship till the end. Eventually he clung to a floating wooden oar and then a chair, as the ship sank beneath him. It was only later to his horror that he discovered that some had remained on board and were sucked under when the ship sank completely. After the sinking an Admiralty inquiry in which Winston Churchill was directly involved, exonerated him, however the charges haunted him for the rest of his life. He also survived the sinking of the SS Ivernia in 1916 which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the Greek coast. One of his sons AB Percey Wilfred Turner was lost at sea when M.V.Jedmoor was sunk by U-98 on 16th Sept 1941. VF-GVF (6)

Estimate: 25,000 GBP - 30,000 GBP

I think I have a spare arm and a leg......

Think that the estimated price will be low.....

Mike

Mr djb, Sir ...

Thank you.

What a.man ... Quite a story ... !

His life was exceptional devoted committment and exemplification of another literary sea captain's vigorous assertion "dooty is dooty".

amb

Amb,

I'm sure there is more to the story too. What a fascinating man he must have been.

best wishes
David

Here is a picture of W T Turner, courtesy of Lockdales.