1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; War Medal 1939-45 - all unnamed as awarded housed in an attractive wooden frame with condolence award slip and in original box of issue addressed to Mrs M.L. Taylor, San Remo, High Street, St Aubin, Jersey.
Francis Alfred Parlett was born in Portsmouth, Hants in 1902. He enlisted with the Royal Navy on 13.6.1923 and was aboard HMS Esk, an E-Class Destroyer, when she struck a mine and sank on 31.8.1940. He was Missing Presumed Drowned and not among the survivors.
On 31 August Esk had been sailing with fellow vessels Intrepid, Icarus, Ivanhoe and Express to lay a minefield off the Dutch Coast, north of Texel. Express hit a mine in a newly-laid German minefield that night and had her bow blown off. Intrepid closed to assist her and almost immediately struck another mine. Later Esk also hit a mine and some 15 minutes later, there was another explosion amidships which caused Esk to break in two, and she quickly sank. 127 of the ship's company were killed or died at sea while others were later captured by the Germans after drifting at sea.
One of the survivors on board the Esk described the scene:
"The dead and wounded were being hoisted up from the foremost boiler room where the mine had most certainly struck us, also there were a few men lying on deck, wounded and covered in oil fuel who had been rescued from the Express. Boats and carley rafts were being lowered, all around were cries for help from men in the sea, and from the other ships where they were imprisoned from the explosions, three ships mined almost on top of one another seemed incredible."
Medals are in good condition unless otherwise indicated. Sold with copied research.
