1939-45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45 - unnamed as awarded, with condolence award slip, in original box of issue addressed to Mr J, Hardcastle, 25c Peabody Buildings, Dufferin Street, Barbican, London.
C/JX206686 AB James Hardcastle RN Died when HMS Barham was torpedoed by U-Boat 25.11.1941
According to the 1939 Register Hardcastle was living at the above address and was a Mechanical Engineer (Heavy Worker)
On 25 November 1941, HMS Barham was operating as part of a larger squadron in the Mediterranean off the coast of Egypt, near Sidi Barrani. The squadron’s mission was to intercept and disrupt Axis naval movements, a task fraught with danger due to the ever-present threat of German U-boats in the region.
The German submarine U-331, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen, managed a daring approach towards the British squadron. Capitalizing on the element of surprise and the challenging conditions that favored a stealthy approach.
Initially, the presence of U-331 was detected by one of the destroyers present in the convoy, but the warnings were disregarded. Thus, the submarine was now in a prime position to attack.
The leading battleship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, passed by U-331, but Barham was close behind. The U-Boat commander ordered a salvo of four torpedoes to be launched directly at HMS Barham at a range of 375 metres (490 ft).
Three torpedoes struck Barham amidship with devastating effect. Witnesses and subsequent reports describe a single violent explosion that rocked the vessel and she rapidly began capsizing to her port side. Just four minutes after, a fire on board ignited the ships magazine, culminating in a massive detonation. 862 Officers and ratings were lost from a compliment of approximately 1200.
Medals all in good, original condition unless otherwise specified.
Sold with some copied research
