Description
Africa General Service Medal, GV, bar 1920, Frank Henry Lancashire, Stoker 1st Class, HMS Odin. A rare clasp for the final fight with the Mad Mullah. Jersey man born in St Helier.
A rare Somaliland 1920 to the Sloop HMS Odin and unusual issue to a Jersey Man, Only 147 clasps were issued to the ship for their services, which included 36 awards to locally recruited Seedies.
Notably after the war was won, the Odin was the ship was sailed for the Seychelles to exile the leader of Somaliland, Sultan Mahamoud Ali Shire, following the final fall of the Dervish Movement.
There was just 3 ships present an Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal carrying the RAF Z Force and the 2 small Gunboat Sloops the Odin and Clio, who saw good service particularly being sent on land as a Naval Party to destroy and occupy Dervish forts to great effect.
Officially impressed: “F. H. Lancashire. Sto. 1. H.M.S. Odin.”
Confirmed on the medal roll, issued to him on HMS Enchantress 15th Nov 1921.
Earned the 1914-15 Star Trio for his wartime service on HMS Dryad.
With copy service papers.
Frank Henry Lancashire according to his papers was born on 19th May 1892 in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.
Local church records recall he was actually born in St Helier on 15th May 1890 and baptised on 1st June 1890.
The son of a Mariner, Francis John Lancashire and Eliza Jane Pargiter, from an old Jersey family.
Possibly lied about his age possibly as he was a convicted criminal and local menace, spending a number of occasions in failed reformation at the local “Industrial School for Boys” from ages 13-17 although they never seemed to have worked.
Born and raised in St Helier, he was still there as a 20 year old Driver living with his family at 2 Tranquil Place in St Helier.
He had also worked as a Basket Maker, before joining up as a Stoker on 9th Dec 1913.
This was not quite his full history as he was known around St Helier for the time he embezzled his employer in a serious case of fraud being quite the rascal and was locked up for 6 weeks, before that he had been sent to an Industrial School for “Incorrigible behaviour” and since leaving and being reformed he was caught 4 times for stealing, but “he had been so bad at his last place of work that his employer could not help prosecuting him, he was so badly behaved that when finally tried in court the baillif suggested a charge as a “Lunatic”, the full amusing story is at the bottom of the writeup below the Somaliland section.
The military seems to have straightened him out, as he received nothing but “V.G.” Very Good Conduct ratings until discharge.
Joining up just in time for the war coming the next year he saw the following postings during that time and through to 1920:
HMS Victory II, 9th Dec 1913 – 27th June 1914
HMS Dryad, 28th June 1914 – 17th August 1914
HMS Victory II, 18th August 1914 – 13th Sept 1914
HMS Dryad, 14th September 1914 – 3rd May 1918, promoted Stoker 1st Class on board on 9th Dec 1914.
HMS Coromorant (Odin), 1st August 1919 – 30th August 1919
HMS Odin, 1st September 1919 – 24th September 1920.
After that he saw some unusual service on the Royal Yacht HMS Enchantress from 1st December 1912 – 31st March 1922.
2 years later he was invalided out of service at Haslar Hospital on 2nd July 1924.
During World War 1, he spent almost all of the war on board HMS Dryad, a Dryad-class Torpedo Gunboat.
During the war the Dryad was converted to a Minesweeper and was operating in the North Sea from the port of Lowestoft.
Following his leaving the navy he returned back to his home of Jersey, and later died on 26th December 1940 in Bailiwick of Jersey, being buried at St Helier in Mont a L’Abbe Old Cemetery.
SOMALILAND 1920
Having been a thorn in the side of the British for decades they were finally successful in the “Somaliland 1920” campaign in driving out Muhammad Ibn Abdallah Hassan, better known as the “Mad Mullah” out of the region, he died later that year of influenza having fled the area to the Somali Region of Ethiopia following the successes of the British.
The British Empire had the advantage finally as they know had the technological advantage of the Royal Air Force’s “Z Force” who were shipped over on Royal Navy aircraft carriers allowing them to co-ordinate air and land attacks on the forts and strongholds of the Dervish forces.
Only 3 ships of the Royal Navy were deployed for this campaign, earning in total just 452 clasps to the medal, these consisted of 149 to Ark Royal Aircraft Carrier 147 to the Sloops of Clio and 156 to Odin, including 30 and 36 respectively to the locally recruited Seedies who worked on the these 2 ships.
Frank was employed as a Stoker 1st Class on HMS Odin from August 1919 to 24th September 1920.
During this period the ship was under the command of Captain Vivian R. Brandon.
Notably during the campaign some of the men from the Gunboat Sloop HMS Odin went ashore to take part in the fighting and as a Naval Brigade the men saw various duties including as Lewis Gun and Demolition parties.
Lt Charles V. Jack of the Odin gained recognition for leading a demolition party to destroy a Dervish fort.
“A naval contingent from the Odin and Clio had captured the last Dervish fort in the north, that at Galbaribur, but not without a gallant defence being offered by the garrison, all of whom faced high explosive shell, machine-gun fire, and Mills bombs, until not one defender was left alive. This, too, despite the fact that the fort and the surrounding huts had been bombed by the Air Force prior to the naval attack.”
The end of the war and accompanying the Sultan of Somaliland personally to his 7 year exile at Seychelles:
“On May 3, 1920, on board HMS Odin, Sultan Shire was delivered to British authorities in the Seychelles from their colony in Bombay, India. At the time of his arrival on the Seychelles archipelago, a number of other prominent anti-imperialist leaders were also exiled there, including Sa’ad Zaghloul Pasha, the former Prime Minister of Egypt, with whom Sultan Shire would soon develop a rapport.”
TEENAGE FRANK A SCOURGE ON ST HELIER
The pre Navy years of Frank can be summarised in the following article from the Jersey Times, 27th July 1907:
“CRIMINAL.
YOUTH SENTENCED TO SIX WEEKS FOR EMBEZZLEMENT.
Frank Henry Lancashire, 17, arrested by Centenier F. Amy, of St. Helier, and presented before Justice by the Constable of that parish, was charged by H.M. Solicitor-General (Acting Attorney-General), with having embezzled certain sums of money to the prejudice of his employer, Mr. R. Cory.
Advocate Ogier appeared for the prisoner, and entered a plea of guilty.
The Acting Attorney-General said the difficulty in the case was that the prisoner was formerly at the Industrial School. He was admitted there in 1903 when 13 years of age. His conduct there was fairly good, but he was mentally weak.
The Bailiff: The Industrial School is not a reformatory; why was he sent there?
Counsel: He was sent there for discipline, being incorrigible. He was not sent there after conviction. Since his discharge from the School he had been in four situations, but he had pilfered in each, though the persons had refused to prosecute. He had, however, been so bad at his last place that his employer, Mr. Cory, could not help prosecuting him. The difficulty was that he was in his 18th year, and was too old to send him to a Reformatory. Even now the lad did not realise his position.
The Bailiff: If those persons who refused to prosecute had done so then, the lad would have been sent to a Reformatory. This kind of thing, he added, always resulted when such leniency was made. Now he would have to take the consequences of his acts.
The Attorney-General: Mr. Gavey, the Headmaster of the School, said the lad could never realise the consequence of his acts, and that his mental perception was numbed. In the circumstances he could not do less than ask for six weeks’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Advocate Ogier, for the defence, asked for the benefit of the First Offender’s Act. This was the first time he had appeared in Court.
The Bailiff: Yet he has been in four situations and robbed in each.
Counsel: But it is said he is not responsible for his actions.
The Bailiff: Do you mean the lad should be otherwise treated — as a lunatic?
Counsel: I believe it would be better if he were medically examined as to his mental condition.
The Bailiff: Have you considered the circumstances? Do you act on behalf of society or on his behalf?
Counsel: In his interest certainly.
The Court concurred with the Public Prosecutor’s conclusions.
The Bailiff, in sentencing prisoner, said he was surprised to see a scholar of the Industrial School appear before the Court on such a charge.
Lancashire here broke down.
The Bailiff: Do you realise your position?
Prisoner: Yes, Sir.
The Bailiff: What made you do it?
Prisoner: I spent the money.
The Bailiff: On what?
Prisoner: Cigarettes, Sir.
The Bailiff: What did you earn?
Prisoner: 6s. a week, Sir.
The Bailiff: Do you promise not to do it again?
Prisoner: Yes, Sir.”
