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Conspicuous Gallantry Medal

Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, GVI, 1939-45, Atlantic Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Royal Naval Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct, GVI, with Second award bar, Petty Officer Joseph Dunn, Royal Naval Reserve…

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Origin: United Kingdom
Nearly Extremely Fine

Description

Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, GVI, 1939-45, Atlantic Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Royal Naval Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct, GVI, with Second award bar, Petty Officer Joseph Dunn, Royal Naval Reserve.

 

C.G.M. Officially impressed: “X.19116A J. Dunn, Smn R.N.R.”
R.N.R. LS&GC officially impressed: “19116.A. J. Dunn. P.O. R.N.R.”

 

C.G.M. announced in the London Gazette, 6th September 1940: “For bringing down an enemy aircraft and for returning to a sinking ship and searching in a steam-filled engine room for a missing shipmate.”

 

At the time of his award he was serving as a Gunner on H.M. Trawler, Cape Finisterre, the ship had just been commissioned in Feb 1940 and with a displacement of 504 tons it’s only defence against air attacks was the Anti-Air gun that Dunn manned and an extra Lewis Gun.

 

The Royal Naval report of the loss of the action when the ship was sunk:

 

H.M. Trawler Cape Finisterre was on HQ Patrol, steering N.N.E. when four planes were sighted on her port beam at about 1905. These were at first thought to be friendly as they were on the landward side, but after they crossed ahead and came down the starboard side they were identified as enemy planes.

 

The planes formed into roughly line ahead and attacked in that formation from the starboard quarter. Each plane dropped one bomb in succession – all of which fell on the port side of the ship – the first plane being shot down at point blank range just as she released her bomb.

 

The first bomb naturally was not very accurate but the second and third bombs from their respective planes were near misses and were the direct cause of the ship being holed and sunk – the fourth again was a miss.

 

The concussion of the second bomb knocked the gun’s crew over and the third blew the gunlayer