Description
Distinguished Service Medal, GV, 186757 Petty Officer S.C.A. Medway, HMS Tiger, awarded for the Battle of Jutland. Heavily involved and struck 21 times by enemy guns.
Officially impressed: “186757 S.C.A. Medway, P.O. H.M.S. Tiger. 31 May – 1 June 1916”
Announced in the London Gazette on 15th September 1916, “for services rendered by Petty Officers and Men of the Grand Fleet in the action in the North Sea on 31st May – 1st June 1916.”
Approximately 202 Distinguished Service Medals were awarded to the ships present in the Battle of Jutland, including about 6 later awards to HMS Shark, out of these only about 10 were awarded to HMS Tiger.
At the time he was a Petty Officer holding the position of “Gun Layer 1st Class” and would have been heavily involved in firing back at the German Ships.
From 1918-1919 he served in the Russian Civil War as a Royal Navy Diver.
Samuel Christopher Ash Medway was a Sailor who first signed up for service at the young age of 15 years old in 1895, retiring after the war in October 1920, having served almost 25 years with the Royal Navy.
Born on 3rd August 1880, in Brixham, Devon.
He signed up for service as a Boy 2nd Class, aged 15, on 12th December 1895 at HMS Impregnable.
Having turned of age on 3rd August 1898 he started his Adult Service as Ordinary Seaman on HMS pearl, followed by being promoted to Able Seaman at HMS Crescent on 1st February 1901.
After a swift promotion to Leading Seaman at HMS Vivid I on 20th October 1902, he was reduced to Able Seaman on 4th August 1904 on HMS Hood, but by Christmas he returned to Leading Seaman on 1st December 1904.
From there he continued a successful career until it came crashing down with various Court Martials whilst serving no HMS Donegal on 28th February 1912.
A Court Martial was held on 26+27th February 1912 for:
1) Did try to screen a Boy I from being found fault with for not being in the dress of the day.
II) Attempt to procure the commission of an act of gross indecency upon himself by a Boy I Class.
III) Attempt to induce a Private R.M.L.I. Sentry on the Key Board to make a false entry in the Key Book.
IV) He was in possession of a duplicate key of the Dining Room.
The accused pleaded guilty to the 3rd charge, the 2nd charge was not proved, the 1st and 4th were proved, adjudged to be disrated to Able Seaman and to be deprived of 2 Good Conduct Badges and reduced, Disrated by Court Martial.”
After some time languishing as an Able Seaman, he returned to the rank of Leading Seaman on 15th January 1914.
He initially joined HMS Tiger, ready for war, on 3rd October 1914.
During his service he was promoted to Petty Officer onboard Tiger on 22nd April 1915.
Overall he served on HMS Tiger from 3rd October 1914 – 15th July 1917.
His service would include the Battle of Dogger Bank on 23rd January 1915 and the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916, for which he was decorated with this medal.
After leaving the Tiger, he was at HMS Vivid from 15th July 1917 – 7th January 1918.
He then joined HMS Centaur, serving on board as a Petty Officer Diver from 8th January 1918 – 14th May 1920.
He spent over 2 years on the ship as a “Diver”, during which time the ship had been posted to the Baltic Sea from December 1918 to take part in the British campaign against the Bolshevik and German forces during the Russian Civil War.
In March 1919, she was re-assigned from Harwich Force to the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron in the Mediteranean Fleet.
At the end of her commission, Petty Officer Medway could finally retire, being demobilised on 20th October 1920.
Following his retirement he lived in Plymouth, shown on the 1939 Census there as a “Chief Petty Officer (Retired)”
He died there during 1949.
