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to 'CHIEF. P.O. W. CARTER, M.M. "CAMBRIDGE" MINESWEEPING. 1918', NEF, £750
DSM (GV first type) to 'CHIEF. P.O. W. CARTER, M.M. "CAMBRIDGE" MINESWEEPING. 1918'
Walter Carter served with the Mercantile Marine as a CPO. Award confirmed in LG 'for services in the Auxiliary Patrol, Minesweeping and Coastal Motor Boats, between 1st January and 30th June 1918' (LG, 20 September 1918, pp. 11175-6).
HMS Cambridge began life as the Paddle steamer Cambria, which was launched on 10 April 1895 by H McIntyre at Alloa Engines : Compound diagonal 37 and 67 in x 66 in by Hutson Dimensions : 225 ft x 26.1 ft 420 Gross Registered Tonnes. Put straight on to the Cardiff - Ilfracombe service in the 1895 season and was involved in a fatal accident with a small boat in the Avon on 30 May 1896. Stationed on the South Coast between 1897 and 1902 and again in 1908. Received new paddle floats in 1898 to increase her speed. Lower saloon windows damaged in a storm off Hartland Point in 1908, leading to the plating of windows on all Campbell vessels. Reboilered in 1912 and 1935. New larger funnel fitted in 1936. Requisitioned in World War I as HMS Cambridge, serving at Grimsby and on the Tyne. Grounded at Rillage Point near Ilfracombe on July 12th 1926, but floated undamaged on the following tide. In World War II, as HMS Plinlimmon, she was converted to a minesweeper and based at Granton on the Firth of Forth Went to Dunkirk, served on the Tyne and later went to Harwich as an accommodation ship. Found to be beyond economic repair after her war service and scrapped at Grays (website http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/PACampbell.htm )
A picture of the Cambria on Rillage 1926 (Bartlett 1995 p 76) has the caption "On 12th July 1926 the pleasure paddle steamer Cambria with about 500 persons on board went aground off Rilledge [sic, Rillage] in dense fog. Fortunately it was possible for the Ilfracombe lifeboat to join the many local boats in taking off the passengers. Luckily it was flat calm and at high tide it was possible for the Cambria to float off with virtually no damage." Another copy of the same picture, credited to Ilfracombe Museum (Smith 1991 p 61) is accompanied by the following text from p 62 "In July 1926 the Cambria, a paddle steamer, went aground at Hele Bay near Ilfracombe in dense fog. Luckily enough the sea was quite calm and the Ilfracombe lifeboat, the Richard Crowley, managed to get all 500 passengers off without a single mishap, although it took a fair number of journeys to achieve! The vessel was refloated on the next tide"
Another picture of the Cambria, with a second steamer nearby, shown above, is in Ilfracombe Museum (ILFCM 25191C)
Caption to picture of Cambria 1913 "Passengers aboard PS Cambria in June 1913, with a Scotsman among them as though to emphasise the Scottish ownership of the steamer. The Cambria, like most of the Campbell fleet, made trips to Clovelly, Lundy, Lynmouth, Cardiff, Swansea, Clevedon and Bristol" (Lamplugh 1996 p 103). A similar picture of the Cambria is in Barlett 1995 p55 with the caption "The paddle steamer Cambria was run by P & A Campbell and had been built by McIntyre & Co. Alloa in 1895, length 233ft. breadth 26ft and depth 17ft. The Cambria survived service in both world wars but sadly caught fire just before plans for her to be reconditioned after the last war."
A scarce award to in effect a civilian. Nicely toned, NEF, £750
