WW1 Victory Medal (single medal only) – awarded to Petty Officer CHARLES PARKER – Royal Navy – aboard ‘HMS Nonsuch’ during the Battle of Jutland

Stock Reference – MM-MED-0024

WW1 Victory Medal (single medal only) – awarded to Petty Officer CHARLES PARKER – Royal Navy – aboard ‘HMS Nonsuch’ during the Battle of Jutland 

You are looking at a single WW1 Victory Medal awarded to Petty Officer PARKER of the Royal Navy.

The medal is inscribed ‘210038 C.PARKER. P.O. R.N.’

CHARLES PARKER was born at St Pancras in London on the 22^nd of October 1884,

According to his Royal Navy service record, which is difficult to read in parts, CHARLES, appears to have entered the service in May 1900, and having completed his boy training, that including a period aboard the Training Ship Exmouth, he started his man service on the 22^nd of October 1902, for a period of 12 years.

CHARLES appears in the 1911 Royal Navy Census, aboard ‘HMS Foresight’, a scout class vessel of the 3^rd Destroyer Flotilla.

His service didn’t end in 1914 however, as you would expect, because WW1 had started and CHARLES continued serving, being promoted to the rank of Petty Officer (possibly war substantive) in early 1915, so in the early stages of the conflict.

The most notable ship CHARLES served on during WW1 was ‘HMS Nonsuch’, an M-Class destroyer, part of the 12^th Destroyer Flotilla.

He served aboard ‘Nonsuch’ from the 17^th of February 1916 to the 6^th of March 1917, and this is notable because the ship was one of those involved in the famous ‘Battle of Jutland’, a major naval battle between the British Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy, that took place in the North Sea, off the coast of Denmark, over a two day period over the 31^st of May and the 1^st of June 1916, and he is confirmed as having been a member of the crew, a Petty Officer in rank, at the time of the battle itself.

During the nighttime phase of the battle, ‘Nonsuch’ came into contact with two German cruisers, the Frankfurt and the Pillau, the ships exchanged fire, and the British vessel was then pursued but managed to escape. Later, it went to the assistance of ‘HMS Acasta’, that had been damaged during the battle, and it eventually towed the ship to harbour in Aberdeen.

For its involvement in the battle, ‘HMS Nonsuch’ and other naval vessels were awarded the battle honour ‘JUTLAND 1916’.

CHARLES continued serving, receiving his long service medal on the 19^th of October 1922, and he eventually finished his naval service in October 1924, having served for a period of 24 years.

SELLER NOTE = As you can see from the photographs provided, this Victory Medal has some knocks around the edge, and the medal ribbon is authentic but in an extremely tatty condition.

SELLER NOTE = Supporting documentation obtained and / or created during my research into this medal will be provided.