Hammer goes down on midget submarine helmsman's medals from WW2 Tirpitz raid
A unique collection of military medals, including the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal group awarded to Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Edmund 'Eddie' Goddard, has been auctioned off.
The group of four medals, which comes from the estate of a collector, fetched £50,000 at the sale at the top of the £40,00 to £50,000 estimate.
Mr Goddard served as the helmsman of HM Midget Submarine X6, which played a key role in Operation Source, the daring mission in 1944 to damage the German battleship Tirpitz.
The Tirpitz, sister ship to the Bismarck, posed a significant threat to Allied naval operations in the North Atlantic and was based in Norway's heavily defended fjords.
To counter this, the British used midget submarines, or X-craft, specifically designed for covert operations.
At less than 50ft long, the X-craft could evade the formidable fjord defences while carrying a four-tonne explosive charge.
On 22 September 1943, X6 and X7 successfully infiltrated the fjord and planted explosive charges on the Tirpitz, causing substantial damage.
However, following the attack, all crew members from X6 were captured and interrogated aboard the Tirpitz when their charges exploded beneath the ship.
Christopher Mellor-Hill, Head of Client Liaison at Noonans auction house, said: "This medal was awarded for gallantry, skill and daring during the successful attack by His Majesty's Midget submarines X6 and X7 on the Tirpitz."
"The Tirpitz was the Bismarck's sister ship and Germany's biggest battleship, so she had a major effect on the movements of the British Home Fleet and, consequently, a way had to be found to attack her where she spent most of her time – in harbour."
In an interview for the BBC documentary Target Tirpitz, Mr Goddard reflected on the tense moments aboard the Tirpitz.
"We were taken on board Tirpitz's quarter-deck and told to empty all our pockets, which we did. Then we were taken below, and put in a corridor, and I heard lots of clanging of chains and whatnot, and I thought, 'oh dear, they're going to move the ship before our charges go off'.
"Eventually, the charges did go off, which shook us a bit; all the lights went off, and a foam extinguisher started to pour forth on my German guard who didn't like it very much.
"He grabbed me by the neck, and we went up on deck, and I was very disturbed the ship didn't appear to be sinking."
Edmund 'Eddie' Goddard was born in 1921 and attended St Edward's School in Oxford before starting his career as an apprentice toolmaker in Coventry.
He joined the Royal Navy in 1941 but initially served in less adventurous roles before volunteering for 'special and hazardous service'. Mr Goddard died in Tilehurst, Berkshire, in 1992.
The auction also included a rare Korean War 'Commando (Amphibious Raiding Force)' military medal group awarded to Marine Arthur Alexander Henry Harper of 41 Independent Commando, Royal Marines.
This group has the only military medal awarded for direct combat action during the Chosin Reservoir campaign on 7 December 1950 and reached £28,000 against an estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
Additionally, a post-war 'Yangtze Incident' Distinguished Service Cross awarded to Flight Lieutenant Michael Edward Fearnley of the Royal Air Force went for £20,000, It was estimated at £14,000 to £18,000.
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