A Distinguished Service Cross and second award bar group att...

Estimate

£1,700 - £2,200

A Distinguished Service Cross and second award bar group attributed to a Royal Navy officer who was decorated four times for gallant and distinguished service during the Second World War. Consisting of:
Distinguished Service Cross GVIR (GRI cipher) with hallmarks for 1943 and officially
dated 1944 on reverse, together with second award bar officially dated 1945, 1939-
1945 Star, Atlantic Star (with France & Germany clasp), Africa Star (with North Africa
1942-43 clasp), Italy Star and 1939-1945 War Medal with emblem for Mention in Despatches.
Lt David Fitzroy-Williams was born in 1922 at Totnes, Devon, the son of Surgeon Commander Herbert Wyndham Fitzroy-Williams RN. He was commissioned as a
Midshipman from RNC Dartmouth on 1 January 1940 and served in seagoing appointments throughout the Second World War. He was aboard the heavy cruiser
HMS Norfolk during the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941 and later, aboard the destroyer HMS Hursley, he took part in convoy
escorts to Malta, Operation ‘Huskey’ (the allied landings on Sicily) and operations against German ships in the Greek Islands. During this period he was promoted to
Lieutenant and was Mentioned in Despatches (LG 06/07/1943) for his part in the sinking of the German submarine U562 on 19/02/1943, west of Benghazi, and was awarded the DSC (LG 04/04/1944) for successful gun actions against German shipping in Greek waters. He was also aboard the destroyer HMS Faulkner for
Operation ‘Shingle’, the allied landings at Anzio in January 1944. Later in 1944, as Coastal Forces Control Officer aboard the Frigate HMS Stayner,he was Mentioned in
Despatches again (LG 19/12/1944) for his part in the sinking of three German EBoats on the night of 18/19 September, and received a bar to his DSC (LG
19/06/1945) whilst aboard the frigate HMS Rutherford for intercepting and sinking two more German E-Boats which were attacking a convoy in the English Channel on
the night of 7/8 April 1945. Following the end of the Second World War Lt Fitzroy Williams was appointed as 1st Lieutenant to the Destroyer HMS Hart. However, in 1947 he was found to be unfit for further service and was placed on the Retired List as medically unfit. He was drowned in a boating accident in Hong Kong harbour in 1950.
Lt Fitzroy-Williams was one of only 439 officers to receive a first bar to the DSC during WW2 and was said to be the youngest officer to be awarded the DSC & bar
and two MiDs, being still only twenty-two years old when the war in Europe ended.
The DSC contained in the Garrard & Co fitted case of issue and with a substantial
volume of research information, including records of service, copies of extracts from LG, citations for awards and operational reports (all now de-classified).
Good Very Fine (GVF) condition.