Description
A Good Naval group, HMS Hyacinth (Battle of Coronel, and Blockade of the S.M.S.Königsberg in the Rufiji delta) HMS Kent (Kenilworth Castle incident)
1914-15 Star, S.S. 105045. J. Phillips. Sto.1. R.N.; British War and Victory medals,S.S. 105045. J. Phillips. Sto.1. R.N..
With original boxes of issue, postcard photographs, silk hankie, pendant with 2 photos , two Bristol watches and a sewing kit.
With copy of medal roll, and service papers.
Joseph Phillips was born on the 5th April 1889 in Southampton, Hants.
He enlisted in the Navy as a boy on the 21st May 1907
During the war he served on HMS Hyacinth from 27th August 1914 to 6th August 1917
Shortly before the beginning of the war, Rear-Admiral Herbert King-Hall, commander of the Cape Station, was ordered to find and shadow SMS Königsberg, based at Dar-es-Salaam, German East Africa. Two of his ships, including Hyacinth, spotted the German ship, but neither was fast enough to follow her. In early September she escorted the troopships transporting the garrison of the Cape Colony home up to the Central Atlantic before returning to the Cape. In November, King-Hall briefly transferred his flag to the armoured cruiser Minotaur when his command was strengthened in anticipation of a battle with the German East Asia Squadron after its victory in the Battle of Coronel. Hyacinth hoisted his flag after Minotaur was ordered home as a result of the decisive victory over the German squadron in the Battle of the Falklands in early December 1914. When the predreadnought battleship Goliath arrived later that month, he transferred his flag to her and ordered Hyacinth north to German East Africa. She arrived at the end of January 1915 and blockaded S.M.S. Königsberg in the Rufiji delta. Goliath was ordered to the Dardanelles on 25 March and the ship again became King-Hall’s flagship
On 14 April Hyacinth intercepted the captured British merchantman SS Rubens making an attempt to deliver supplies to German East Africa. The cruiser spotted her bound for Tanga, but was not able to board and capture her when one engine broke down. Rubens was scuttled in shallow water in Manza Bay, out of sight of Hyacinth, which believed that shelling had set her afire, though this was a ruse by the crew, who had laid inflammable material on deck and retired to the shore. The fire was too hot for her cargo to be salvaged when Hyacinth’s crew approached the stranded ship. The Germans, however, were able to salvage all the arms and ammunition cargo after the fire had burnt out.
Hyacinth remained on the Cape Station until the end of the war. On 23 March 1916 she sank the German merchant ship SS Tabora in Dar-es-Salaam. In January 1917 she was stationed off Tanganyika, where she served as the depot ship for the Royal Naval Air Service.
He went on the serve on HMS Kent from 7th August 1917 to 10th June 1918.
HMS Kent escorted a convoy to England where she arrived at Devonport on 7 January 1917 and then resumed her convoy escort duties along the African coast. The ship arrived in England on 4 June 1918 to begin a refit at HM Dockyard, Devonport, but as Kent was preparing to leave the convoy a little after midnight, she apparently steered for Kenilworth Castle, causing that ship to turn to avoid being rammed and cutting off the stern of the destroyer Rival. That caused a depth charge to detonate underneath Kenilworth Castle, blowing a hole in that ship’s hull although she successfully made it to port.
From the 11th June 1918 to 28th July 1918 he was on HMS Victory II. Transferring to HMS Attentive on the 29th July 1918 and served on her to 30th October 1918. He finished the War back on HMS Victory II
Demobilised 9th April 1921.
Condition – VF
