| Naval Good Shooting Medals _________________________________________________ |
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| Arthur Hubert Bailey, M.B.E., R.N. |
Arthur Hubert Bailey was born in Eastington, Gloucester, on 6 Apl 1879. He joined the RN as a Boy
of 16 on 20 July '95 giving his occupation as "Sea". He already had several tattoos on both arms! His
first posting to sea was in the old battleship HMS Royal Sovereign in which he was rated Ordinary
Seaman on 6 Apl '97. Rated an AB & 'Trained Man' on 1 Apl '98 he next served on the
battleships HMS Mars, & HMS Australia. He then gets drafted to HMS Excellent where he qualifies as a
Seaman Gunner 1st class on 23 Mar '00 & commences his long gunnery career. He then attends HMS
Vernon & qualifies as a Seaman Gunner Torpedo on 27 Oct '00. He then is promoted to Leading
Seaman on 2 Feb '01 & gets drafted to HMS Hotspur, an old iron turret ship of 1890.
Whilst serving on Hotspur he is appointed Gun Captain on 3 March & qualifies as a Diver 31 July '01;
gets promoted to PO2 on 20 Mar '02, & PO1 & Turret Captain 1 & 3 July '03 - so an excellent draft for
him, & all before he qualifies for his 2nd GCB (Good conduct badge - awarded after 8 years adult
service). Being promoted to PO1 with only 6 years adult service was very quick promotion for Bailey -
he must have been quite good in his job, & more importantly, his efficiency would have been noticed
by both his Gunnery Officer & the Hotspur's First Lieut, both of who's recommendations would have
been essential for advancement & promotion.
After a short stint at HMS Terror in Bermuda he gets drafted back to Excellent to qualify as a
Gunlayer 1st class & Gunnery Instructor in '04-' 05; then serves as Turret Gun Captain on the pre
Dreadnought (1898) battleship HMS Formidable. He served on her for almost 3 years. A Turret
Gun Captain was a position of importance & would have been filled by a senior & trusted Gunnery
rating - he would have been directly responsible to the Gunnery Lieut for his turret. To run one of
these turrets a rating had to be very good at his job & perform it well!
And very good at it he was as during Bailey's time on Formidable (Dec ' 05-Apl '08) he qualifies at the
1907 Annual Prize Shooting competition for the Naval Good Shooting medal on the12" Breech
loading gun.
This was the largest calibre gun in service at that time in the RN. The gun barrel itself was in excess
of 46 tons. The cartridge weight of this weapon was approx. 800 pounds, supplied with a cordite
charge of 89 pounds to drive it out of the barrel with a muzzle velocity of 1944 ft per second - a
formidable weapon for the time! This gun was laid, trained, sighted & fired on a pre-dreadnought
Battleship without director laying/firing capabilities. The actual laying & training of the gun barrels
would have been done via hydraulic power, but Bailey's crew would have had to sight & fire the gun by
eyesight.
Bailey then heads back to Excellent to qualify as a Gunners Mate on 21 Oct ' 09. He then serves as
Gunners Mate on HMS Terrible, Achilles & Jupiter in the pre war period. He qualified for his Naval LS
medal in April '12 whilst serving on HMS Jupiter.
His service in Jupiter was followed by two drafts to Excellent & Vernon in '12 &'13 to qualify as a
Warrant Gunner. His marks on this long course were: Seamanship-86.3%; Academic subjects-88.6%;
Gunnery-91.2%; Torpedo-88.2% - an excellent record !!!
From HMS Vernon Bailey was Warranted as Gunner on 30 Jan '14 & gets posted to HMS Iron Duke 10
Mar '14. He served on her when she was Admiral Jellicoe's Flagship of the Grand Fleet, & saw all of
the actions the Grand Fleet was involved in up to Dec 1916 including the Battle of Jutland.
Hopefully his gunnery training came into good use that day!
On Dec 28 '16 Bailey was posted to HMS Superb "for Instructional duties" & on 17 Feb '17 to HMS
Revenge (Flagship of Adm Charles Madden), again, "for Instructional duties".
Serving in Revenge he would have witnessed the surrender & internment of the German High Seas
Fleet on Nov 28, 1918.
Gunner Arthur Bailey was awarded a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the
British Empire on 17 July '19. "for valuable services in HM Ships Iron Duke & Revenge, 1st Battle
Sq'dn, Grand Fleet." 17 Gunners RN were awarded the MBE for their services in WWI.
Bailey was promoted to Commissioned Gunner on 1 Jan '20 with seniority backdated to 30 Jan 1914.
He remained on Revenge for the remainder of the war until being posted on 5 May '20 to HMS Dido
{Lt Cruiser & Flag of Captain(D) Local Defence Flotilla} "for Squadron Director Duties".
He returns to HMS Excellent for the last time on 12 May '22 & is discharged to pension on 1 July '22.
Bailey was too old for call up in 1939 - he was over 60 yrs of age in '39 - however, he served as a
Sergeant in the Home Guard in WWII, earning the Defence medal. He remained on the retired list of
the RN until passing away on 13 Nov 1953, in his 75th year.
Whilst serving in the RN Bailey had three sons, born during and after WWI. One of his sons, Arthur
Lionel, entered the Royal Marines as a Musician & was the only Bandmaster in the RM to be awarded
the MBE in WWII. I also have his medals & will feature his career on this site in future.
of 16 on 20 July '95 giving his occupation as "Sea". He already had several tattoos on both arms! His
first posting to sea was in the old battleship HMS Royal Sovereign in which he was rated Ordinary
Seaman on 6 Apl '97. Rated an AB & 'Trained Man' on 1 Apl '98 he next served on the
battleships HMS Mars, & HMS Australia. He then gets drafted to HMS Excellent where he qualifies as a
Seaman Gunner 1st class on 23 Mar '00 & commences his long gunnery career. He then attends HMS
Vernon & qualifies as a Seaman Gunner Torpedo on 27 Oct '00. He then is promoted to Leading
Seaman on 2 Feb '01 & gets drafted to HMS Hotspur, an old iron turret ship of 1890.
Whilst serving on Hotspur he is appointed Gun Captain on 3 March & qualifies as a Diver 31 July '01;
gets promoted to PO2 on 20 Mar '02, & PO1 & Turret Captain 1 & 3 July '03 - so an excellent draft for
him, & all before he qualifies for his 2nd GCB (Good conduct badge - awarded after 8 years adult
service). Being promoted to PO1 with only 6 years adult service was very quick promotion for Bailey -
he must have been quite good in his job, & more importantly, his efficiency would have been noticed
by both his Gunnery Officer & the Hotspur's First Lieut, both of who's recommendations would have
been essential for advancement & promotion.
After a short stint at HMS Terror in Bermuda he gets drafted back to Excellent to qualify as a
Gunlayer 1st class & Gunnery Instructor in '04-' 05; then serves as Turret Gun Captain on the pre
Dreadnought (1898) battleship HMS Formidable. He served on her for almost 3 years. A Turret
Gun Captain was a position of importance & would have been filled by a senior & trusted Gunnery
rating - he would have been directly responsible to the Gunnery Lieut for his turret. To run one of
these turrets a rating had to be very good at his job & perform it well!
And very good at it he was as during Bailey's time on Formidable (Dec ' 05-Apl '08) he qualifies at the
1907 Annual Prize Shooting competition for the Naval Good Shooting medal on the12" Breech
loading gun.
This was the largest calibre gun in service at that time in the RN. The gun barrel itself was in excess
of 46 tons. The cartridge weight of this weapon was approx. 800 pounds, supplied with a cordite
charge of 89 pounds to drive it out of the barrel with a muzzle velocity of 1944 ft per second - a
formidable weapon for the time! This gun was laid, trained, sighted & fired on a pre-dreadnought
Battleship without director laying/firing capabilities. The actual laying & training of the gun barrels
would have been done via hydraulic power, but Bailey's crew would have had to sight & fire the gun by
eyesight.
Bailey then heads back to Excellent to qualify as a Gunners Mate on 21 Oct ' 09. He then serves as
Gunners Mate on HMS Terrible, Achilles & Jupiter in the pre war period. He qualified for his Naval LS
medal in April '12 whilst serving on HMS Jupiter.
His service in Jupiter was followed by two drafts to Excellent & Vernon in '12 &'13 to qualify as a
Warrant Gunner. His marks on this long course were: Seamanship-86.3%; Academic subjects-88.6%;
Gunnery-91.2%; Torpedo-88.2% - an excellent record !!!
From HMS Vernon Bailey was Warranted as Gunner on 30 Jan '14 & gets posted to HMS Iron Duke 10
Mar '14. He served on her when she was Admiral Jellicoe's Flagship of the Grand Fleet, & saw all of
the actions the Grand Fleet was involved in up to Dec 1916 including the Battle of Jutland.
Hopefully his gunnery training came into good use that day!
On Dec 28 '16 Bailey was posted to HMS Superb "for Instructional duties" & on 17 Feb '17 to HMS
Revenge (Flagship of Adm Charles Madden), again, "for Instructional duties".
Serving in Revenge he would have witnessed the surrender & internment of the German High Seas
Fleet on Nov 28, 1918.
Gunner Arthur Bailey was awarded a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the
British Empire on 17 July '19. "for valuable services in HM Ships Iron Duke & Revenge, 1st Battle
Sq'dn, Grand Fleet." 17 Gunners RN were awarded the MBE for their services in WWI.
Bailey was promoted to Commissioned Gunner on 1 Jan '20 with seniority backdated to 30 Jan 1914.
He remained on Revenge for the remainder of the war until being posted on 5 May '20 to HMS Dido
{Lt Cruiser & Flag of Captain(D) Local Defence Flotilla} "for Squadron Director Duties".
He returns to HMS Excellent for the last time on 12 May '22 & is discharged to pension on 1 July '22.
Bailey was too old for call up in 1939 - he was over 60 yrs of age in '39 - however, he served as a
Sergeant in the Home Guard in WWII, earning the Defence medal. He remained on the retired list of
the RN until passing away on 13 Nov 1953, in his 75th year.
Whilst serving in the RN Bailey had three sons, born during and after WWI. One of his sons, Arthur
Lionel, entered the Royal Marines as a Musician & was the only Bandmaster in the RM to be awarded
the MBE in WWII. I also have his medals & will feature his career on this site in future.
|
Here is a photo
with his wife &
two sons. Arthur
Sr wears his
medal group. The
son on the left is
Arthur Lionel
Bailey & he has
just joined the
RM. Photo
circa 1932.
Seen here is a
group shot of
Arthur Sr, Arthur
Jr & his wife &
son taken circa
1935.
Arthur Sr is on
the right & to his
right is Arthur Jr.
This is a photo of
father & son
taken on the
occasion of
Arthur Jr being
presented with
the MBE. Arthur
Sr again wears
his medals & the
uniform of a
Serg't in the
Home Guard.
Photo taken Nov
'44.
with his wife &
two sons. Arthur
Sr wears his
medal group. The
son on the left is
Arthur Lionel
Bailey & he has
just joined the
RM. Photo
circa 1932.
Seen here is a
group shot of
Arthur Sr, Arthur
Jr & his wife &
son taken circa
1935.
Arthur Sr is on
the right & to his
right is Arthur Jr.
This is a photo of
father & son
taken on the
occasion of
Arthur Jr being
presented with
the MBE. Arthur
Sr again wears
his medals & the
uniform of a
Serg't in the
Home Guard.
Photo taken Nov
'44.
| "A Proud Father with his son Arthur Jr, who has just been awarded the MBE" |
Pictured to the right is a
Presentation Oar won by
Arthur Bailey whilst he
was serving in the Grand
Fleet.
At that time he was a
Warrant Officer serving
on HMS Revenge -
inscription reads: 1st B.S.
(Battle Sqdn) Regatta
1918, W.O.'s Gigs, First
prize, H.M.S. Revenge.
I have only seen one
other example with a
recipient's medal group
and the reason for this
could be that it does not
accompany the medals
when the family disposes
of them.
The badge above is his
wife's sweetheart badge a
small enamel version of
his Officer's Cap badge.
Presentation Oar won by
Arthur Bailey whilst he
was serving in the Grand
Fleet.
At that time he was a
Warrant Officer serving
on HMS Revenge -
inscription reads: 1st B.S.
(Battle Sqdn) Regatta
1918, W.O.'s Gigs, First
prize, H.M.S. Revenge.
I have only seen one
other example with a
recipient's medal group
and the reason for this
could be that it does not
accompany the medals
when the family disposes
of them.
The badge above is his
wife's sweetheart badge a
small enamel version of
his Officer's Cap badge.
Here are photos of two Cricket Shields which he won in 1905 whilst serving at Whale Island,
HMS Excellent, the RN Gunnery School. Bailey was serving as a Gunnery Instructor there at
the time. The first one is for his Batting Average (41.3) and the second one was for his
Bowling Average (9).
HMS Excellent, the RN Gunnery School. Bailey was serving as a Gunnery Instructor there at
the time. The first one is for his Batting Average (41.3) and the second one was for his
Bowling Average (9).
Bailey's Bosun's pipe
The pipe is inscribed, however due to
much use, the inscription has become
quite faded.
It reads:
"A.H. Bailey P.O., Hotspur."
He served on Hotspur from Feb 01 to
Mar '04.
The pipe is inscribed, however due to
much use, the inscription has become
quite faded.
It reads:
"A.H. Bailey P.O., Hotspur."
He served on Hotspur from Feb 01 to
Mar '04.
HMS Formidable, the ship on which Bailey won
his Naval Good Shooting medal.
Shows her forward 12" turrets. These gun
turrets were huge structures each weighing over
50 tons - she carried two forward & two aft in
addition to multiple secondary armament. All
the post 1896 to 1907 Pre Dreadnought
Battleships carried 12" gun main armament.
his Naval Good Shooting medal.
Shows her forward 12" turrets. These gun
turrets were huge structures each weighing over
50 tons - she carried two forward & two aft in
addition to multiple secondary armament. All
the post 1896 to 1907 Pre Dreadnought
Battleships carried 12" gun main armament.
Gun Captain Badge
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