WW2 Sterling Silver Medals Group To J W Laker KIA HM Submarine Snapper

For sale is a WW2 Sterling Silver Medals Group To J W Laker KIA HM Submarine Snapper.

John William laker was born in 1907, he was the SON OF WILLIAM CHARLES AND ANNE ELLEN LAKER, OF RIVER, KENT.

John joined the Royal Navy aged 18 years old in 1925. His service number was C/J 103942, and he worked his way up to Chief Petty Officer by 1941. 

Sadly whilst John was serving onboard HM Submarine Snapper on the 12th of February in 1941 he lost his life with all 41 crew mates. 

About HMS Snapper and her sinking:

 HMS Snapper was a second-batch S-class submarine built during the 1930s for the Royal Navy. Completed in 1935, the boat participated in the Second World War. Snapper is one of the 12 boats named in the song "Twelve Little S-Boats".

Ordered on 16 June 1933, Snapper was laid down on 18 September 1933 at HM Dockyard, Chatham and was launched on 25 October 1934. The boat was completed on 14 June 1935.

Snapper spent most of her career in home waters. She was mistakenly attacked by a British aircraft when returning to Harwich after a patrol in the North Sea. Although suffering a direct hit, Snapper escaped damage. She went on to sink the small German oil tankerMoonsund, the German merchant Florida, the German auxiliary minesweepers M 1701 / H. M. Behrens and M 1702 / Carsten Janssen, the German armed trawler V 1107 / Portland and the Norwegian merchant Cygnus. She also attacked the German armed merchant cruiser Widder, but the torpedoes missed their target.

She left the Clyde on 29 January 1941 to patrol in the Bay of Biscay. She should have arrived in her patrol area on 1 February. She was ordered to remain on station until 10 February and then to return with her escort. Snapper failed to make the rendezvous with the escort and was not heard from again. It is believed that she met her fate through a mine or that she was mortally damaged by a minesweeper which attacked a submarine in Snapper's area on 11 February, although Snapper should have been out of the area by then. Other sources report that the S-class submarine was depth charged and sunk in the Bay of Biscay south west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°25′N5°47′W) by the German minesweepers M-2, M-13 and M-25 with the loss of all 41 crew.

These four medals have all been tested as 925 for sterling silver. The medals are described below:

Medal 1:

Front: “fourth submarine flotilla”

Obverse: “Inter Submarine rifle competition HMS Olympus J.W.Laker”.

Medal 2:

Front: “fourth submarine flotilla”

Obverse: “1934 inter part & inter s/m water polo j.w. Laker hms olympus”.

Medal 3:

Front: “HMS Caradoc 3rd cs 1925”

Obverse: “Meditn fleet regatta young seaman’s cutter first j.w. Laker a.b”

Medal 4: 

Front: navy emblem 

Back: “C.F.W.P.A 1934 div ii winners j w laker hms olympus”

These four medals weigh 95.10 grams. 

These still have plenty of research potential. 

Accompanying this medal is six scans of his service records. Upon payment please let me know if you would prefer digital scans or printed copies.

This will be sent via royal mail special delivery and dispatched within two working days.