WW2 Royal Navy Minesweeper Operation Nestegg Medal & Document Group

For sale is a Rare WW2 Royal Navy Minesweeper Operation Nestegg Medals & Document Grouping. This grouping belongs to I.C.Edwards who served with the Royal Navy reserve in command of HMT Bilsdean.  

  Before joining the Royal Navy Edwards lived at 21 Sydney Grove, Hendon, London, N.W.4.   All of the belongings mentioned below belonged to lieutenant I.C.Edwards, and his contribution to operation Nestegg, and the surrender of the German navy in Millbay.    This medal group includes the following:    1. The personnel book of MMS-class minesweeper 254 (RMT Bilsdean). This book is complete with every crew member who served upon MMS254 during the war, with two pages on each service member covering the following points; Name, Rating, Off no, g or t, joined ship date, whence, home address, next of kin, address, joined service, testimony, assessed efficiency, peacetime occupation, non sub, badges, religion, where, date of birth, and loaned clothing. All of these questions are answered for each of the 46 servicemen under his control onboard MMS254. This handwritten book holds excellent research potential into many serviceman’s history.   2. A handwritten training journal covering first aid, weapons and how to use them, day to day duties, depth charges, mines, disarming, minesweeping Etc.    3. Original Orders of German navy surrender at Millbay on the 17/5/1945 a full write up of this can be seen below. This can also be seen in image number 8.   4. Originals orders, that run inside operation Nestegg, titled; “Secret on no account to be allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy to be destroyed by fire when complied with”. This document can be seen in image number 4. These orders are for minesweeping of the covid route and anchorage’s to be carried out during the 2 days prior to the arrival of the force and subsequently the establishment of the swept channels inter island and between the islands and the mainland of France. These are original orders, with most likely no other surviving copies, seeing as all other copies would have been burnt on completion.     5. Following the previous item is a scam/ copy of the at the time top secret operation Nestegg. This is titled “Operation Nestegg, Joint Outland plan, part iii Naval plan. Part 7v of this plan is underlined and this is the section of the plan that we have the original orders for above.    6. WW2 Royal Navy Admiralty Pattern Split Second Stop Watch, marked Patt 3 22771. Unfortunately not working.    7. Navigating officers note book with several pages of notes, only notes on defects of the ship HMT Bilsdean, and notes on Pilotage.   8. Ww2 war medal    9. Ww2 defence medal   10. Ww2 1939-45 star    11. A set of 6 ww2 Royal Navy uniform buttons   12. Pair of Ww2 Lieutenant Royal Navy Epaulettes   13. For fleet purposes only, the Channel Islands, atlas of tidal streams.    14. Restricted: HOURLY HEIGHTS OF TIDE. AT CHERBOURG & LE HAVRE TIDE TABLES FOR ROAD OF MORLAIX, LE HAVRE and ROUEN From 1st to 31st MAY, 1945 inclusive.    15. Section of a map marked on back; S.325 confidential Ostend to westkape folio no b8 serial no 925      The military re-occupation of the Channel Islands in 1945 was code-named Operation Nestegg. In command was 46-year old Brigadier Alfred Snow. The special detachment – Force 135 – sailed from Plymouth in the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Bulldog and HMS Beagle. But when the task force arrived off Guernsey on 8th May – Victory in Europe Day – no-one was sure if the German garrison, under Vice-Admiral Friedrich Huffmeier, would surrender peacefully.   Item number (3) listed above states (document in purple typed ink;   “To: RNS DEV,Paris Commandant RMB KHMP … XDO Capt M/S Ply, CDR, M/S Ply, Cdr A/P Ply, A/S Dev, Garrison CDR, movement, control.    From commander in chief Plymouth    Immediate:    ME: 161756. German chips are expected to arrive Cassandra Bay 1845 today Thursday (2) Ships are to proceed up Hamoase and berth 3 trawlers and 1 patrol craft at no. 18 buoy and 3 trawled and 1 patrol craft at no 15 buoy. (3) Car A/P is requested to assume control of the operation until ships are secure the buoys and prisoners are landed, after which Paris is to assume the responsibility for the ships and their administration. (4) Cdr. m/s is requested to assume control of the landing and disposal of prisoners of war. (5) prize crews and party and press representatives are to embarked in Portzic and Elan II at Millbay at 1730 today Thursday, and transfer to German ships in Cawsand Bay as detailed by Cdr, A/P. (6) as soon as prize. Crews are embarked, the white & is to be hoisted superior to German & and hold down when German crews have been landed. (7) K.H.M Devonport as requested to assist in mooring to buoys (8) M.C as requested to send I hospital boat. Alongside each group on arrival at number 15 and 18. Buoy to disembark Royal Navy, guard and prisoners of war at Millbay. (9) Paris is registered to relieve the prize crews with A,C and M party comprising 2P.0 s plus 8 for each group at 2000 tonight Thursday. (20) an engineer officer from Paris and the bomb, and mine disposal officer, or to inspect the ships after they have been secured. (11) the garrison commander as requested to make the necessary arrangements to receive the prisoners of war comprising of 22 officers and 126 ratings at MillBay at approx 2030.    Tel O.L Tor 1415/17/5/45”   This grouping has a good amount of research potential and played a major role in operation Nestegg, and has an incredibly rare set of orders for the German naval surrender. If you would like to see more photos please message me for more details.    This will be sent via special delivery and dispatched within two working days.