A WW1 Essex Regiment & WW2 Royal Navy Arctic Convoys L.S.&.G.C. (H.M.S. Excellent) Medal Group awarded to K.57403 E.J. Mighell.

Stoker Petty Officer E. J. Mighell, Royal Navy, late Essex Regiment, who saw a great deal of action with Faulknor during the Second World War, including a number of Arctic convoys

Edwin Jacob Mighell was born at Croydon, Surrey on 17 April 1900, the son of Walter Jesse Mighell and Laura Annie Skingley. He attested with the Essex Regiment at some stage after 1916, lying about his age in order to do so, and later served with the Suffolk Regiment and Northamptonshire Regiments.

As he was attesting with the Royal Navy on 3 July 1919 it was discovered that he had not in fact been born on 17 April 1899 as he claimed. Regardless he continued to serve as a Stoker, seeing his first service afloat with Queen Elizabeth on 6 January 1922. He was further advanced Leading Stoker with the battlecruiser Revenge on 8 April 1926 and finally Stoker Petty Officer with Stuart on 20 September 1931. Mighell was awarded his L.S. & G.C. in the winter of 1932, continuing to serve for another decade.

He was ashore when the war began and was posted to the destroyer Faulknor, at that point stationed with the Home Fleet. Posted to Narvik after the British recaptured the town and destroyed the German Squadron stationed there, she bombarded the grounded Z19 to deny her to the enemy.

After the evacuation of Norway, Faulknor was posted back to Britain and from there joined Force H for Operation Catapult. She helped to screen the Fleet during the Operation which saw the French Navy bombarded and put out of action.

Escorting British troopships for Operation Menace, Faulknor was soon back in the Mediterranean where she joined Force F escorting convoys to Malta. This same unit was to take part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento just a month later, although it was the British cruisers and battleships which took the brunt of the fighting on that occasion.

Remaining in the Mediterranean she was to see repeated convoys including several transporting aircraft to Malta via carriers. Faulknor was also one of the ships seconded to hunt the Bismark, but was forced to return to Gibraltar to refuel before the battleship was cornered and destroyed. It was not long after this that she was posted to the Home Fleet for service escorting Arctic convoys.

She was to serve with over twenty Arctic convoys, including their return journeys, not all of which saw heavy action however all were undertaken in terrible and dangerous conditions. Most notably she was present for the disaster of PQ17, which saw the convoy dispersed and the merchant vessels savaged during which PQ18 fought its way through under heavy attack. During the latter Faulknor received a solid return on her ASDIC equipment on 12 September, she quickly deployed depth charges and managed to sink U-589. After the heavy losses of the PQ convoys, she was posted to join the later JW 52 and KW 53 convoys launched from Scotland which proved significantly safer.

Posted to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla in June 1943 she was to cover the invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky, and later Italy at Operations Baytown and Avalanche. Detached to the Dodecanese, Faulknor's role largely became troop transport between the Islands.

Returning to Britain in April 1944 she was designated for service in Operation Neptune, supporting the Normandy Landings. Her final service of the war was accepting the surrender of the Guernsey Garrison. Mighell was demobilised on 18 October 1945 and settled in Bournemouth in late summer of 1961.

The medals are mounted as originally worn, sold with copied research, and are as follows –

British War and Victory Medals, 46057 PTE. E. MIGHELL. ESSEX. R.; 1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star, clasp, France and Germany; Africa Star; Italy Star; War Medal 1939-45; Royal Navy L.S. & G.C., G.V.R. K.57403 E. G. MIGHELL. S.P.O. H.M.S. EXCELLENT.

Please note incorrect initial.

Condition, heavy contact wear and contact marks, overall, very fine