A First War Medal Bar to Leading Seaman William Pettet

A First War Medal Bar to Leading Seaman William Pettet; 1914-15 Star (J. 34937. W.J. PETTET. ORD., R.N.); British War Medal (J. 34937 W.J. PETTET. A.B., R.N.); Victory Medal (J. 34937 W.J. PETTET. A.B., R.N.); and Royal Fleet Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (J. 34937 (PO. B. 16835) W.J. PETTET. L.S. R,F.R.). Naming is officially impressed. Court-mounted, original ribbons, surface wear evident on the BWM, light contact, better than very fine. Accompanied by a duotang folder with his military biography, a copy of his Service Records and twelve black and white ship photographs.   Footnote: William James Pettet was born on April 13, 1898 in Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey, England. He was employed as a Farm Carter (a person employed by a farmer to take produce and other items to market, along with hauling wood, etc.) when he joined the Royal Navy on January 2, 1915, three months shy of his seventeenth birthday. He began service as a Boy Seaman 2nd Class effective January 6th with H.M.S. Powerful, the Training Ship for Boy Seamen. He advanced quickly, becoming Boy Seaman 1st Class on May 8, 1915 upon entering the Royal Naval Base and Dockyard H.M.S. Pembroke at Chatham. He was first assigned to the Edgar Class Cruiser H.M.S. St. George, the Depot Ship for a number of Torpedo Boat Destroyers, on May 15, 1915, then drafted to the Torpedo Boat Destroyer H.M.S. Wolf on June 23, 1915, where he rose in rank to Ordinary Seaman on October 13, 1915. Pettet switched to the Guardship H.M.S. Wallington (the ex Pearl Class Cruiser H.M.S. Walleroo) in November 1915, rising in rank to Able Seaman on May 17, 1916. After a brief two week shore posting at the end of June 1917 to H.M.S. Vivid, the Gunnery School at Devonport, he was drafted to H.M.S. Victory, the Royal Naval Base and Depot at Portsmouth, on June 30th and assigned to the Patrol Sloop H.M.S. P-45, with whom he would complete his war service aboard. For his First World War service, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He returned to H.M.S. Vivid on December 12, 1918, then drafted to the Cruiser H.M.S. Cambrian on May 10, 1919 where he would serve almost two years, before returning to H.M.S. Vivid on April 21, 1921. He was subsequently drafted to H.M.S. Victory on June 17th and assigned to the twin screw Minesweeper H.M.S. Burslem, where he served until returning to H.M.S. Vivid on May 24, 1923. Two and a half months later, he was drafted to H.M.S. Defiance, the Torpedo School at Devonport "for training", on August 15th. Upon completion of his course, he was drafted back to H.M.S. Vivid "awaiting draft" on April 9, 1924. A week later, he joined H.M.S. Dolphin at Gosport, the Submarine and Base School, "for Submarine training" and upon completion of his training, was drafted to the 'K' Class Submarine, H.M.S. K-26 on August 18, 1924, with K-26 being transferred to the Submarine Depot Ship H.M.S. Cyclops on September 1st. He returned to H.M.S. Dolphin on September 19th, where he was named Leading Seaman the following Spring, on April 21, 1925 and served for eleven months, before being drafted to the 'E' Class Submarine, H.M.S. E-48 on October 17, 1925, the last surviving 'E' Class vessel, that had been retained in service for Trials and Experimental purposes. He returned to H.M.S. Cyclops on January 8, 1926, as part of the First Submarine Flotilla Mediterranean Fleet at Malta "for Submarines", and later that year, while with Cyclops, he was drafted to the 'L' Class Submarine H.M.S. L-23 on October 19th. Thirteen months later, Petter returned to General Service on November 26, 1927, drafted to the Cruiser H.M.S. Calliope, where he would serve for one month, before returning to H.M.S. Dolphin on December 16th, where he would conclude his service in the Royal Navy. He was discharged to the Royal Fleet Reserve on April 13, 1928 and was later awarded the Royal Fleet Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.