All Football Codes Medals & Awards

Lot 2454    Day 2    All Football Codes Medals & Awards

Estimate $200
Bid at live.noble.com.au

H.M.S. Diomede, struck in copper (32mm), no maker, reverse inscribed 'H.M.S./Diomede/1935/Seven A Side Rugby/Winners'. Extremely fine.

HMS Diomede was completed in a Royal dockyard, entering service in October 1922. After serving in China from 1922 to 1925 with the 5th LCS, the ship joined the New Zealand Squadron when recommissioned on 21 October 1925, where she remained, save for refit during 1929/30, until 1935. In that year, as a result of political crises, she served briefly on temporary detachment to the 4th Cruiser Squadron in the East Indies, and then paid off on 31 March 1936 on relief by Achilles, reverting to the RN. The late 1930s were spent in reserve or on trooping duties. September 1939 found her with the 7th Cruiser Squadron in the Home Fleet on Northern Patrol duties, after which she joined the 8th Cruiser Squadron, America and West Indies Command in 1940-42, intercepting the blockade runner Idarwald off Tampico, Mexico, on 15 December 1940. She was in the South Atlantic Command and West Africa in 1942, but came home for refit and repair that year and was taken in hand at Rosyth between 22 July 1942 and 24 September 1943, when she was also converted into a training ship. She reduced to reserve in 1945, and was handed over for breaking up on 5 April 1946, arriving at the Dalmuir Yard of Arnott Young on 13 May 1946 for scrapping.