WW1 Submarine Service Casualty Medal Trio – Engine Room Articifer 2nd Class R.C. Gibson, Royal Navy, HM Submarine C29 – K.I.A. 29/8/15

A first world war Submarine Service casualty medal group awarded to 271389 Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class Robert Christopher Gibson, Royal Navy, a pre-war submariner, who was killed by a mine explosion in the North Sea on 29th August 1915 when aboard submarine C29. 

1914-15 Star named to 271389. R.C. Gibson. E.R.A.2., R.N. 
British War Medal named to 271389 R.C. Gibson. E.R.A.2. R.N. 
WW1 Victory Medal named to 271389 R.C. Gibson. E.R.A.2. R.N. 

The medals are in good condition. 

Killed in Action – 29th August 1915

Robert Christopher Gibson was born on 18th October 1882 in Middlesborough, Yorkshire, and having worked as a fitter and turner, then joined the Royal Navy as an Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class (Portsmouth No.271389) with Firequeen II from 26th October 1903, and was rated as an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class whilst with Excellent on 15th February 1905, and as an Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class on 25th October 1906 whilst with Formidable, and then as an Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class on 24th October 1910.

Gibson joined the Submarine Service with Dolphin on 29th April 1913, and was serving with the submarine depot ship Adamant from 17th September 1913, the submarine depot ship Vulcan from 18th November 1913, the submarine depot ship Alecto from January 1914 and was then back with Vulcan from 17th February 1914 and aboard the submarine C29 under the command of Lieutenant W.R. Schofield, being with her on the outbreak of the Great War, and as such operated in the Baltic at the beginning of the war, being aboard her when she sank a merchant ship in the Gulf of Riga.

Gibson then continued to see service aboard C29 in the North Sea. C29 was involved in the use of the U-Boat trap tactic. The tactic was to use a decoy trawler to tow a submarine. When a U-boat was sighted, the tow line and communication line was slipped and the submarine would attack the U-boat. The tactic was partly successful, but was abandoned after the loss of two C-class submarines. In both cases, all the crew were lost. C29 was one of the two C-class submarines sunk while attempting to employ the tactic; she was mined when her trawler Ariadne strayed into a minefield in the Humber Estuary on 29th August 1915, with all her crew, including Gibson being killed. Having no known grave, Gibson is commemorated by name on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Regiment: Royal Navy

Era: WW1