A rare and dramatic Submariner's Distinguished Service Medal and Bar group of eight awarded to Petty Officer Thomas Phillips, Chief Engine Room Artificer, HM Submarine Triumph, which later sunk after a clandestine mission with an S.O.E. agent on board. One of just 152 double D.S.M. awards for WW2.
George VI Distinguished Service Medal with 2nd Award Bar named to M.27338 T. Phillips, C.E.R.A. H.M.S. Triumph
British War Medal named to M.27338 T. Phillips, B. Art., R.N.
Naval General Service Medal (Clasp - Palestine 1936-1939) named to M.27338 T. Phillips, C.E.R.A.2, R.N
1939-45 Star unnamed as issued
Atlantic Star unnamed as issued
Africa Star unnamed as issued
War Medal 1939-45 unnamed as issued
George V Royal Navy Long Service & Good Conduct Medal named to M.27338 T. Phillips, E.R.A.2, H.M.S. Dolphin.
Accompanied by four of Phillip's inscribed sporting medallions, two boxes of issue and original transmission letter for the N.G.S. dated 19th April 1943 'awarded to your late husband Thomas Phillips, C.E.R.A., Royal Navy', addressed to 'Mrs E.M. Phillips, 28 Montague Road, North End, Portsmouth.'
The medals are in good condition.
Thomas Phillips was born in Portsmouth on 6th January 1902, the son of Thomas and Lucy Phillips and husband of Ethel Mary Phillips, of Ringwood, Hampshire. He served as a Boy Artificer, aged 15, at HMS Fisgard Shore Establishment from 28th July 1917, qualifying for his single WWI War Medal entitlement. He embarked on his remarkable adult career as Engine Room Artificer 5th Class from 1st January 1922 and worked his way through promotions to HMS Dolphin Submarine Base on 8th December 1928.
On the outbreak of WWII, Phillips was serving as Chief Engine Room Artificer and awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Gazetted 20th January 1942: "For courage, skill and resolution in successful Submarine patrols, H.M.S. Triumph."
His Bar to the Distinguished Service Medal was awarded posthumously and Gazetted 5th May 1942: "For daring, enterprise and devotion to duty in successful patrols in H.M. Submarines."
On 26th December 1941, HMS Triumph had sailed from Alexandria for a cloak and dagger landing near Athens. She was transporting an S.O.E. Agent, Lieutenant George Atkinson, who was to liberate 18 Allied soldiers being held prisoner by the Italians. She reported the successful landing on the 30th December before patrolling The Aegean. However, she failed to rendezvous back there on 9th January 1942, as planned, blowing the escapees cover, who were all arrested, including Lt. Atkinson who was charged with espionage and shot. HMS Triumph was presumed mined off the island of Milo, southeast of the Greek mainland, with all hands lost.
However, her wreck has never been found, leading to the 2016 campaign to find her wreck in Greek waters.
SEARCH FOR THE SUNKEN TRIUMPH
Somewhere in the darkest vaults of MI9 is a sheaf of wartime documents marked ‘Most Secret’. They might shed light on to the sea bed where the remains of submarine HMS Triumph and her crew have been resting for 75 years. Next year, due to the determination of Gavin Don – a former Royal Navy officer and relative to a Lieutenant on board in 1942 – the quest to find the wreck site of the Triumph will be launched.
On 26th December 1941, HMS Triumph sailed from Alexandria with some very unusual crew members - S.O.E. and MI9 Agent, Lieutenant George Atkinson, Greek S.O.E. wireless expert, Diamantes (codename DIAMOND), New Zealand liaison officer, Captain Craig, two British Army commandos from the Northamptonshire Regiment and Royal Artillery and five tonnes of emergency supplies. Atkinson’s mission (codename ISINGLASS) was to meet up with a Greek resistance cell in Athens and then liberate 18 selected Allied soldiers who had been held prisoner by the Italians. In Atkinson’s pocket was his Operation paper with typed heading ‘NOT TO BE TAKEN ASHORE’. With his mission complicated by dual S.O.E. & MI9 instructions, he was to overlook this warning.
Harry Grammatikakis was a Greek peacetime smuggler and playboy rogue. He had hand-selected a tiny Greek island called Antiparos, seemingly for its geographical position, smattering of houses and lack of Italian garrison, but more probably because he was having an affair with a girl there. Christened ‘Coney Island’ and codenamed HARLEM, Grammatikakis had expertly freed 18 selected Australian prisoners and, south of Athens, the whole party had narrowly evaded recapture by the Germans. He had also picked up stores of food, which was no easy task given the shortage – some records show that nearly 400,000 Greeks died of starvation during the occupation.
Now safely in position on Antiparos and in high spirits, they set signal fires for Triumph and watched as her periscope approached. The Australians’ spirits were dampened when the Captain of Triumph told them to unpack their bags – it was judged there would not be enough air in the submarine for the increased crew quota whilst Atkinson hot-footed it to Athens. They would have to wait on the island for a further 10 days. Their frustration, anger and disappointment at this decision was understandable, but it was a decision that would save their lives.
Grammatikakis was happy on HARLEM and not too keen on leaving for Athens. After a last night of passion he and DIAMOND would make contact and arrange to meet with the Greek resistance members. He could not have possibly foreseen it, but his girlfriend’s mother had already had enough of the new lascivious islanders, and to protect her daughter from him, she had reported everything to the Italian garrison on Paros.On 6 Jan 1942 at two o’ clock in the morning, a small Italian patrol arrived at the safe house and beat down the door. DIAMOND was arrested and Atkinson and Craig hid upstairs. As soon as the first Italian entered the bedroom, Atkinson shot him dead and another housemate opened up with a burst of machine-gun fire. Two hand-grenades came flying through the window, so Atkinson and Craig jumped out of the other one. As they sprinted for the beach, another grenade burst between them and injured Atkinson. He hobbled out of sight of Craig and each man went to ground separately for three days whilst the heat cooled off.
HARLEM was now crawling with Italian soldiers, but despite this, Craig managed to set up torch signals for Triumph’s return. There was no reply. No doubt they were being put off by the island’s military presence. He met up with other evaders and tried again the next day; more desperately this time, as the party had run out of food. The calm waters gave no sign of disturbance from Triumph, but on the night of 14th January, Craig thought he caught sight of an E-Boat.
The Jolly Roger flag of HMS Triumph
By 17th January, Craig’s hideout had been discovered and his party, as well as an injured Atkinson, had been discovered. Atkinson’s was frisked and his Colt 45 taken and his pockets emptied. A crumpled-up document was unfolded to reveal Atkinson’s Top Secret Operational Order. This was immediately passed to the Gestapo who set about rounding up the listed members of the Greek resistance cell called ‘Kanellopoulos’. Atkinson was hospitalised and when recovered, swiftly put on trial along with 25 Greeks who had been implicated. Atkinson was convicted, condemned and killed by firing squad at the Kaisariani shooting ground on 28th February 1943. There is a memorial to him and fellow rebels on Antiparos/HARLEM. Grammatikakis escaped capture, but with his cover blown, was relocated to the Congo. Craig escaped from Italian prison, was awarded the M.C. & Bar, and gave a written account of this episode after the war. Triumph has been missing ever since, lost with all hands, including the mysterious commandos listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial. Gavin Don has made it his mission to locate HMS Triumph which was presumed mined. There are many conflicting theories as to its resting place and fate. Unlike Atkinson, Don can make all the noise he wants in gathering support for his sonar scouting project. He has simply declared: “We will find Triumph”.
Chief Engine Room Artificer Tommy Phillips is listed as lost in Triumph on the Commonwealth War Graves website, but not on the list of those lost submitted by Captain Raw of SM1.
CERA Phillips was definitely aboard Triumph as early as June 1941, since he was commended for his work fixing her steering gear at that time. It is possible that the ship's office of Medway simply made a mistake by leaving him off the list of those lost. This would be unusual, but clearly not impossible. Tommy's wife was pregnant when he was lost.
CERA Phillips was the head of the engineering team, under Lt Wright. His subordinates (in the terms of the time) were the Donk Shop Horse, the Outside Wrecker (who looked after machinery outside the engine room), and thee watch keeping engineers.
Born in 1902, he joined the Service as a Boy Artificer at 15. He trained at HMS Fisgard until 28 July 1917. He qualified as an Engine Room Artificer 5th class from 1 Jan 1922. By December 1928 he was at Dolphin. He rose to C.E.R.A. in the 1930’s. Tommy was almost certainly aboard Triumph in December 1939 when she hit a mine in the North Sea and survived (he is referenced in the board of enquiry report).
