Royal Navy L.S. & G.C. Medal, G.V.R., 2nd issue, fixed suspension
154387 F. Fullocks, A.B. H.M.S. Wallington.
NEF Condition, some light contacting.
Frederick Fullocks had a lengthy service, born 1st Nov 1874 Morristown, Devon. He enlisted at age 18 giving his occupation as a Messenger in 1892, served on many ships and during WW1 served on HMS Niobe from 16th Aug 1914 – 13th September 1915 during which time it would have been in Canadian service. After about a year at Vivid I he was posted to HMS Wallington (Grimsby Depot) and served on HMS Cicala from 19th June 1916-13 Sept 1918 and thence to HMS Sylvia (a Destroyer) for the remainder of his service until 6 July 1919.
During the First World War, HMS (later HMCS) Niobe patrolled the approaches to the St. Lawrence River and then joined the Royal Navy's 4th Cruiser Squadron to patrol off New York City.
After returning to operational status, Niobe was sent with HMS Lancaster to patrol the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Following that from 11–13 September 1914, she escorted The Royal Canadian Regiment, aboard the transport Canada, to Bermuda, where they took up garrison duties. On her return journey the cruiser developed defects and required a week to repair. Those defects prevented the ship from escorting the large troop convoy carrying Canadian soldiers in October.
On 6 October 1914, Niobe joined the Royal Navy's 4th Cruiser Squadron on the North America and West Indies Station. She was engaged in intercepting German ships along the American coast until July 1915. During this period she chased the German raider SS Prinz Eitel Friedrich into Newport News, Virginia. After refuelling, the raider's captain opted for his vessel to be interned by the Americans instead of fighting the Niobe. As the patrol work continued Niobe began to wear out. Her final patrol was 4–17 July 1915, after which the cruiser returned to Halifax. Her funnels were found to be rapidly deteriorating, her boilers were worn and her bulkheads were in poor shape. As a result of being worn out, Niobe was paid off on 6 September 1915 to become a depot ship in Halifax Niobe was paid off in September and served as a depot ship in Halifax. Damaged in the 1917 Halifax Explosion, she was sold for scrap and broken up in the 1920s.
HMS Cicala was a Royal Navy Insect-class gunboat. She was built in 1915 for shallow water work, possibly on the Danube or in the Baltic Sea during the First World War. Cicala was deployed to the Baltic for the 1918–19 British campaign against the Russian Bolsheviks. Whilst there her crew mutinied and refused to follow orders to attack a Russian shore battery. The mutiny was quelled when Admiral John Green threatened to open fire on the Cicala; five men were sentenced to imprisonment by court-martial over the matter. Cicala afterwards served on the China station, acting against pirates. She was at Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded in 1941 and provided fire support for the unsuccessful British defence. On 21 December 1941 she was struck by Japanese bombs and was afterwards scuttled.
Post his RN service, Fred joined the Merchant Navy and is lised on entering New York in 1920 aboard the RMS Royal George, 1922 on the White Star Line’s Arabic and again in 1923 on the Empress of Scotland. He died in April 1945 at Portsmouth.
