Beschreibung:

A Very Rare ‘Easter Rising’ M.I.D. group of three to Lieutenant H. E. Archer, Royal Navy whose ship Adventure carried Lieutenant Spindler and the captured crew of the German Steamer Aud after their ill-fated attempt to deliver arms to Roger Casement for use in the Sinn Fein Rebellion 1914-15 Star (Lieut., R. N.); British War and Victory Medal, with M. I. D. oak leaf (Lieut. R. N.), nearly extremely fine £200-300 Footnote M. I. D. London Gazette 24 April 1917. Sold with copy of Certificate of Service confirming service aboard the Adventure and further stating ‘M. I. D. for services in connection with the Sinn Fein rising in Ireland, April 1916’. Lieutenant Spindler arrived at the renezvous at Tralee Bay off the West Coast of Ireland at 4:15pm on 20 April 1916. It was here that he was due to meet Roger Casement aboard a German U-boat and deliver his cargo of arms for use by the Sinn Feiners in the proposed uprising. He was in command of the German Steamer Aud which was disguised as a Norwegian vessel. Upon arrival he found to his bitter disappointment that there was no U-boat in sight. According to the orders he had been issued with he was to wait just half an hour at which point if the other party failed to put in an appearance , the Aud could either run into Fenit or turn back home. In point of fact Roger Casemant was at the rendezvous aboard the U22 Commanded by Lieut. Commr. Weisbach but from a distance the dark outline of the Aud had been mistaken for a British destroyer and as such little more attention was paid to it. Spindler steamed about the Bay till after dusk displaying the prearranged green signal, but it soon became clear that there was no one at all to meet him. At 5am the following morning the Setter II Skippered by John Donaldson, R.N.R. came alongside and boarded the Aud. Spindler however,successfully decieved Donaldson into believing his disguise and showed him the cargo which at first sight appeared to be nothing more than a consignment of pots and pans. Donaldson satisfied with the Aud’s innocence went on to inform Spindler that the area was surrounded by all sorts of naval vessels as they were expecting some sort of trouble. Spindler therefor resolved to wait under the island till dark, then get thirty miles out into the Atlantic and steam South to Spain. But soon after 1pm he was again approached this time by the Lord Heneage a large armed trawler, at this point Spindler realised that the game was up and ordered the cargo to be thrown overboard. The Aud was now fleeing for her life and in pursuit Lord Heneage was joined by Setter II. After some distance H.M.S. Zinnia and H.M.S. Bluebell took up the chase eventually catching up with the Aud and escorting her into Queenstown. The next morning, Saturday 22 April at 9:25am the Aud when just outside Queenstown and still under escort suddenly stopped her engines and lowered her boats into which every member of the crew clambered. Spindler ordered the German naval ensign to be hoisted and then proceeded to detonate explosives with the effect that the Aud sank. The Bluebell stopped and picked up the entire crew, consisting of the Captain, two Warrant Officers and nineteen Petty Officers and men. That evening the prisoners were transferred to H.M.S. Adventure and taken to Milford Haven en route for Chatham. Spindler admiitted that he was treated with great courtesy and kindness whilst aboard the Adventure and was given an officer’s cabin. In his published memoir he wrote ‘discipline, order and cleanliness were simply perfect aboard the Adventure.’ This incident which also resulted in the capture of Roger Casement had the nett result of stamping out the rising which should have swept across Southern Ireland, and to localise the trouble about to flare up in Dublin. (Danger Zone, The Story of The Queenstown Command, by E. Keble Chatterton refers.)