Royal Naval Reserve Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. GV issue 1st type (V.403 W. Ahern, Sto. R.N.R.)

Medal(s) Verification: The Royal Naval Reserve Naval LSGC confirmed as entitled, and the recipient additionally awarded a 1914-14 Star trio as referenced below:

- 1914-15 Star: ADM 171/120. William Ahern is shown holding rate of Engineman
- British War Medal (Silver issue): ADM 171/120. William Ahern is shown holding rate of Engineman
- Interallied Victory Medal: ADM 171/120. William Ahern is shown holding rate of Engineman
- Royal Naval Reserve Medal: Awarded to recipient at H.M.S. Colleen on 14 June 1917 (recipients RNR Service Sheet refers ref BT 377/7/1/122316)

William Ahern, son of Patrick Ahern and Catherine Ahern,  was a native of Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland, where he was born on, 21 July 1873. His extant service sheet, records that William's residence was at some time, No. 271, Dillon's Cross, Cork - and latterly resided at, 271 Old Youghal Road, Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland. William enrolled in the Royal Naval Reserve on, 20 June 1896. Prior to the Great War, William had attended numerous periods of training both in Ireland and in the United Kingdom, where in latter he had served on the 'Drill Ships', H.M.S. Cumberland in 1907, and at the time of compilation of the National Census for England & Wales in 1911, he was recorded serving as a member of the crew of H.M.S. King Alfred, that was then berthed at Torquay, Devon. When the Great War broke out in August 1914, William Ahern was mobilized and posted to the Battle-Cruiser H.M.S. Inflexible on which capital-ship ship he served as a 'Stoker' from 24 August 1914 to 11 September 1916. He was present at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, and all of Inflexible's other Great War actions through to 11 September 1916, that included the Dardanelles Campaign (Gallipoli) against Ottoman Turkish Forces, and the great naval battle for Jutland. For his service at The Battle of the Falkland Islands' - during which 'Inflexible' he was awarded prize money of £1.15s.9d paid to him on, 1 June 1917. After leaving 'Inflexible' he was rated 'Engineman' and posted to the Trawler Section of the Royal Naval Reserve. In addition to his war medals (sent to him on 7 February 1925) and RNR LS&GC medals, William Ahern was also awarded 4 x 'Chevrons' for service in 1914, 1915, 1916 & 1917. William Ahern was 'Dispersed to Shore on Demobilization' on,  13 February 1919', at H.M.S. Colleen, Queenstown, Ireland

H.M.S. Inflexible: Was one of three Invincible-class battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy before World War I and had an active career during the war. She tried to hunt down the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser SMS Breslau in the Mediterranean Sea when war broke out and she and her sister ship Invincible sank the German armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau during the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Inflexible bombarded Turkish forts in the Dardanelles in 1915, but was damaged by return fire and struck a mine while maneuvering. She had to be beached to prevent her from sinking, but she was patched up and sent to Malta, and then Gibraltar for more permanent repairs. Transferred to the Grand Fleet afterwards, she damaged the German battlecruiser Lützow during the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and watched Invincible explode. She was deemed obsolete after the war and was sold for scrap in 1921

The recipients service record is extant and accessible at The National Archives

Condition: VF

Code: 25556