1939-45 & Atlantic Stars, War Medal all not named together with named Admiralty enclosure, in card box of issue, the address worn off and photo of him together with another Royal Marine and ladies.
Francis John Roberts, of Newton Abbot, Devon was in the Royal Marines numbered PLY/X1101 and was on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious during the Second World War, and was killed in action during Operation Alphabet on 8 June 1940.
On 31 May 1940 HMS Glorious sailed to the Norwegian coast to carry out air operations in support of the evacuation of allied forces from Norway in Operation Alphabet. On 8 June she returned to Scapa Flow, escorted by the destroyers HMS Ardent and Acasta. On the way through the Norwegian Sea they were spotted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
The british destroyers laid a protective smokescreen to hide the British ships, and engaged the German ships. Despite coming under heavy fire from the much larger guns of the Germans, Ardent carried out a torpedo attack and managed to score a single hit, before she was destroyed and capsized with the loss of 143 men. Acasta was sunk after two hours of fighting; the battle flag of the Gneisenau was lowered to half-mast and her crew brought to attention to honour the brave fight of Acasta and her crew.
The Scharnhorst switched her fire to Glorious and scored her first hit six minutes later on her third salvo, at an approximate range of 26,000 yards, the forward flight deck had a large fire which destroyed two Swordfish being prepared for flight and the fire in the flight deck prevented any other aircraft from taking off.
A hit the homing beacon above the bridge and killed or wounded the captain and most of the personnel stationed there. Glorious was hit engine room and this caused her to lose speed and become a sitting duck and she was hit several times more before she sank. Francis aged 27 years old was one of the 1,200 crew killed.
