Awarded to Harold Hazelgrove Swayne Lieutenant Engineer RN (1896-1982). Obverse: Head of King George VI. Legend: 'GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX : F:D : IND : IMP'. Reverse: An oak tree and Royal crown supported by lions rampant, their heads turned away. Inscription: '1939', '1945'. Exergue: 'THE DEFENCE MEDAL' Fitted with a bar and orange ribbon with pale green edges divided by a narrow black stripe. Mounted on a bar with three others.

Harold Hazelgrove Swayne was born in Portsmouth, the son of Chief Boatswain John Crabb Swaine. Harold signed up for twelve years naval service on 4 May 1914. He was initially attached to HMS 'Fisgard' - a Portsmouth base for training engineers and artificers. Swayne served as an Engine Room Artificer during most of the war in pre-dreadnought battleship HMS 'Hindustan', leaving her in February 1918. He then served in destroyer HMS 'Vampire' for the last months of the conflict. In 1928 he was promoted Acting Warrant Engineer and was commissioned on 1 October 1938. His medal group indicates that he continued his naval service during the Second World War but probably in a non-combatant role. He married Gladys May Semmens at Portsmouth in 1919.