Croix de Guerre 1939, awarded to Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton, GCB, DSO.

Admiral Horton was born in 1883 and entered the training ship ‘Britannia’ in 1898. A pioneer submariner, he was given command of the submarine ‘A1’ at the age of 22. In 1914 in command of the submarine ‘E.9’ he sank the German light cruiser ‘Hela’ and a destroyer near Heligoland. For this action Horton was awarded the DSO. He was awarded a bar to his DSO in 1917. In 1920 he commanded a submarine flotilla in the Baltic against the Bolsheviks and was awarded a second bar. In 1922 he was put in command of a flotilla of ‘K’ class boats.

He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1932 and to Vice-Admiral in 1936. Admiral Horton was in command of the Reserve Fleet 1937-9, which he brought to a state of preparedness by the time the war began. He also contributed to the defeat of the U boats as Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches, a post he held until the end of the war. He was promoted to Admiral in 1941 and created GCB in 1945. Admiral Horton died in 1951.

The medal is in the form of a bronze cross pattée superimposed on two crossed swords. The central medallion on the obverse bears the symbolic head of the Republic (Marianne) encircled by the inscription: ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE’. Inscribed on the reverse, ‘1943’. Suspended from a watered silk ribbon bearing a bronze palm. The ribbon appears to be incorrect – red with four white stripes – but this may be due to severe fading of the green stripes.

The museum also holds the following medals of Admiral Horton: Distinguished Service Order with two bars (MED2549), 1914-15 Star (MED2550), British War Medal (MED2551), Victory Medal (MED2552), George V Jubilee Medal (MED2553), George VI Coronation 1937 Medal (MED2554), Legion d’Honneur, 3rd Class Commander (MED2544), Legion of Merit USA (MED2548). The Museum also holds Admiral Horton’s decorations.