WW1 Navy hero’s Victoria Cross set for record bid

 The Victoria Cross won by a Royal Navy captain who allowed his ship to be torpedoed so he could lure a German U-boat close enough to sink it could break the auction record for a VC.

Vice Admiral Gordon Campbell ordered his crew on Feb 17, 1917 to look panicked and abandon ship after HMS Farnborough had been struck and badly damaged.

When the captain of U-83 steered the submarine to within 30ft of the ship to finish it off, Admiral Campbell gave the order to open up the ship’s hidden guns, sinking the submarine with the loss of all but one of its crew.

He successfully used the same tactic twice more to sink German submarines and declined a second VC. Admiral Campbell also received the Distinguished Service Order three times, and David Kirk of London auctioneers Morton and Eden described it as a group of the highest national importance.

The Fellowship of St John Trust Association is selling them on the 100th anniversary of Admiral Campbell’s ruse with a pre-sale estimate of £300,000 but could break the British record for a Victoria Cross,