WW2 Royal Navy LS&GC Medal Group to Dell + Minesweeping Clasp.

A substantial Royal Naval group of 8 awarded to JX/128182 Leading Seaman Frederick Richard Dell RN.
The group mounted as worn comprises of the 1939/45 star, Atlantic star, Africa Star with North Africa 1942-43 bar, Italy Star, Defence medal, 1939/45 War medal, Naval General Service medal Geo VI (Fid Def 1949-52) with Scarce Minesweeping 1945 – 51 clasp (correctly connected to suspender bar) correctly named to JX128182 F. R. Dell Ldg. Smn. R.N. and the Royal navy Long Service and Good Conduct medal correctly named to JX128182 F. R. Dell L. S. HMS Defiance.
Frederick Richard Dell was born in Stoke, Devenport, Devon on 26th February 1911. He was educated at the Greenwich Naval School before joining the Royal Navy in 1926 as a Boy. After passing his education tests in 1928 he served mainly on HMS Rodney.
HMS Rodney was one of two Nelson-class battleships built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1920s. The ship entered service in 1928, and spent her peacetime career with the Atlantic and Home Fleets, sometimes serving as a flagship when her sister ship, Nelson, was being refitted. During the early stages of the Second World War, she searched for German commerce raiders, participated in the Norwegian Campaign, and escorted convoys in the Atlantic Ocean. Rodney played a major role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in mid-1941.
During WW2 Rodney escorted convoys to Malta and supported the Allied invasion of French Algeria during Operation Torch in late 1942. The ship covered the invasions of Sicily (Operation Husky) and Italy (Operation Baytown) in mid-1943. During the Normandy landings in June 1944, Rodney provided naval gunfire support and continued to do so for several following offensives near the French city of Caen. The ship escorted one convoy through the Arctic to the Soviet Union in late 1944. In poor condition from extremely heavy use and a lack of refits, she was reduced to reserve in late 1945 when Frederick Dell was put on Minesweeping duties and awarded his GSM in 1949. He was awarded his LS&GC medal in March 1945 at the shore base Defiance.
Obviously, it is probable he served on other ships and inshore in North Africa 1942-43 this all needs more research.
This group comes with some copied research and his original medal bars.
The medals are in good condition and mounted as worn, so there are some contact marks on the rims of the silver medals.

Code: 29522