 Becher was serving as squadron gunnery officer aboard the Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire ] when the Second World War broke out . In May 1940 , Devonshire was dispatched to the Namsos region of Norway to assist in the extraction of Allied troops . Commended for his " daring , resource and devotion " during the operation , Becher was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross . The notification for the decoration was published in a supplement to the London Gazette on 19 July 1940 , and the investiture ceremony was held by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 11 March 1941 . 
