Major Frederick Hugo OBE MC

[corisande]

Not a likely candidate for Auxiliary Division of RIC, but he was one of the many men of C Coy ADRIC who died in Kilmichael ambush in Nov 1920 in Ireland

He was 40 years old and had OBE as well as MC. His MIC is complex on this link.

I cannot find the references to his OBE or his MC. The awards themselves are genuine in as much as LG refers to him with them when he resigns his commission in Apr 1919

LG says that his MC was gazetted 15th October, 1918

By elimination I assume his OBE was in Jan 1919 in as much as he has it when he resigns his commission in Apr 1919, but does not seem to have it in 1918.

It may well be because he started the war in Indian Army that they were gazetted in a way that was different. Either way they defeat my efforts to obtain them

Can anyone put their finger on the citations?

[corisande]

And

2011 Mar 6. A Dorset paper reports the sale of his medals for £3500. Medals found among toys in an old chest have sold for £3,500 at auction. He was an ancestor of the medals' last owner, Thomas Kerr. These medals, which included a Military Cross and OBE, were just randomly mixed up with all the contents of a chest. Thomas Kerr must have played with them along with his other toys when he was a boy. Major Frederick Hugo was no ordinary soldier. In World War I he was in the Intelligence Corps and served as an interpreter. He was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. In an enemy air raid, a bomb exploded close to a large munitions dump. Putting his own life at risk, Hugo went to the scene and oversaw the extinguishing of the fire, thus averting a disaster.

[Philip Wilson]

His entry in Honour the Officers page 395 reads:

HUGO Frederick T/Captain T/Major MC Special List DSER LG 15.10.18 page 12077

There is no mention of an OBE.

However there is the following entry directly above his name:

HUGO FitzHerbert Captain T/Major OBE Special List FF+ LG 3.6.19 page 6800.

Philip

[SteveE]

His MC Citation was incorrectly published in the London Gazette #30950, 15th October 1918, Page 12077. Link is here...http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/30950/supplements/12077

T./Capt. (T./.Maj.) FitzHerbert Hugo, Spec. List.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During an enemy air raid a direct hit exploded a large dump of ammonal, setting fire to some trucks near a quantity of ammunition. He at once went to the scene, and thanks to his clever organisation and fine example to those working under him, the fire was extinguished and a serious disaster averted.

The correction to his name appeared in London Gazette #31219, 8th March 1919, Page 3254. Link is here...http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31219/supplements/3254

AMENDMENTS.

The following are the correct descriptions of Officers upon whom awards have recently been conferred: —

T./Capt. (T./Maj.) Frederick Hugo, M.C.

Spec. List (D.A.D. of Ry. Traffic).

(M.C. gazetted 15th October, 1918.)

Presumably his OBE was similarly incorrectly attributed, London Gazette #31370, 3rd June 1919, Page 6800. Link is here...http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31370/pages/6800

Hugo, Capt. (T./Maj.) FitzHerbert, M.C., Spec. List.

His entry in WO338 Index to Officer's Long Number papers clearly attributes him with the MC and OBE.

Regards

Steve

[corisande]

Thanks you very much, I thought that it must have been the wrong name, but darned if I could tease the right one out of the databases.

I suspect that he may have changed his name at some point. ADRIC tended to act a bit like French Foreign Legion.

The fact that they have given both medals to "Fitzherbert" points to something odd "one mistake is unfortunate, two is careless"

The long number is interesting too in confirming his railway work MIN says "Spec. List (Deputy Assistant Director Railway Traffic), and long no says "Railway Transport Establishment."

[corisande]

More digging on the sale of his medals gets me this photo

My knowledge of medals is not great, I recognise the MC and OBE but can anyone say what the one in the centre is?

[corisande]

Hugo, Capt. (T./Maj.) FitzHerbert, M.C., Spec. List.

Made me smile this, but after considerable digging I discovered that he was called "Fritz".

He was actually born "Hugo Friedrich Eichenbrenner", son of Carl Hugo Eichenbrenner. Family dropped the Eichenbrenner in 1890s, his father called himself "Charles Hugo" and the boy became "Frederich Hugo", known in the family as "Fritz"

Perhaps someone can tell me what a man had to produce in the way of Birth Cert, this chaps would certainly have been "Hugo Friedrich Eichenbrenner". Presumably that is why the "FitzHerbert" snook into the OBE and MC citations, if the paperwork had not been ironed out properly

[Guest thomas.kerr]

The 3rd medal is I believe just a society medal of something like the order of St Patrick , an anglo irish drinking club

Also when he won the MC he according to family history drove a canvas covered truck full of munitions which was on fire out of the depot and when it exploded he was saved by being blown thru the canvas roof and landind in a shell hole full of water