Who is This ? ? ?

[neverforget]

10 minutes ago, Ron Clifton said:

Lieutenant Frank de Pass VC, 34th Poona Horse. In the Great War he was both the first Jewish officer and the first Indian Army officer to win the Victoria Cross. He was born in Kensington and went to Rugby School.

 

It's the kind of photo that somehow sticks in your mind once you have seen it.

 

Ron

Spot on Ron. Well remembered. 

http://ww1.nam.ac.uk/stories/lieutenant-frank-de-pass/#.Wie0uJ-nzqA

[neverforget]

Another remarkable chap with connections to an Indian regiment:

 

Edited 6 December , 2017 by neverforget

[Knotty]

VC holder?

[neverforget]

1 minute ago, Knotty said:

VC holder?

Not this time John though he certainly warranted one in my opinion.

He was awarded the M.C. and was wounded several times, mortally in the end.

[Knotty]

Well that took out my first guess of John Sinton from the British Indian Army Medical Service

[neverforget]

Partook in several big-name battles on the Western Front, before being transferred to the middle east. 

Left behind a legacy in the form of many wonderful photos, and a lengthy diary, excerpts from which have been making the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

 

Edited 6 December , 2017 by neverforget

[neverforget]

Tales of fighting with kukris that tend to make one's toes curl.

[Knotty]

Now I’m starting to get angry with myself.

 I can find photographers,diary writers, Indian regiment connections, and MC winners k.i.a.  But can I get all together can I heck, I was going to put a quote from in from Cpt. Oates but I will be back soon.

Nice one NF certainly a very obscure WIT 

[neverforget]

I assume that given my last clue you have picked up on the fact that we are talking Gurkhas?

[Knotty]

Hi nf

I have Gurkhas, 39th Garhwal Rifles and a couple of other Indian regiments using kukris

But I have now another clue.....Gurkhas

[neverforget]

His regimental obituary said that they had lost an officer impossible to replace, and certainly one of the very best. 

The Gurkhas who served under him said that there was nobody to compare to him.

[helpjpl]

On 6 December 2017 at 10:01, neverforget said:

Another remarkable chap with connections to an Indian regiment:

 

 

Walter Greville Bagot-Chester MC,  3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles.

 

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/651859/bagot-chester,-walter-greville/

 

http://ww1.nam.ac.uk/stories/captain-walter-bagot-chester/#.WikuHkvfZEI

 

JP

 

[neverforget]

You have put John out of his misery JP.

Well done. Walter Bagot-Chester it is. 

http://ww1.nam.ac.uk/stories/captain-walter-bagot-chester/#.WikzQp-nzqA

As previously discussed here on the forum:

 

[Knotty]

Thanks JP

I have been chasing my tail on this one, Queen Alexandra’s was a long way down the list alphabetically, so I now have a free afternoon.

[Knotty]

Inspired by NF, and searching here’s another MC winner, nothing major notable  but an interesting pedigree and career, this is for starters :-

A member of the aristocracy he was born in France and pre-war served in the Austro-Hungarian Army for several years.

[neverforget]

48 minutes ago, Knotty said:

Inspired by NF, and searching here’s another MC winner, nothing major notable  but an interesting pedigree and career, this is for starters :-

A member of the aristocracy he was born in France and pre-war served in the Austro-Hungarian Army for several years.

His c.v. rings a bell for sure, but my memory completely fails me.

The search begins 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Knotty said:

Inspired by NF, and searching here’s another MC winner, nothing major notable  but an interesting pedigree and career, this is for starters :-

A member of the aristocracy he was born in France and pre-war served in the Austro-Hungarian Army for several years.

 

William  Orpen was the artist...so a narrow clientele. His portrait of Sir Adrian carton de Wiart* is possibly the definitive image of WWI Officers.  I shan't spoil it...

 

* His water colours owe a lot to William Russell Flint. A brilliant and bad artist at the same time. Did some interesting RNAS sketches. A wasted talent in the Great War. I digress.

[Knotty]

40 minutes ago, QGE said:

I shan't spoil it.

 

Thanks MG

A portrait not often seen.

Edited 7 December , 2017 by Knotty

[Fattyowls]

I know John's mystery officer and Carton de Wiart VC are only a sample of two but both of them look less than cheery. I suppose if you'd been wounded as many times as C de W you'd look grumpy. Still haven't got a clue who the first man is but it's been v. educational.

 

Pete.

 

P.S. I've just looked up Flint and found a picture of Watergate St in Chester which surprised me for some reason. I'd not come across him before and the websites I found look showed a very varied set of paintings. Some reminded me of Alma-Tadema, some I couldn't begin to describe.

[neverforget]

2 hours ago, QGE said:

 

William  Orpen was the artist...so a narrow clientele. His portrait of Sir Adrian carton de Wiart* is possibly the definitive image of WWI Officers.  I shan't spoil it...

 

* His water colours owe a lot to William Russell Flint. A brilliant and bad artist at the same time. Did some interesting RNAS sketches. A wasted talent in the Great War. I digress.

Orpen's portraits are instantly recognisable for sure. I think your tongue was firmly in cheek when you said that this narrowed it down, he being so incredibly prolific.

I absolutely recognise this chap, both by the picture, and the profile that Nohn has given him, but cannot for the life of me bring him to mind.

Once I had disclosed that Bagot-Chester was a Gurkha officer, I fully expected you to come in and nail him.

His account of the action at the mosque reminded me of the Alamo.

[Knotty]

My contender for WIT was precluded from enlisting and fighting for his country of birth on political grounds.

[neverforget]

12 hours ago, Knotty said:

My contender for WIT was precluded from enlisting and fighting for his country of birth on political grounds.

I think I have him John, though he wasn't the person my faulty memory was trying to recollect.

Prince Antoine d'Orleans et Braganza?

[Knotty]

Well done NF that’s the fellow

As I said what a strange pedigree, it gets better to find out he was with the CEF, then into the RFC, finishing up as a-d-c for “Warhorse” Seely’s staff,before going to the War Office. Tragically killed in an air accident a fortnight after the Armistice.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Antônio_Gastão_of_Orléans-Braganza

The link probably doesn’t do him and his career justice, so I personally would like to find ut some more.

[neverforget]

I see that his full name was quite a mouthful, Antônio Gastão Luiz Filipe Francisco de Assis Maria Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga. No wonder his family preferred to call him Toto.

As you say quite a colourful background.

Extensive library information about him does seem to be rather sparse though.

[neverforget]

Allo allo, what have we here then.

This chap's contribution to the war may have been slightly overstated, but credit where credit's due, he probably did save about half a million lives, and brought the end of the war forward by a considerable amount.