List of names mentioned in Gallipoli diary - mainly officers in RND

[NR72]

On 31/07/2015 at 01:27, DLM said:

Saunders : possibly : Temporary Major M. Saunders, Royal Marines (Captain, Indian Army).

Hi DLM , interested in this chap , i have  messaged you 

[Dever Mayfly]

On 01/08/2015 at 15:28, michaeldr said:

David,

Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett has lots of refs to his visiting his old friend Bettleheim at Helles

eg: http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/_transcript/2014/D24757/a6833.html

but identification of this character still evades me for the present

Good luck

Michael

edit I:

found him - Captain Bettelheim, the official interpreter

see https://archive.org/stream/uncensoreddardan00ashm/uncensoreddardan00ashm_djvu.txt

note change in spelling

edit II:

Also mentioned by Aubrey Herbert in his 'Mons, ANZAC & Kut' [see http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Mons/mons2.htm ]

“I met a friend, Bettelheim, nicknamed "Beetle," whose life had been one long adventure. When last I had seen him he had been an official in Turkey, and in a rising had been dragged from his carriage on Galata Bridge in Constantinople by the mob, with his companion, the Emir Arslan. Emir Arslan was torn to pieces, but "Beetle," with his marvellous luck, escaped.”

edit III:

The London Gazette has a couple of mentions of a Captain H Bettelheim – a somewhat unusual name, so it could well be him

ATTACHED TO HD.-QR. UNITS. Asst. Prov. Marshal.—(Graded for purposes of pay as a Staff Lt., 1st Cl.)—Lt. G. E. Sebag Montefiore, 21st Lrs., and to be secd., vice temp. Capt. H, Bettelheim. 29th July 1916.

GENERAL LIST. The undermentioned relinquish their commns. on completion of service : — Temp. Capt. H. Bettelheim, 23rd Dec. 1919, and retains the rank of Capt.

edit IV:

There are several snippets to be found on the WWW regarding

a Henri (Beetles) Bettelheim

who was born in Constantinople c.1860

He went to South Africa and was involved in mining

and in 1888 became the Turkish Consul in Johannesburg

He later got into serious trouble for being involved with the 'reformers' and the Jameson Raid

By the time of the South African war (1899) there was a Captain Bettelheim who commanded a unit called French's Scouts (see http://www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/south-african-units/334-frenchs-scouts ) and was given a MiD by Lord Roberts

The NA hold a file on a Major Henry Bettelheim see http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1079424?descriptiontype=Full&ref=WO+339/25513

Post Great War there was an H Bettelheim of 73 St James's Street, London, who wrote to W S Churchill on 8^th Oct 1922 enclosing a French pamphlet offering solutions to the Turkish/Greek conflict

Nothing certain, but it all looks very much like the same man mentioned in the diary and quite a character he must have been too

Good luck

Michael

I know this trail is a cold, but I have just been reading Ernest Bennett's memoir of his time in Libya during the Italo-Turkish war in 1911-1912.  There are a dozen mentions of Bettleheim who was one of five British correspondents attached to the Turkish side, who also became war correspondents in WWI.  The lunch they had with the paymaster of the cavalry, described on page 159, looks particularly appealing.  Here is the link:  https://archive.org/details/withturksintripo00benniala/page/312/mode/2up/search/bettelheim

 

[michaeldr]

Yes indeed, for a 'lunch' in the field that one would take some beating

Many thanks for the link which I will have to make time to come back to as the book promises to be a very good read.

 

regards

Michael

[michaeldr]

On 30/07/2015 at 23:27, DLM said:

Burrows

 

David,

 

This chap was in your original list of July 2015 as Burrows

I wonder if he was Captain A Burrowes RGA and was it in connection with an act of gallantry on 13 September 1915, which was mentioned by Brig Gen Mercer in a letter to the GOC RND asking him to bring it to the notice of the GOC Royal Artillery

 

Do you have any more information on this incident which you can share here?

 

regards

Michael

 

[NOTE : I've taken the spelling of the name from Lt-Col Johnson's 29^th Divisional Artillery War Record & Honours Book 1915-1918]

 

 

[horatio2]

Good find, Michael. Did the General's note result in an honour?

[michaeldr]

18 hours ago, horatio2 said:

.Did the General's note result in an honour?

 

Not so far as I can ascertain at the moment

I have brought this to the notice of Dick Flory

and I hope that he can add to our knowledge here

Edited 6 June , 2020 by michaeldr

[michaeldr]

The Medal Card WO 372/24/8937 shows Major A Burrowes received a MiD Gazetted 12.1.18 (p.791) so it does not look like he received anything for his action at Helles

[though there is still time yet to hear from Dick Flory on the other thread]

If the Turks had successfully shot, hit and thus exploded the Dumezil round, then very probably many in the British trench would have been killed or injured. Burrowes' successful retrieval of that round, under fire from enemy trenches only 60 to 80 yards away, certainly deserved something, as indeed Brig-Gen Mercer thought at the time.

Edited 6 June , 2020 by michaeldr

[horatio2]

What did Gen Mercer say in his note? I cannot find Burrowes in either Hamilton or Munro's list of awards.

[michaeldr]

H2

 

I'm sorry but that's information which I don't have,

but that's exactly what I'm hoping that David can throw some light upon based on his family papers

 

regards

Michael

Edited 6 June , 2020 by michaeldr