Trying to find DCM & MC Citations

[Stephen Nulty]

Pals

I am trying to find details of the awards to the two men shown below. I can't find either on the LG site....which doesn't mean anything!

All help gratefully received.

DCM

8541 Pte. John Cunningham, 2nd Bn., Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Died East Africa.

CWGC Details

MC

Captain Harry Garrett Whitaker, 1st/5th Bn., South Lancashire Regiment. Died at home in 1920.

CWGC Details

[welshdoc]

I think this is one

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/archiveVi...&selHonourType=

note spelling name.

gareht

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Cunningham's Gazette is dated 3:6:15 2nd Bn;DCM for East Africa[R.W.Walker DCMs 1914~20} A "Gazettesonline" date search "Cunningham" between June 1st & 3rd 1915:~

London Gazette 3rd June 1915;

[issue 21980 pub:1st June 1915 Page 5339{Online search page 15 Hit 2 of 2 "Cunningham"~June 1st 1915~3rd June 1915}]

Gives the following:~

Pte 8541 Cunningham,J. 2nd Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment;:~

"For Gallant Conduct on 4th November 1914 during attack on Tanga {East Africa} & general good work performed under heavy fire"

[Fred W]

It looks like 9 DCM's were gazetted on 3.6.15 to the 2nd LNL in East Africa. Were they all for Tanga.If so would this be a record for one battalion in one battle?

Fred

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

I should think certainly for East Africa!

I suspect they were a "Bit Busy"

They all relate to 4th November 1914 & have the identical Citation as Cunningham's,

[Stebie9173]

See Stephen, just a matter of asking the right people!

Been searching for Cunningham, honest.

Steve.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Further to the above,from "Twenty Years After",this interesting snippet about the raid on Tanga,a Coastal Town,..............

"From the outset the movements of the expidition were far too dilatory,Moreover the German authorities @ Dar~es~Salaam had entered into some sort of unofficial agreement with the British by which they undertook not to molest British ships so long as the latter did not fire on any coast town,this arrangement had,so it turned out covered Tanga,Consequently @ dawn on November 2nd{1914} HMS Fox,flying a flag of Truce,steamed into Tanga to inform the German commissioner that the truce was to end,he was given an hour to haul down his Flag,this not being done @ 9.30am,it was decided to land.........The force disembarked @ three points,just south of Ras Kone,east of Tanga;Ras Kone & Tanga Bay.The ground was densely overgrown scrub & Maize plantation,over 8 feet high,& Rubber Plantation.

After wasting most of November 2nd,a greater part of Force "B" was ashore by 16.30 hrs,Advancement was arduous & a protracted action involving 13th & 61st Indian Regiments made it clear that Tanga would not be taken without more troops & some stiff fighting,The sole British Battalion with the force,The 2nd Bn,LOYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE Regt,then landed,dug some trenches & put out outposts.But it was not until 10.00am on the 4th that the Force was fully ashore{"The enemys resistance disorganised our plans" runs the Loyals War Diary}

von Lettow Vorbeck had all day been re~inforcing the Town by way of the Usambara Railway,from around 400 Men & 6 MG to over 1300 Men & 30 MGs.

The attack restarted around 13.00 Hours on the 4th,The Indian Imperial Service Brigade on the right; the Loyals,on the right hand side of the left,being the direcing unit with the 27th Bde on the left....,no guns were landed by the Imperial forces,it was decided to fire from aboard HMS Fox.........

The British advance proceeded slowly impeded by the assistance of swarms of Wild Bees,that when disturbed proved a more effective assailant than enemy snipers!

By 15.00 hrs the attack started to go the right way for the British & Indian Force,& by 16.00 hrs the 2nd Loyals & 2nd Kashmir Rifles wre in Tanga,House to House Fighting ensued & the Loyals lost cohesion in their stubbornly contested advance; @ 16.30 von Lettow Vorbeck launched his counter attack,having been re~inforced further by the Railway,throwing everything he could @ the 101st,virtually putting them out of action,............

The British attack had been roughly handled but the situation was far from hopeless,casualties amounted to little more than 800 men,Water however necessitated a fall back to the Hospital Buildings on Tanga Bay,where under the orders of General Aitken,who was dismayed @ the reports reaching him, the whole force was ordered to withdraw to the landing beaches,followed the next day by a complete re~embarkation & return to British East Africa,thus ending one of the "Most deplorable events of the whole War";To our initial reverse @ Tanga must be ascribed the original cause of the remarkable resistance which General von Lettow Vorbeck eventually offered to British Forces in East Africa..................."

So it would seem that those 9 LNL DCMs were not only all for the same action,but for a resounding thrashing by the German Askari Troops,that happened over the course of just a few hours,& caused the Imperial British Forces to withdraw from Tanga for to lick its wounds,having landed just a few hours earlier.

[Stephen Nulty]

Chaps

Many thanks for all the replies which have filled in a few blanks for me, and special thanks to Harry for the extract.

As you say Steve, it's just a question of asking the right people !!

Regards to all

SN

[Ken Lees]

Did you know Whitaker was also recommended for a Mention in Despatches? I suppose it could have been upgraded to an MC award.

At the time, Whitaker was 2/Lieut. (Acting Captain).

Dated 7/3/17, the citation, for the King's Birthday Honours List, reads:

"At Delville Wood 9th & 10th September, 1916 when in command of a company in Edge Trench, our right flank being in the air, showed great coolness and daring in patrolling and getting in touch with the battalion on our right and in also locating the enemy in Hop and Ale Alley."

Ken

[Stephen Nulty]

Thanks, Ken, I didn't know that.

I'll add it to my database

SN