Ypres 3 MC winner RFA

[welshdoc]

Hi all, My current research project is to Second Lieutenant William Harold Smith, he has at least 4 MICs two Ive got.

Medal card of Smith, W H

Royal Garrison Artillery 456 Serjeant /Acting Battery Quarter Master Serjeant

Medal card of Smith, William Harold

Royal Field Artillery 157914

Royal Horse Artillery 126556

Royal Field Artillery Second Lieutenant

Medal card of Smith, William Henry (Mic wrong is harold on original)

Royal Horse Artillery 126556 Private

Royal Field Artillery Second Lieutenant

Medal card of Smith, William Harold

Royal Artillery Royal Garrison Artillery 456 Serjeant

Royal Garrison Artillery 31135 Acting Battery Quarter Master Serjeant

Royal Garrison Artillery Temporary Second Lieutenant

He was promoted to Lieutenant 2/12/16 and won an MC in September 1917 at Ypres.

Citation “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He established a visual signal station on a captured position and throughout the day sent back valuable information. It was mainly owing to his messages that a difficult situation was cleared up. He showed great coolness and initiative under heavy shell and machine gun fire”

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

As far as I can guess it was probably earned in the battle for the Menin road bridge as at least here there were some land gains.

“September 1917

A new strategy known as "bite and hold" was adopted for the actions of September and October, after the awful weather in August had contributed to the failures of earlier large-scale attacks. The idea was to make small gains which could be held against counter-attack. Sir Herbert Plumer replaced Hubert Gough in command of the offensive.

1,295 guns were concentrated in the area, approximately one for every five yards of attack front. On September 20 at the battle of Menin Road, after a massive bombardment, the Allies attacked and managed to hold their objective of about 1,500 yards gained, despite heavy counter-attacks, suffering twenty-one thousand casualties. The Germans by this time had a semi-permanent front line, with very deep dugouts and concrete pillboxes, supported by artillery accurately ranged on no man's land.)”

Now my question: would such an award in late September have been gazetted in the 27 October gazette supplement or would this date suggest an award earlier in the month. Gareth

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

[Stebie9173]

From what I've seen the "average" dates of award for MCs were starting to slip from 2 months to more like 3 by the end of 1917. Seems unusually quick, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Might have a look for possibilities at the start of 3rd Ypres, too.

Steve.

[ceebee]

welshdoc

Two questions come to mind.

First, are your certain of the month in which the action occurred?

Second, do you know to what division or corps your man's artillery unit was attached?

If you cannot be absolutely positive about the action occurring in September, then as Steve suggests it might have occurred at the front end of 3rd Ypres, perhaps on 31 July with the attacks on Pilckem Ridge, and the Gheluvelt Plateau.

For the opening attacks on 31 July, 752 heavy and 1,422 field guns had been assembled (Prior and Wilson, Passchendaele: the untold story, p.82). Pilckem saw the greatest advances with some 3000 yards taken. Despite the intensity of the preliminary bombardment, the attacking troops in both areas suffered due to German barrages and machine gun fire.

There were further attacks on the Gheluvelt Plateau on 10 and 16 August, but without much gain.

Cheers

Chris

[welshdoc]

Hi, thanks for the input, Im as sure as I can be that he earned his MC in the September as he had it engraved on the back. As yet Ive no idea of his unit as the MICs suggest in was in all sorts RGA and RFA, probably also RHA. Ill have to try to get his service records. The fact that he appered to have got into a German postion and September made me think of Menin road. Of course it is possible that he "earned" his award earlier but was informed about it later. I would have thought though that Sept was more likely.

Gareth