Herbert Terry DCM: ‘A splendid example of courage’

Posted on by Matt Ball

A letter recently appeared in the Sevenoaks Chronicle from David Terry appealing for information regarding his grandfather, Herbert William Terry. David referred to an article, which I had seen, regarding his grandfather which had been printed in the Chronicle during the war and later reproduced as a ’75 years on’ item in the 1990s. Other than that I knew little about Herbert and so emailed David to see if he had any further information and if I could help him in his research.

Luckily David has family photos and newspaper clippings that helped us reveal Herbert’s story and research revealed that Herbert’s service papers had survived intact and I was able to send these to David.

Herbert was born in Sevenoaks in 1887 to Arthur Jasper Terry (1861 – 1916) and his wife, Margaret Eliza nee Spavins (1857 – 1946). The 1901 census shows the family living on Hartslands Road with Arthur working as a gardener and thirteen year old Herbert described as a ‘cyclists boy’, possibly for the Post Office.

Herbert was twenty seven and working as a gardener when he enlisted shortly after the war began at Maidstone on 7 September 1914. His service papers show that he was 5ft 6 ½ with a dark complexion, blue eyes and black hair. He initially joined the 7th Battalion, Royal West Kents and was later transferred to 9th Battalion in July 1915 and then in August of that year to the 8th. Herbert had married Mary Maria Mercer (1894 – 1966) in early 1914 and his first son and David’s father, Arthur Bertram Mons Terry, was born later that year, to be followed by five other children.

imageHerbert with wife, Mary and eldest son Arthur, who was also given the name of Mons

According to his papers, Herbert did not leave for the Front until 1 October 1915. His papers show an unblemished record (apart from one instance of slightly overstaying his leave which led to his forfeiting one days pay) and that he was promoted to Lance Corporal then Acting Corporal and finally to Corporal in the autumn of 1916.He was promoted to Sergeant the following year and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in early 1918. According to the citation in the London Gazette of 17 April 1918 he received the medal

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was one of a party which entered the enemy’s trenches and captured two prisoners. He has continually done excellent patrol work and has set a splendid example of courage and good leadership during a long period’.

Some months before this on 24 July  1917, Herbert sustained a shell wound to his left leg, which was subsequently amputated. Herbert spent some time in a hospital in St Albans recovering from his operation and was honourably discharged in September 1918.

imageHerbert in hospital in 1917

At the time the Chronicle noted that

‘Mrs Terry of Bushes Road (now Prospect Road) received the news that her husband, Sergeant Herbert Terry, had his left leg blown off in the recent fighting’

After the war, Herbert worked at the Sevenoaks Telephone Exchange as male supervising telephonist, for many years being in charge of the night staff. He retired after thirty years’ service, with another profile in the Sevenoaks Chronicle and recalled how the night staff had once consisted of himself and one assistant, having since grown to more than twenty. He also recalled hectic nights during the Second World War

‘with 80 copies of the war communique to write out in between the passing of air-raid warning messages to exchanges and civil defence units throughout the area’.

Herbert enjoyed a long retirement and died in 1976 aged 89 and is buried in Greatness Cemetery. If any reader remembers Herbert or his family, I know that David Terry would be very interested to hear from you.

Cedric Gordon, An Undaunted Hero

Posted on by Matt Ball

Of the five Gordon brothers who fought in the First World War, two are remembered on the Sevenoaks War memorial. Donald Jervis Gordon was the first to be killed, dying on the third day of the battle of the Somme in 1916. Donald was a Lieutenant in the Border Regiment.

Captain Donald Jervis GordonDonald Jervis Gordon

His younger brother, Bernard Vernon, was killed later that year in December 1916, in a flying accident in Northumberland whilst serving with the Royal Flying Corps.

Second Lieutenant Bernard Vernon GordonBernard Vernon Gordon

The remaining brothers who fought were Thomas Milford – a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, Edward Basil and Cedric Foskett Gordon. During the course of my research for the book, a family friend of Cedric, David Lambourne, contacted me with information about him, including Cedric’s obituary and recently one of Cedric’s nephews, Martin Gordon, wrote to me from Australia, having been pleased to find the photograph of his uncle that David had sent me and which is now displayed on my ancestry page for Sevenoaks as well as in the War Memorial Gallery on this site.

Cedric lived to the ripe old age of  89, dying in Sevenoaks in 1979. Like his brothers Donald and Edward he was educated at Lancing College, were he excelled in sports. In 1910, he was commissioned into the North Staffordshire Regiment. He was sent to France on the outbreak of war and was wounded twice. In 1915 he was awarded the Military Cross for leading an attack on a village.

imageCedric Gordon (on right)

His second injury was the most serious and resulted in his losing a leg. You might be forgiven for thinking that this would be the end of his war service but Cedric joined the Royal Flying Corps and continued his wartime service as an observer and air gunner on the Western Front. He was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1917, was mentioned in dispatches four times and awarded the military class of the OBE in 1919.

According to another nephew,  quoted in his obituary, Cedric was shot at during one flight with the bullet shattering his wooden leg. On landing, he was said to have found the stray bullet in his pocket and was confined to bed until the camp carpenter had made him a new leg.

imageCedric, on left, having lost his right leg

After the war, and having gained his pilot’s licence despite his wooden leg, Cedric was sent to Russia with British forces to aid the White Russians in the Crimea in their fight against the Bolsheviks. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and received the Order of St Ann and the Order of St Stanislas from the Russians. After leaving Russia, he flew in Palestine, where during one flight for reconnaissance work, he was forced to land in the desert and was, according to his obituary ‘picked up by a band of friendly Arabs’.

Cedric later worked for British intelligence in mainland China, before returning to England and taking command of the RAF Bloom Centre. During the Second World War, he was eventually put in charge of the South East Air Training Corps and was also a member of the Home Guard.

On his retirement, he returned to Lancing College, where his brother Edward was a Master, to become Bursar. Later in life he became well known in Sevenoaks for his involvement in the local scouting movement.

imageCedric Foskett Gordon

Cedric’s nephew, Martin Gordon, wrote to me with his memories of his uncle:

He lived in a big house with grounds in Sevenoaks. He had big vegetable gardens, a large pig, called Mr Pig, and even a little wood on a hill. He had a little MG which he used to drive my sister and I into town with – we stood up in the boot. He never married and lived with his sister Kathleen. She affectionately called him “Beast” and he had a similarly uncomplimentary name for her, which I can no longer remember. He was a wonderful man- we lived near London, but we drove over to visit about once a year when I was a child, and it was always one of my favourite days of the year.

To my shame, I never quizzed him about his life. All I can remember is that he was a pilot in World War I and he lost a leg. He still had the trench coat he was wearing when he was wounded, with a hole burned in it – he showed it to me. He said he also fought in Russia after the war for the RAF. One of the things he told me was that when he was in Russia, he was shot down and had to walk through the snow back to base. I have recently been able to check the facts, and this is what actually happened:

On 23 December 1919 the plane he was in was hit and they had to make a forced landing behind enemy lines. He and the pilot burned the plane and set off walking through the winter snow. You can imagine how cold it was, Christmas time in Russia! And they didn’t get back to base until the next day. I can’t imagine how he did that with one leg.

Martin Gordon is investigating his uncle’s service in Russia and I am continuing to research the service of all of the brothers who fought during the war and who gave so much to their country.

The Warde Family at War

Posted on by Matt Ball

Last year I was very pleased to have been asked to join the summer Celebration at Squerryes .

Current owner, Henry Warde, Is a cousin of Basil Charles Conroy Warde, who was killed during the war and is remembered on the Sevenoaks War Memorial. Basil was born in 1892 and had served in Canada with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or ‘Mounties’ before returning home to England and serving with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

A Family Memoir

I hadn’t been able to find out very much about Basil, beyond a photograph and a brief mention in the Sevenoaks Chronicle. However, looking again for more information in advance of this weekend, I found an article written by his Great Great Niece, which had been posted on a Canadian website dedicated to remembering members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The article was published in November last year, after my book was published but I’m delighted that the author, Thomasina Godwin, has allowed me to reproduce it here:

As 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI, I thought it would be the best time to share some photos and information on my great-great uncle Reg.#4989, Basil Charles Conroy Warde.

Basil was born on February 28th, 1892 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. He was the fifth of six children, and the youngest son. His family were relatives of the Warde’s of Squerryes Court and he received his education at Tonbridge School. Tonbridge is a boarding school for boys located in Tonbridge, Kent, England. It was founded in 1553.Basil and his older brother, Richard, had a thirst to explore other frontiers and work hard for a living. Richard travelled to South America, where for some time he was involved in cattle ranching. And Basil, as you can tell, came to Canada.

Filename.ashxSecond Lieutenant Basil C C Warde 1892 – 1916

Basil wasn’t the first in his family to travel to Canada. His great uncle, Major Henry John Warde, came to Canada with the Royal Regiment and he was killed in a duel on May 22, 1838 in Montreal, QC. Basil arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick on January 8th, 1910 aboard the Empress of Britain. He was not yet 18 years of age. The passenger list stated that Basil’s intended occupation in Canada was farming, yet a few days later, on January 14th he had engaged with the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP).

Not much is known about Basil’s experience with the RNWMP, as many of the service records from that period have been destroyed. Nevertheless, I have a photo of Basil in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan (photo was dated 1910). At that time, Gravelbourg was a small, budding town with settlers arriving from across Canada, from the United States, and from many European countries.

4989Warde7.jpgBasil Warde in the uniform of the Royal North West Mounted Police

On October 25th, 1914, Basil arrived back in England as the country was engaged in World War I. He attended the wedding of his sister, Francesca; to Edward Norman Fortescue Hitchins on July 12th, 1915 (these are my great grandparents). My family has some photos of the wedding where Basil can be seen in his military uniform.

On February 28th, 1916 Basil entered France with the 2nd Battalion, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry. At this point his Battalion were probably in Béthune or the Festubert trenches — it is hard to imagine what frightful conditions Basil would have encountered in the trenches upon his arrival.

Meanwhile, back home in England, my grandmother Enriquetta Mary Hitchins, was born. It was May 23, 1916. Basil would have received the news of Enriquetta’s birth shortly afterwards. On June 19th, 1916 Basil wrote a letter to his new little niece providing her with some insightful life advice. 

July 1st, 1916 saw the start of the Battle of the Somme. Basil’s Battalion was involved in operations around Delville Wood and Guillemont. Early in the morning of July 30th, the 2nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry and the 24th Royal Fusiliers, supported by 5 Brigade’s Machine Gun Company, attacked from Waterlot Farm towards Guillemont Station, but the attack was unsuccessful and the Units were forced to withdraw. There were heavy casualties that day and Basil was listed as missing and presumed dead. Eventually, his body was located. He now rests in Delville Wood Cemetery, France not far from where he fell.

Basil Warde was only 24 years of age when he died and it was a tough loss for a close-knit family. Some of his personal belongings have been passed down over the years and his memory has not been forgotten. In fact, my sister, a Constable with the RCMP, now holds his RNWMP belt and pin.

‘A Great Grief to All’

Further research has revealed that Basil became Assistant Riding Master and Roughrider with the Royal North West Mounted Police His superior officer wrote of him as the grittiest youngster he had ever known “No matter how many times a horse threw him he was never beaten.” On the outbreak of war he came home and enlisted in the 16th Lancers, but realising that he was less likely to get to France at an early date in the cavalry, he applied for an infantry commission and was gazetted to the Oxford and Bucks. Light Infantry, on June 26th, 1915. He went out the following winter, and was slightly wounded on the first day of the Somme but insisted on carrying on and remained with his Regiment.

On the night of July 30th he was leading his platoon in an attack on an enemy trench when he was seen to fall. He was for long reported missing, but it is now known that he was killed, shot through the head, that night. Letters received from the Regiment testify to his utter fearlessness and his value as an officer, and his CO., writing at the time said that his being “missing” was a ” really great grief to all” and that he “could ill be spared by the Regiment.”

4989WardeObit

From Nursing to Spying, the Warde Family at War

Basil’s niece wrote to me this week with more information on the war service of Basil’s brother and sister:

Richard Edward Warde, known as Dick (1884 – 1932) attended Tonbridge School with his brother and also served in WW1. I believe he served with the Scots Guards and was wounded in the Battle of Loos. During his convalescence he met and fell in love with Muriel Wilson, who Winston Churchill had once proposed to. They married in 1917. Dick has been described as “an uncomplicated extrovert, very much an outdoor man, with the look of a buccaneer”. There is a story that during the war he had the terrible duty of commanding a firing squad for the execution at the Tower of London, of a spy, who being a soldier, avoided hanging. It is said that Dick sat up all night drinking with the condemned man, until the German passed out and never knew that dawn had come.

DickWardeMajor Dick Warde

In fact, according to Tonbridge School, Dick Warde served with the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards, in France from May to September 1915, and from September 1916, to January 1917. He was slightly wounded in the leg on September 25th, 1915, and was again wounded, this time more seriously in the arm, the following day near the Hohenzollern Redoubt. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches for services in France and was awarded the M.C. in 1916. Dick Warde was subsequently employed on intelligence work in 1918, with the acting rank of Major, which he kept on relinquishing his commission in 1920.

Basil and Dick had an older sister who also served during the war. Enriqueta Rosita Jenny Warde (1883 – 1966) was known as Diddy. Diddy trained as a nurse at Sevenoaks Hospital. During WW1 she joined Queen Alexandra’s Royal Nursing Service and was awarded the Royal Red Cross for bravery during a Zeppelin raid. In 1933 she was asked to open and run a private nursing home in Sevenoaks which proved a success. On the outbreak of war Carrick Grange was turned over to the army and for the next five years Diddy was back in uniform and was awarded another Royal Red Cross.

Another sister, Alice Enderica Warde (1896 – 1984) married Col. Bertram Ede, who became head of MI5 on Malta during the Second World War. The couple had two sons, one of whom, Charles Richard Ede, served with the Royal Tank Regiment during the war and went on to found The Folio Society. When he died in 2002, aged 80, his obituary  was carried in the Daily Telegraph.

My thanks to Thomasina Godwin and Superintendent J..J.  (Joe) Healy (Retired) for their help in the research for this post and kind permission to reproduce material originally posted elsewhere.