A fine Great War M.C. group of nine awarded to Colonel J. D. “Debonair Digby” Wyatt, Northamptonshire Regiment, onetime Second-in-Command of the 2/4th Gloucesters and 2/6th Warwickshires, who was wounded at Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 and gassed in early December 1917: his wartime diary is held in the archives of the Imperial War Museum and is a popular reference in respect of his entries covering the “Christmas Truce” 1914, when he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment

Military Cross, G.V.R., unnamed as issued; 1914 Star, with clasp (2-Lieut. J. D. Wyatt, North’n. R.); British War and Victory Medal, M.I.D. oak leaf (Major J. D. Wyatt); 1939-45 Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Coronation 1937; France, Croix de Guerre, with riband star fitment, mounted as worn, Victory Medal with officially re-impressed naming, minor contact wear, very fine or better (9) £1200-1500

M.C. London Gazette 3 June 1918.

James Digby Wyatt, who was born in December 1894, was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment in June 1912. Subsequently advanced to Lieutenant, he went out to France in mid-November 1914, where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment.

Christmas Truce 1914

Having passed Christmas Day in billets, and Boxing Day assisting an R.E. unit in draining flood water, Wyatt and his men were ordered back to the trenches on the 27th, where, as confirmed by the following extracts from his diary, they enjoyed an extended period of fraternisation with their German counterparts near Fleurbaix:

‘Sunday, Dec. 27th:
After messing about 3 hours were told to stay in billets ready dressed, so lay down as I was. Had a very uncomfortable night & hear the whole thing was “wind up” pure & simple. Sickening! Last night in billets spoilt. In the evening up into trenches. A long march. Were told by Bedfords that no firing had taken place since Christmas morning & that an informal agreement existed to withold fire until the other side fired. Extraordinary state of affairs. They come over & our men go out & talk & exchange tobacco & other things.’

‘Monday, Dec. 28th:
In the morning found our men & theirs all up on the parapets & no shooting at all. Later on I took an invitation to the German officers to dine out. An officer came out to meet me & we exchanged newspapers, and talked about all sorts of things (except fighting!). He finished up by regretting his inability to accept my invitation & hoped the war would soon be over, as they were all sick of it & the weather. Incidentally, we agreed not to start shooting till the other side did. Then we returned to our respective trenches!! An astonishing situation!!! I don’t see quite how it is going to end.’

‘Tuesday, Dec. 29th:
Same as yesterday, all walking about on top of trenches but intercommunication has been forbidden. An occasional shot from the enemy on our left who are “at war” with the Battalion who are on our left!! Thank goodness it is drier today. The wet had got the trenches into an awful state. They were in ruins, all fallen in. Happily we are at peace at present & hope to get them better before war breaks out again!!’

‘Wednesday, Dec. 30th:
Same routine as before. Still no war! At about lunchtime however a message came down the line to say that Germans had sent across to say that their General was coming along in the afternoon, so we had better keep down, as they might have to do a little shooting to make things look right!!! And this is war!! This we did, & a few shots came over about 3.30 p.m. Soon after we were relieved by Bedfords & after a long walk, arrived at our billets beyond Sailly.’

Neuve Chapelle - wounded

In March 1915, Wyatt’s Battalion was heavily engaged at Neuve Chapelle, and he was wounded on the 12th. His diary takes up the story:

‘Friday, March 12th:
That night the Germans counter attacked heavily on the right and got up a lot of guns. During the day we got our first taste of shelling. I gather one shell burst close to me and that ended my interest in the battle. I vaguely remember lying at the bottom of a shallow trench and then, when it grew dark, being told by someone to go and find the Doctor & see him. I remember wandering for hours & stumbling into holes and once found myself in a trench occupied by Border Regt. I remember their officer. Next I came upon 4 huge Grenadiers carrying a stretcher. I was told to follow them to the Doctor. They were carrying Col. Fisher-Rowe, I gathered. We went on for miles, it seemed to me and then at last got to a station of some sort. There I was given a Sal-Volatile and put on a Motor Ambulance and taken into Estaires. I spent what little remained of the night there.’

‘Saturday, March 13th:
During the morning I was sent on by motor ambulance to Merville & then during the afternoon was sent to the train. Oh how slow the train was. And how my head ached. Indeed it had done all the time. We wandered on stopping more than going. The train was packed, my first inkling of what Neuve Chapelle had cost.’

‘Sunday, March 14th:
Still in the train. Arrived Boulogne at 8 a.m. & then ordered on to Rouen. So on we went slowly. Got to Rouen at 10 p.m. absolutely done up. Sent up to Hospital. To bed at once.’

Battalion 2nd-in-Command - a close shave - gassed

Returning to France at the end of June 1916, Wyatt was posted as a Company Commander to the 2/4th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment a few days later, and was quickly back on front line duty:

‘Sunday July 30th: Sunday in the trenches once again ... in the evening a tragedy occurred. I was standing talking to Captain Foote in the rear of the trenches when I suddenly felt myself hit in the shoulder slightly; at the same time Foote said, “Oh, they’ve got me and slid into my arms. Within half and hour he was dead. This enfilade machine-gun fire is the limit, and some escape for me. I have two bullet cuts in my coat, the second bullet just grazing my shoulder. Poor old Foote, if he had not come down to see me, it would not have happened!’

In late November, the 2/4th moved to the Somme, while in the following year the Battalion participated in the advance on the Hindenburg Line, the battle of Arras and the first battle of Cambrai. Wyatt, who was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 25 May 1917, refers), also served as C.O. of 183rd Infantry Brigade School in October-November 1917. Soon afterwards he was appointed Second-in-Command of the 2/4th, and spent several days in hospital after being gassed in an enemy attack in early December. And by the time of the German offensive on the Lys in April 1918, he was serving as Second-in-Command of the 2/6th Royal Warwickshires:

‘During the morning of April 12th the most alarming rumours of the fate of the Battalion had reached the Transport Lines at Guarbecque. Major Wyatt, M.C., who had just been posted to the Battalion, formed a mounted patrol consisting of himself and three of the grooms, and set out at 2 p.m. to find out the real situation. Riding forward persistently and meeting with the most conflicting statements from various bodies of our troops encountered, the patrol eventually found itself in what had now become the front line on the extreme right of the Division. The Germans had not followed up their success of the morning, and were out of touch with our leading troops. After passing along the lines of the 4th Oxford and Bucks. Light Infantry and 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment who were both entrenching, the patrol reached the line on which the forward platoons of the Battalion were busy digging themselves in. After visiting Battalion Headquarters, who were somewhat surprised at such liberties in broad daylight, and satisfying themselves that the morning's rumours of complete disaster were unfounded, the patrol returned via Divisional H.Q., where they were able to give a detailed account of the exact location of the existing front line on the 184th and 182nd Brigade fronts.’

Wyatt was awarded the M.C. and returned to normal regimental employ with the Northamptonshire Regiment in the British Army of Occupation on the Rhine in 1919.

Remaining a regular between the wars, he gained advancement to Major and saw service in India and Singapore, latterly as a Staff Officer. In July 1940, he was advanced to Lieutenant-Colonel and held a succession of G.S.O. I appointments until July 1944, when, in the rank of Colonel, he was appointed to the Northamptonshire H.Q. Sub District of the Home Guard. He was finally placed on the Retired List in December 1946.

Settling in Devon, he stood - unsuccessfully - as a Parliamentary Candidate for Tavistock in the General Election of 1950, and was for many years an Alpine Race and Test Official of the Ski Club of Great Britain. “Debonair Wyatt”, so styled by his soldiers on account of his immaculate turnout, died in January 1983, aged 88 years; sold with a file of research and a copied typescript of his Great War diary (ref. IWM 4160 Box 83/12/1).