Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The outstanding Second War ‘North West Europe’ D.S.O., 1940 Dunkirk ‘Immediate’ M.C. group of eleven awarded to Brigadier A. J. D. Turner, Suffolk Regiment, later Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, who was awarded the D.S.O. for his gallantry and leadership as a Battalion Commander during the attack at Bemmel in Holland on 4 October 1944; he had previously been awarded the M.C. for his gallantry on the Dunkirk beachhead Bray Les Dunes on 29 May 1940. He later served as Commanding Officer of the Worker’s Brigade of the Ghanaian Army

Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, reverse officially dated 1945, with integral top riband bar; Military Cross, G.VI.R. reverse officially dated 1940; 1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Burma Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; General Service 1918-62, 2 clasps, Cyprus, Near East (Brig. A. J. D. Turner. D.S.O. M.C., Staff.), minor official correction to unit; Coronation 1937, unnamed as issued; Coronation 1953, unnamed as issued, mounted court-style for display purposes; together with the recipient’s three card identity discs, all stamped to him in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, good very fine and better (11) £5,000-£7,000

D.S.O. London Gazette 1 March 1945:
The original Recommendation, dated 8 October 1944, states: ‘At Bemmel on 4 October 1944 Lieutenant Colonel Turner was in command of 1st Hampshires who were taking part in an attack. Just as the attack started violent and very concentrated artillery fire was brought to bear by the enemy on Lieutenant Colonel Turner’s command post, knocking him down and killing and wounding most of the Officers and men in the command post. It also destroyed all his communications. He soon realised that the command post was under direct observation, and any movement brought more fire. Lieutenant Colonel Turner showed outstanding courage by successfully organising evacuation of the command post under very heavy fire. Knowing that he was temporarily out of touch by signal with his company, he immediately went forward on foot to the forward companies and personally directed the attack. By his outstanding courage and leadership all the Battalion objectives were gained despite intense artillery and mortar fire, and very stubborn resistance by the enemy.’

M.C. London Gazette 27 August 1940:
‘For valuable services during the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches. This officer showed a fine disregard of his personal safety throughout the evacuation. Always extremely fit, he did an immense amount of hard and dangerous work, showing a fine readiness to face any sort of unpleasant and difficult task without question. He proved himself utterly reliable and steady in most trying circumstances - his coolness being remarkable, and a grand example to the men.’

Arthur James Dillon Turner was born in Abbottabad, North West Frontier Province, India, on 19 September 1907, the son of Brigadier General A. J. Turner, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., and was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant into the Suffolk Regiment on 2 February 1928, seeing service with the 1st Battalion. At the time his Battalion was based at home, and he served as a Platoon Commander, being promoted to Lieutenant on 2 February 1931. He was then seconded for service to the Royal West African Frontier Force in Sierra Leone where he served as a Platoon Commander from 10 August 1932 to 2 February 1935, and during which period he returned home to represent Sierra Leone at Bisley, shooting as part of the team captained by Sir A. Hodson, and won for the team The Barrett Imperial Challenge Cup of which he wrote: ‘I tried the last shot at 1,000 yards and got a bull which gave Sierra Leone a one point win’. Turner was also the highest scorer on his team.

Turner rejoined the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment at Blackdown Camp, but then proceeded overseas to Madras in India to serve as a Platoon Commander with the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, and whilst out there was seconded to the Staff from 16 February 1936, and then served as a Station Staff Officer 1st Grade in India from that date till 13 December 1937, during which period he was promoted to Captain on 1 May 1936. He was posted home to attend the Staff College at Camberley from 21 January 1938, and on 15 February 1939 was appointed a Staff Captain with the Aldershot Command, which role he performed till 1 September 1939. Two days later the Second World War was declared.

Retreat from Dunkirk - Immediate M.C.
Turner was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General of 1st Corps from 2nd September 1939 through to 1st July 1940, having been promoted to Acting Major on 3rd September 1939, and then to Temporary Major from 3rd December 1939, he then saw service out in France with the British Expeditionary Force in 1940, and was involved in the retreat to Dunkirk, and then assisted in the evacuation of men from the beaches at Dunkirk, being based in the White House at Bray Les Dunes, it was here that he performed the deeds which led to the award of the Military Cross.

Further details of his time at Dunkirk comes from correspondence at a later date, one of which confirms that he won his Military Cross for his actions at Bray Les Dunes on 29 May 1940, and one of his fellow officers was John Spencer Churchill, nephew of the Prime Minister, who later led a charmed life as a Commando Officer in the Mediterranean during the war, but who at the time sketched an image of the evacuation at Dunkirk, including of the White House at Bray Les Dunes, which was later published in the Daily Telegraph on 15 June 1954, which prompted Turner, by then a Brigadier, to write and enquire about this image, and in return received as response from not only John Churchill himself, promising to forward an image of the scene discussed, but also detailing ‘I saw F.M. Alexander at Winston’s birthday party last year…’ As Turner confirmed in his original letter to the Daily Telegraph ‘for me your sketch has a particular value for it was at Bray Les Dunes on 29th May (according to the citation) that I was honoured with an immediate award of the M.C. At the time of Dunkirk I knew John Churchill well…’, he additionally mentions that ‘the last four officers to leave the little white house were Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal Lord) Alexander, Lieutenant-Colonel (later Major-General Sir) John Winterton, Major (later Major-General) Bob Ransome, and myself - then Captain’.

Further to this, Turner received a letter from one Mr. H. Hickman, who was then in June 1954 an Established Civil Servant at the Base Ordnance Depot in Bicester, but he been, at the time of Dunkirk, a Sergeant in the King’s Own Royal Regiment, and as he writes: ‘although you may not remember me I had the pleasure of getting certain instructions from you on the night of 30 May 1940. You may remember ordering me to get the French troops out of the queues and tell them to move further along the beaches where they were to be taken off. I had quite an interesting time carrying out this order in the semi darkness…’

Initially in May 1940 Turner had been based with 1st Divisional Headquarters at Douai, but with the advance of the German forces, was pushed back to Armentieres and then to the Dunkirk beaches at Bray Les Dune’s where the Headquarters took over the White House. As his diary recalls: ‘On 10 May left Douai and went to advanced Corps HQ just south of Belgian border for night’; ‘on 11 May advanced into Belgium spent night near Grammont billeted on Flemish couple…’ From 13 to 15 May he was in Brussels, and on ‘15 May - Brussels - news worse each hour. General Loyd goes home. Many fifth columnists about and not safe alone at nights out of doors’. On 17 May ‘we move back again to Halsted and stalk two fifth columnists (?) and capture them to find they are pansies running from Brussels! Night in village school.’ 21 May - ‘Still at Armentieres. Very heavily bombed as 2 Corps are also for some reason here. First hear of decision to evacuate.’ At Cassell 23 May - ‘In the morning we are shelled and see German tanks. We dump a lot of our personal belongings and just get away…’ 25 May ‘arrive back on Dunkirk canal perimeter. HQ in farm and badly bombed but George Millett and I are out as we spend night on canal bridge - revolvers and bottle of whisky!’ 26 May - ‘I arrive at Bray Les Dunes. HQ in house on sea front (the White House). Dive bombed on my way there. We begin to organise evacuation from beaches which has so far been a mad scramble by all concerned.’ 27 May - ‘on beach day and night except for relief for food and rum and tea! Order to evacuate all except 1st Corps arrives. We are depressed.’ 28 May - ‘Nearly bumped off by artillery - long range German shell lands near me on beach and kills man next to me. Orders to evacuate all above Lieutenant Colonel arrives. Very depressed!’ 29 May - ‘all evacuation from beaches ceases as Royal Navy withdraw ships. More depressed. See 1st Suffolk enrolee to Dunkirk led by Tony Milnes and Tiny Heal’. 30 May - ‘rec. Dunkirk for new HQ with Anthony Harden and Jack Winterton. Bombing so bad that it’s hard to find. Spend night new HQ Dunkirk - very noisy. Norris is hit.’ 31 May - ‘spend day organising evacuation from mole. They begin to shell us and Bob’s batman is hit. I get near miss. Fall down mole. Get aboard H.M.S. Sutton about midnight with Bob and Anthony - others all gone except for Jack W.’ Turner arrived at Dover the next morning.

Turner was appointed Deputy Adjutant Quarter Master General for 1st Corps at Doncaster from 14 July 1940, and held this post till 2 September 1940, being appointed to Acting Lieutenant Colonel on 14 September 1940, and then on the same date to Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General to British troops in Nigeria. His journey out by ship was interesting in itself, as he boarded the Belgian vessel S.S. Elizabethville and 14 September ’sailed from Avonmouth, spent the night at anchor Milford Haven. Told that ship’s company may be pro Nazi’. During this period his wife also wrote her experiences of the war, on 15 September ‘am still at Hans Road in spite of heavy raids all day and night. Saw bomber shot down over Victoria - what a crash!’ On 20 September she wrote ’raids still very heavy. Went to stay with Audrey Hall-Maxwell at Dumfries - got blitzed at Euston - all Euston road raised and burning’. Turner arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone on 30 September as ‘an uneventful voyage’ and then sailed on to Lagos which he arrived after a few more ports of call on 10 October ‘arrived Lagos early a.m. met by Denis Tadman. Found Charles already there as he came by air. Met my new General and Brigadier Richards. Charles and I in Grand Hotel - bloody awful.’ He was based at the Headquarters in Lagos through to 9 June 1942.

Turner was promoted to War Substantive Major and temporary Lieutenant Colonel on 14 December 1940, and was posted home to become Assistant Quarter Master General of Plans to South Eastern Command at Reigate from 9 June 1942, and was then appointed General Staff Officer 1st Grade from 11 March 1943 to 22 June 1944 being employed with Training at Combined Operations Headquarters in Inverary, and also with Operations at the Headquarters of the 2nd Army in London.

Normandy
With the invasion of Normandy and mainland Europe, Turner was appointed Battalion Commander of the 6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment, a part of the 49th West Riding Infantry Division, and saw service in Normandy from 26 June 1944 till early July 1944 when his Battalion returned to the United Kingdom due to heavy losses suffered in Operation Martlet which occurred from 25 June to 1 July 1944. Operation Martlet (also known as Operation Dauntless) was the name given to a preliminary operation, undertaken on 25 June 1944 by XXX Corps, to capture the area around Noyers, to protect the right flank of VIII Corps on 26 June, when it began Operation Epsom, an offensive into the Odon Valley. The 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division and the 49th West Riding Infantry Division were to capture Juvigny-sur-Seulles, Vendes and Rauray, to prevent German counter-attacks against VIII Corps from the area of the Rauray Spur and then extend the attack towards Noyers and Aunay-sur-Odon. It was the first time in Normand, that the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division operated as a complete unit. The attack front was held by the right flank of the Panzer-Lehr Division and the left flank of the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, with the support of approximately 80 88mm guns of the III Flakkorps. The attack failed to achieve its objectives by the end of 25 June and the 49th Division continued the operation until 1 July, when the division defeated a counter-attack by Kampfgruppe Weidinger of 2nd SS-Panzer Division Das Reich and the 9th SS-Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, which lost circa 35 tanks and other armoured vehicles. The II SS Panzer Corps, intended for a counter-offensive west of Caen towards Bayeux, was reduced to static defence of the Odon valley, by the losses incurred during Operations Martlet and Epsom and the danger of another British offensive near Caen.

North-West Europe - D.S.O.
Having returned to the United Kingdom, Turner was very shortly afterwards then appointed to the command of the 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment and returned to Normandy from 19 July 1944 to assume command of the Battalion. By the end of the month he was in the Tilley area, and on 30 July ‘began attack at dawn and lasted till evening. Gained 1,000 yards. About 80 casualties and we had bloody night.’ 31 July ‘gave orders for further attack to try and break through again towards Auctoville and Villiers.’ 1 August - ‘broke through near Ectot and advanced 3,000 yards with only two casualties’. Having reached Auctoville, after a brief rest his Battalion continued the advance to Mont Pincon. On 13 August ‘issued orders for attack on Saint Pierre village. Bloody night.’ Next day were further heavy casualties.

On 22 August ‘advance to the Seine begins. Saw General Montgomery. 23 August ‘move just beyond Conde’, 24 August ‘move up to Seine’. 29 August ‘waiting to cross the Seine. 31 August ‘crossed Seine at Vermon’, 1 September ‘spent night in Chateau for a charge just north of Seine.’ 2 September ‘reached Amiens with 11th Armoured Division’, 3 September ‘reached Arras with 11th Armoured Division’. 4 September ‘arrived just south of Brussels with Guards Armoured Division. Passed through Douai. First Battalion to cross Belgian border.’

On 5 September ‘entered Brussels after stiff fight at Hal. My jeep hit by machine gun bullets from German tank at 150 yards. Knocked into ditch.’ 6 September ‘Brussels captured champagne and liqueurs.’ 7 September ‘off to Antwerp behind 11th Armoured Division’, 8 September ‘Antwerp. Roche shelling us a bit but great reception’. 10 September ‘orders to move to Escaut’. 14 September ‘moved to De Groot Bridge and took over from Joe Vandelaur Irish Guards’, 16 September ‘De Groot Bridgehead getting ready to go into Holland’, 17 September ‘advance into Holland begins. Guards Armoured followed by us.’ 24 September ‘en route to Eindhoven’, 25 September ‘en route Grave’, 26 September ‘road cut by Boche near Grave’, 29 September ‘en route Nijmegen’, 1 October ‘we cross Nijmegen bridge to go to aid 69 Brigade’, 2 October ‘arrive near Bemmel in the Island. Our worst night - move HQ in a.m.’ [“The Island” was the name for the bridgehead over the river Waal but behind the river Lek.]

The next day, 3 October he was at “The Island” and then the next day saw his Battalion attack north of Bemmel, in order to expand the bridgehead up to the Wettering Canal. It was during this action on 4 October 1944, that Turner, who described it as ‘heavy casualties, but get our objective. My command post hit and knocked out’ performed the actions for which he would be awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

Later Service - Burma, Cyprus and the Middle East, and Ghana
Promoted to Major and Temporary Lieutenant Colonel on 2 February 1945, Turner then left the Battalion and was appointed General Staff Officer 1st Grade for Training with Combined Operations Headquarters out in Delhi, India from 4 February 1945 which post he held till 31 May 1945, being promoted to Acting Colonel on 1 June 1945, and was a Colonel on the General Staff of Combined Operations from 1 to 30 June 1945, being then appointed Colonel “Q” at the Headquarters of the 14th Army in Burma which post he held from 1 July to 9 December 1945, being promoted to War Substantive Lieutenant Colonel and temporary Colonel on 1 December 1945, and then to Acting Brigadier on 10 December 1945, and served as Officer in Command of Administration with Headquarters of Malaya Command, a post he held through to 20 January 1946. Posted home from Malaya, Turner had a brief spell of leave, and was then appointed to the British Army on the Rhine as Assistant Commandant and Chief Instructor of Training at the B.A.O.R. Training Centre from 2 April to 31 December 1946, being then appointed Deputy Adjutant General of the 2nd Echelon, B.A.O.R. from 1 January 1947 to 24 September 1948, and then Colonel A/Q of the B.A.O.R. from 25 September 1948 to 6 May 1951, during which period he was confirmed in his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on 29 November 1949, and then promotion to full Colonel on 31 January 1951.

Turner was promoted to Temporary Brigadier on 12 May 1951, and then appointed to the Command of the 151st Infantry Brigade, Territorial Army at Newcastle from 12 May 1951 to 24 March 1954, during which period he hosted both Field Marshal Slim and Field Marshal Montgomery on their official visits. He was appointed Director of Boys’ Training at the War Office from 25 March to 21 April 1954, and then sent out to Suez to served as Deputy Adjutant General to the Middle East Liberation Force in Egypt and later in Cyprus during the conflict in both countries, a post he held from 22 April 1954 to January 1957, and during this period he was confirmed in his full promotion to Brigadier on 18 February 1955. Turner retired from the British Army on 13 May 1958.

However, Turner was not yet finished, and offered his services to the Ghanaian Government where he assumed command of the Worker’s Brigade, getting to know Kwame Nkrumah, the then Prime Minister of Ghana, who later became President of Ghana and was the first native leader of an African nation after independence. He died at Accra in Ghana on 8 October 1959 and is buried there with a military headstone.

Sold with the following documentary archive:
i) The recipient’s original hand-written Five Year diary covering the period January 1940 to December 1944 and twinned with that of his wife whose entries appear on the same pages giving an excellent account of her experiences during the London Blitz, and of his experiences during the war - with some colourful entries.
ii) A pair of fine large format portrait photographs of the recipient - one when serving as a Major, the other in civilian clothes, taken around the same time
iii) A wartime photograph of the recipient taken when on service, wearing ribands of the Military Cross and Coronation Medal 1937.
iv) Newspaper cutting confirming the award of his Military Cross at Dunkirk; two newspaper cutting confirming the award of his Distinguished Service Order; and a newspaper cutting from The Times listing honours and awards for North West Europe including Turner’s D.S.O., dated 3 March 1945.
v) Letter to the recipient from the Commander in Chief British Army of the Rhine, dated 17th May 1951.
vi) A score sheet showing his shooting results for Bisley in 1933, which were sent to him in 1951, and detailing the time when he won for the Sierra Leone team, captained by Sir A. Hodson, The Barrett Imperial Challenge Cup on which he writes: ‘I tried the last shot at 1000 yards and got a bull (5) which gave Sierra Leone a one point win’.
vii) Invitation card issued to Turner for a dinner held at the Mansion House, Newcastle upon Tyne on 17 October 1951; together with a cutting of page inviting him to attend the private screening of the Twentieth Century Fox Film Co. Ltd film ‘Rommel - Desert Fox’, shown at The Odeon Theatre in Newcastle on 25 October 1951.
viii) Cutting from a military journal showing the officers ‘Chiefs of Branches and Services of A and B Messes, this being a group photograph printed with details of the names of all officer’s present for the photograph.
ix) Letter from the recipient to the Daily Telegraph requesting a copy to enlarge of John Churchill’s sketch of the Dunkirk Beaches on 29 May 1940, dated 21 June 1954; letter to Turner from John Spencer Churchill himself, who received Turner’s letter forwarded to him by the Daily Telegraph, and confirming that he will forward him a reproduction of the sketch, dated 29 June 1954; original cutting of the sketch by Churchill taken from the newspaper, dated 15 June 1954; and other related correspondence.
x) Turner’s father’s original obituary as published in a newspaper in 1952; address for the funeral of Turner’s father, Brigadier General A.J. Turner, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., held at Saint Giles Church, Graham, 12th September 1952; and an Order of Saint Michael and Saint George Annual Service Programme for the service held at Saint Paul’s Cathedral on 23 April 1937.
xi) Invitation card from Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret to attend the launch of the T.E.V. “Maori” for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, dated 27 November 1952.
xii) Programme for the Visit of the Chief of the General Staff Field Marshal Sir William Slim, G.C.B., G.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., to the Northern Command on 26 September 1952.
xiii) Programme for the Visit of Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, K.G., G.C.B., D.S.O., to 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division on 14 January 1953.
xiv) Order of Ceremony for the unveiling of the Alamein Memorial by Montgomery on 24 October 1954.
xv) Handwritten copy of the report on him issued for his time at the Staff College Camberley in 1938; handwritten service record covering the period 1926 to 1957; handwritten copy of the results of his confidential reports covering the period 1946 to 1950; and the recipient’s original confidential report for 1948, 1949, and 1950.
xvi) A large card mounted photograph of him when serving as a Brigadier on attachment to the Nigerian Army commanding the Builder’s Brigade, signed by Kwame Nkrumah, the then Prime Minister of Ghana, dated 18 October 1958.
xvii) Six original photographs of the recipient’s grave; and other ephemera.