Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Falklands War D.C.M. group of three awarded to Company-Sergeant-Major W. “Bill” Nicol, Scots Guards

Distinguished Conduct Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (23867615 W.O. 2 W. Nicol, S.G.); General Service 1962, 3 clasps, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Northern Ireland (23867615 L./Cpl. W. Nicol, S.G.); South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (23867615 W.O. 2 W. Nicol, S.G.), mounted court-style as worn, generally good very fine (3) £20,000-25,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Ron Penhall Collection.

View
Collection

One of just eight D.C.Ms awarded for the Falklands War.

D.C.M. London Gazette 8 October 1982:

‘Warrant Officer 2 Nicol was the C.S.M. of Left Flank, 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards throughout the campaign in the Falkland Islands. During this time he maintained exemplary standards of personal courage and leadership which inspired similar standards of personal courage in all members of his company. Three particular occasions stand out:

On 6 June, after a six hour sea voyage at night in open boats in which most men were completely soaked, the Battalion was ordered to occupy defensive positions on high ground in freezing rain and sleet. Due to C.S.M. Nicol’s efforts, although a number of exposure casualties were taken in other companies, none occurred in Left Flank.

On 8 June some 12 enemy aircraft involved in an attack on shipping in Fitzroy flew in three sorties at low level over the Company’s positions at Bluff Cove. No warning of the enemy aircraft was received but, despite this C.S.M. Nicol so rapidly and skilfully organised and controlled his company in firing rifles and machine-guns, moving from sangar to sangar with no thought for his own safety, that two or three enemy aircraft were brought down by the Battalion.

On 14 June at Tumbledown Mountain, his company were ordered to to take a strong enemy position as part of a Battalion night attack.

After the initial assault, the company came under constant and devastating machine-gun and sniper fire. One of the Platoon Sergeants was wounded, and C.S.M. Nicol went forward under accurate sniper fire to rescue him. Wounded in the hand while doing so, he continued to tend the dying Sergeant.

He remained cool and calm under heavy fire encouraging and exhorting his men and, at the same time, advising one of the young Platoon Commanders how to defeat a seemingly impregnable enemy position.

He remained unperturbed by the weight of enemy small arms, artillery and mortar fire thus instilling great confidence in men who might well have been frightened. He refused to be evacuated himself, until the other casualties in the Company (26 in all) had been evacuated.

C.S.M. Nicol’s distinguished conduct and conspicuous personal bravery throughout the campaign and in particular on the three occasions described proved an inspiration and example to all ranks and have made an outstanding contribution to his company’s exceptional achievements.’

William “Bill” Nicol was one of the first on the scene when Left Flank’s No. 13 Platoon ran into serious opposition during the assault on Mount Tumbledown, an action that resulted in the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards sustaining losses of eight killed and 41 wounded. Nicol later described his experiences in Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, 1982:

‘When we came under fire, everyone went to ground and was returning fire. There was a staggering amount of noise. I had gone off “floating” around the left leading platoon, doing what I saw as a Company Sergeant-Major’s job, giving my boys encouragement - not that they needed it. They shouted for me and I went across to Tanbini and tried to pull him back into cover; if I had tried to lift him, we would have both been exposed and hit. I suggested that he tried to push back with his feet, while I pulled him, but he said, “Sir, I’ve been shot” - typical guardsman, the way he addressed me as “Sir” - and then he died.

Someone else was screaming for me then. It was the Platoon Sergeant, he had been badly shot in the thigh. I jumped up and ran across to him and, as I got to him, I was hit. I was just about to kneel down beside him when the bullet hit the centre of my rifle which was across the front of the centre of my stomach in the approved manner, ready for action. If I hadn’t been holding the rifle in the manner in which I had been teaching people for years, I would be dead now. The bullet ricocheted off the barrel and went through my right hand. Tanbini, John Simeon and I had all been shot in one line by the same sniper, I think. I had just received a letter from my wife to say she was pregnant and this went through my mind. I thought I was going to be next. There was nothing I could do about it. That sniper was good; I would like to have met him.’

Sold with a modern oil painting depicting Nicol’s and his men engaging enemy aircraft over Bluff Cove on 8 June 1982, and a signed print of T. Cuneo’s evocative picture of the 2nd Battalion in action on Tumbledown.

Provenance: Spink, August 1986 (private sale).