Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte

A rare Palestine 1917 operations D.S.C. group of seven awarded to Commander Sir Melvill Ward, Bt., Royal Navy

Distinguished Service Cross, G.V.R., hallmarks for London 1919; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. M. W. Ward, R.N.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Commr. M. W. Ward, R.N.); Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Special Constabulary Long Service, G.V.R., coinage bust (Cmdt. Melville W. Ward), the earlier awards mounted as worn, generally good very fine (5) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte.

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D.S.C. London Gazette 20 February 1919:

‘In recognition of their services during Naval operations carried out in conjunction with Military operations in Palestine from October to December 1917.’




Melvill Willis Ward was born in Woolwich in May 1885, the second son of the 1st Baronet, Colonel Sir Edward Ward, G.B.E., K.C.B., K.C.V.O., a noted Army reformer. and entered the Royal Navy as a Cadet in January 1900. Having then attended navigation, pilotage, torpedo and gunnery courses, he was advanced to Sub. Lieutenant in July 1904 and joined the royal yacht Victoria & Albert in February 1906. This latter appointment was short lived, however, Ward being found guilty of ‘leaving the deck for over an hour when Officer of the Watch when the Queen was on board’. His resignation was duly accepted by Their Lordships that October, although a small consolation prize appears to have been issued him in the form of the Norwegian Coronation Medal in the same year.

Having then reverted to the Emergency List in the rank of Lieutenant, Ward was recalled on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914 and was appointed to the R.N. College, Keyham. But in June 1915 he returned to sea, when he joined H.M.S. Raglan, a recently launched Abercrombie-class monitor, armed with two 14-inch and two 6-inch guns, and a brace of 12-pounders - she was later equipped with a Short Seaplane, most notably at the time of offering assistance in the Palestine operations. As it transpired, Ward remained similarly employed right up until her loss in January 1918, a period that witnessed extensive service in the Dardanelles, where her guns ‘inflicted heavy loss on the enemy’ at the evacuation of Gallipoli in January 1916.

Palestine 1917

More importantly, however, the Raglan went on to participate in many bombardments in support of the military operations in Palestine, most notably in the period of Allenby’s offensive in late 1917, when her targets included bridges, railways and enemy ammunition dumps.

In October 1917, Allenby had requested that the Naval forces stationed off the coast of Palestine should undertake a bombardment of the coastal area and make feint landings to the north of Gaza so as to draw attention from his planned assault on Beersheba. Accordingly, on 30 October, the monitors M. 31 and M. 32 opened fire from positions that had earlier been swept clear of mines by the inshore Squadron of Minesweeper Drifters. Further bombardments by Raglan and Grafton took place to the north off the mouth of the Hesi, and the Railway Station and Bridge at Deir Sineid were shelled.

The attack by General Allenby on Beersheba on 31 October was successful and the diversion off Gaza was continued in order that Turkish troops should not be transferred to Beersheba. On the following day, the first simulated landings took place, the beach area having been swept by the Drifter Flotilla who were also responsible for marking the landing areas and laying nets to indicate the areas that stores were to be landed. Owing to the strength of the inshore current the nets were frequently dragged out of position necessitating them being weighted and relayed - the drifter Five was one of three engaged in towing nets around the Raglan, the French cruiser Requin and the seaplane carriers, this duty being carried out night and day during the whole of the operations.

On 7 November 1917 the Army signalled that the Turks were evacuating Gaza and asked that the coastal bombardments now be concentrated on railway lines and bridges. This request necessitated firing over the heads of the British troops as they advanced inland from the coastal area until out of the range of Naval gun support. The Turks were completely deceived by the simulated landings and the Naval contribution to the overall military success was much praised by General Allenby.

Ward was recommended for the D.S.C. (T.N.A. ADM 171/81 refers), an award that would not actually be announced in the London Gazette until February 1919.

Loss of the “Raglan”

Meanwhile, on the morning of 1 January 1918, the Raglan, in company with the monitor M. 28, was lying in Kusu Bay off the island of Imbros, when both ships were attacked by the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz and light cruiser Midilli (formerly the German Goeben and Breslau) making a sortie from the security of the Dardanelles. After a very brief action both British ships were sunk, the Raglan early on having her range-finding gear smashed, in addition to sustaining serious damage in her engine room. Her casualties were high, amounting to three officers and 119 ratings killed, while the M. 28 lost three officers and eight ratings killed. The two Turkish ships then made towards Mudros but whilst under attack from allied aircraft the Midilli struck a mine and sank. Aborting the mission, the Yavuz made towards the Dardanelles only to strike another mine. Listing badly she managed to limp back, running aground at Magara on the S.W. point of the Sea of Marmora.

For his part in this action, Ward was mentioned in despatches for his command of one of the Raglan’s 14-inch guns (London Gazette 14 September 1918 and his service record refer), in addition to being cleared at the subsequent Court Martial for issuing the order to abandon ship, which he did to ‘avoid useless further loss of life’. His last wartime appointment was aboard the cruiser Arrogant and he reverted to the Emergency List in early 1919.

The latter years

Recalled again on the renewal of hostilities, and having succeeded to his family’s Baronetcy in 1930, Sir Melvill served at the training establishment Impregnable from September 1939 to March 1944, when he was appointed an Assistant R.N.O. at Teignmouth, in which capacity he would also serve at Dartmouth and Torquay prior to being placed back on the Emergency List in December 1944. He was advanced to Commander in May 1946.

Having settled at Southport in Connecticut, U.S.A., where his favoured recreation was ‘racing’, Ward died in September 1973.

Sold with a hand-illuminated armorial bearing to ‘Sir Melvill Willis Ward, Baronet, D.S.C., Commander, the Royal Navy’, signed by the Somerset Herald of Arms and dated 10 April 1973.