Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte

An outstanding Chinese Civil War O.B.E. group of five awarded to Commander W. G. Lalor, Royal Naval Reserve, who showed great courage in containing a Chinese boarding party on his command - the S.S. Wanliu - during the “Wanhsien incident”, but who was subsequently wounded and captured by Chinese pirates: by the time ransom money had effected his release, it was necessary to amputate his right foot

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, O.B.E. (Civil) Officer’s 1st type breast badge, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1929; 1914-15 Star (Lieut. W. G. Lalor, R.N.R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lieut. W. G. Lalor, R.N.R.); Royal Naval Reserve Decoration, G.V.R., very fine and better (5) £1800-2200

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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O.B.E. London Gazette 16 May 1927:

‘In recognition of services at Wanhsien on the Yangtze River, China, on 5 September 1926:

To be Officers of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:

Lieutenant-Commander William Goggan Lalor, R.D., R.N.R., S.S. Wanliu:

‘His action in enforcing the legitimate rights of the ship under his command required great courage, whilst his services in promptly taking a relief ship with a naval crew from Ichang to Chungking during the disturbances in 1925, when the Chinese crews and pilots deserted, was most valuable and praiseworthy.’

William Goggan Lalor was born in Bangalore, India, in January 1892, and entered the Royal Naval Reserve as a Midshipman in August 1908.

A Sub. Lieutenant serving in the battleship H.M.S. Agincourt by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he was subsequently present at the battle of Jutland, gaining a commendation ‘for ably performing his duties as a turret officer’, and special promotion to Lieutenant (London Gazette 15 September 1916 refers).

Removing to the cruiser Suffolk in May 1917, the flagship of Rear-Admiral Payne, he witnessed further active service off Russia, and was advanced to Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve in the summer of 1924.

Chinese Civil War

Otherwise employed in plying the Yangtze in Butterfield and Swires’ steamers in the 1920s, Lalor would shortly become embroiled in several side-shows during the Chinese Civil War, including his part in taking a relief ship with a naval crew from Ichang to Chungking during the disturbances of 1925. But it was during the course of the following year that he gained further commendation for his part in the Wanhsien incident, on which occasion his ship, the S.S. Wanliu, was boarded by Chinese troops under General Yang Sen off the small riverside town of Yunyang, some 25 miles down river from Wanhsien. A. Cecil Hampshire’s Armed with Stings, takes up the story:

‘While her [Wanliu’s] Chinese passengers were disembarking into the cluster of sampans and dugouts crowding round the steamer’s gangway, a small junk bumped alongside and from it 16 armed Chinese soldiers clambered aboard. At the same time Lalor observed a number of sampans likewise filled with armed troops heading for his ship ... Wanliu had not dropped anchor and Lalor rang down for the engines to go ahead with the intention of preventing the troop-laden sampans from coming alongside. But as the Wanliu forged slowly ahead, her bow wave thrusting the cluster of small craft aside, heavy rifle fire was opened on her from the river banks. Enraged at the sight of their comrades being left behind, the soldiers already aboard the Wanliu rushed towards the bridge shouting, gesticulating and waving their weapons menacingly. Hastily grabbing up revolvers, Captain Lalor and his officers drove the Chinese off and slammed and locked the grilles which isolated the bridge citadel.

Meanwhile astern the ship’s wake a clumsily handled sampan full of soldiers collided with another craft and began to founder. Amid a chorus of screams and shouts the vessel finally sank, its late occupants being swept rapidly downstream in the swift-flowing current. The baffled troops in the Wanliu who had watched this happen then went in search of the ship’s compadore who was working in his office between decks. They dragged the wretched man out, beat him unmercifully and tied him up with ropes. Then they rushed up the bridge ladders and began hammering against the locked grilles, threatening to kill Captain Lalor. In this state of siege the Wanliu continued on her way to Wanhsien, and at about two o’clock that afternoon thankfully dropped anchor close to the gunboat Cockchafer.

As soon as he was apprised of the situation in the Wanliu, Acheson boarded her with a party of armed bluejackets who disarmed the Chinese soldiers. One of the latter who tried to take a shot at the sailors had to be discouraged from doing so by a shrewd blow from an entrenching tool handle; otherwise there was no trouble. The troops were then sent ashore in sampans ... ’

However, as a reprisal for the loss of the sampan, General Yang Sen seized two other Butterfield ships, the Wanting and Wanhsien, and placed 300 soldiers aboard each and locked the officers in their cabins. And in response to this the Royal Navy sent the Cockchafer and Widgeon, together with the Steamer Kiawo manned by four Naval officers and 60 men, to rescue the seized ships. They came under very heavy fire from field guns, machine-guns, and rifles, and although they replied to the fire in kind, they were compelled to withdraw in the face of the superior odds. The Commander of the Cockchafer and five men were wounded, but the crew of the Kiawo, which attempted a boarding, suffered very heavily - three officers and four men were killed, one officer and eight men wounded. Fortuitously, however, the foreign officers on the captured steamers were rescued, with the exception of Mr. Johnson, Chief Engineer of the Wanting, who was drowned whilst attempting to swim with his Chief Officer to a French gunboat.

Prisoner of Chinese Pirates

For the likes of Lalor life on the Yangtze remained hazardous, not only on account of warring Chinese factions, but also due to an ever-present threat of piracy, a threat which became reality in Lalor’s case on 30 November 1927. Admiral Sir Hugh Tweedie’s The Story of a Naval Life takes up the story:

‘The case of Captain Lalor, the captain of one of Butterfield and Swires’ steamers, is typical of the risks run by ships at that time.

The ship was at Shasi. I had given instructions ships were to sail in convoy unless they were sure of making the next port where there was a gunboat, in daylight.

Lalor's ship had had some engine trouble, which the gunboat captain at Shasi had duly reported, and asked instruction whether she should be allowed to sail for Ichang which her captain was anxious to do, or wait for a convoy of slower ships due to sail in a day or two. My reply was to the effect Lalor could sail if he was sure of making Ichang the same day. Normally this should have been easy; something however went wrong, and the ship was anchored for the night just below the Ichang gorge, at a place called Tiger Creek, having a bad reputation.

That night the ship was boarded, the Chinese quartermaster killed, the ship looted and the master, Lalor, taken off as a prisoner for ransom. I was leaving Hankow at the time, and pressed on up the river, in the meantime getting into touch with the Rev. Tocher of the Scottish Missionary Society, who, I was told, was the most likely man in those parts to be able to get into touch with the bandits. Tocher came forward immediately. The bandits were traced to the vicinity of Shasi; we got a note from Lalor that he was badly wounded and lying in the bottom of a boat where he had been tied up for six days. The bandits asked a very high ransom, and paying a ransom on this sort of demand is, of course, highly dangerous as a temptation to open up a lucrative business. It was possible by taking active steps we might capture the sampan he was in. It was almost certain that with any threat of this sort, the bandits before de-camping would kill Lalor, he being shot in the leg and not being easily dragged across country. The bandits wanted 60,000 dollars, and whoever delivered them must come alone to a rendezvous by night; a risky business. Moreover, they would only take Mexican dollars or bamboo sticks, a form of money I had never before seen, but sufficiently bulky to make the handling difficult. They were sewn up in sacks five hundred to a thousand at a time; each stick had a chop mark on it of some local tradesman or bank, virtually representing an I O U redeemable for cash or food. Tocher went several times to the rendezvous by night without result, and I had nearly given up any hope of success that way and told Tocher that I proposed to search all sampans and junks in the vicinity commencing the next day; no easy job for there were many hundreds of them up the creeks near Shasi. I called on the local General and arranged with him to turn out all his troops, and as far as possible put a cordon round the whole place. It was not a plan I had much faith in, one had learnt that Lalor had already changed hands once and was now in the control of the robbers' guild, a powerful organisation, almost sure to have some one in close touch with the local military and a good working knowledge of any plans made. Incidentally, calling on the General was quite amusing; through the local Customs Inspector I obtained two chairs, for myself and an interpreter, and away we went through the town, the dirtiest and narrowest streets of any Chinese town I know, and that is saying a good deal. To impress the military gentleman, I had put on cocked hat and epaulettes, not that I think clothes, at least European clothes, do impress the Chinese, but I hoped they might. After pushing our way through alleyways for half an hour or so, I came to the conclusion the bearers either did not know where the Yamen was or had been told not to take me there. My interpreter, Mr. Gabb, a man of possibly eighteen stone had been left far behind, and I made my coolies stop. At length Gabb came up, having parted with his chair. We agreed it was no good going farther, but going back was not so easy; behind us had collected a long line of pack donkeys, each with a couple of big sacks across his back, either we had to be backed into the nearby shops or the donkeys. A large and noisy crowd collected and hurled, I've no doubt, highly abusive language at us. It was rather a funny scene: one Admiral, English, complete in his nearly best uniform, surrounded by a yelling and remarkably dirty crowd; the only thing in the opposite party which was not making  a noise or looking excited was the leading donkey ... something in the donkey's face made me laugh really entirely at my own thoughts, but it acted like magic; instantly all the abuse stopped and they all laughed, and with one accord pushed the donkeys and their loads against the open shop counter and allowed me to pass. What looked like going to be an awkward affair changed to good humour in a moment. Having found our way back to our starting-point, I learnt the General was in residence not one hundred yards away; l walked in past the usual two sentries with presented automatic pistols and had my interview. Why the procession through the town first remains a mystery, something to do with that mysterious business called "Face", for I have no doubt it was all arranged. Returning to the ship I found Tocher had had another note from Lalor, who said he could not live long, he had been now six days tied up in the bottom of a sampan, not allowed to move for anything and with scarcely any food or water. There was a covering message from the bandits to say they would undoubtedly be at the rendezvous that night. Tocher was anxious to try again; I was rather against it, but gave in. This time he was successful, and about ten o'clock, just as I had given orders to weigh, meaning to proceed up the river to look for him, he returned with Lalor, who was in a bad way. We left with him at once for Hankow Hospital, where his foot was successfully amputated and he made a good recovery. On the way down we fell in with another band of pirates this time a group of Jardine and Mathieson's lighters. They had been boarded by a party from a steam tug, and which had only sheered off on our approach. We gave chase and ran the quarry down just before dark, when as usual they ran the craft into the reeds and escaped, or most of them escaped; a little quicker handling of the Bee and we should have had them all.

Returning to the case of Lalor, he certainly owed his life to Tocher and two Chinese converts who worked hard for him and took tremendous risks, while his firm, Messrs. Butterfield and Swires were most generous and never hesitated to pay any ransom I considered necessary to save his life.’

Lalor, who was placed on the R.N.R. Retired List in May 1928, was advanced to to Commander (Retired) in January 1932 and, according to his service record, afterwards saw service in the Royal Canadian Navy in the 1939-45 War; sold with copied service record.