The Brian Kieran Collection

A fine Great War D.S.O. group of four awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel H. Wardell, who was decorated for his bravery as C.O. of the 11th (Lambeth) Battalion, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment at St. Eloi during the battle of Messines in June 1917, when he was severely wounded

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamels; 1914-15 Star (Capt. H. Wardell, Durh. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Major H. Wardell), mounted as worn, enamel wreaths slightly chipped in places on the first, very fine and better (4) £1800-2200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Brian Kieran Collection.

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D.S.O. London Gazette 25 August 1917:

‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when commanding his battalion in an attack. Although severely wounded in the leg, he bandaged it and continued with his battalion until stopped by a shell, which removed one eye and partially, if not completely, destroyed the other. The success of the battalion was in a very large degree due to his fine leadership.’

Henry Wardell first entered the French theatre of war as a Captain in the Durham Light Infantry in September 1915, but returned home to an appointment as Second-in-Command of the 11th (Lambeth) Battalion, Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment at Aldershot in June 1916. Returning to France in that capacity, he took over as temporary C.O. on the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Burnaby on the Somme that August.

Subsequently under his command, the Battalion moved to Le Fricourt in early September, where his men took over the trenches of the 1/King’s Regiment, next to the 1st Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on the left, and the 23/Middlesex on the right. And between then and the middle of the month, when Major R. Otter, M.C., assumed command, they endured considerable shelling.

Then in November 1916, the Battalion was transferred from the Somme to positions alongside the Ypres-Comines Canal where, in early June 1917, Wardell once again assumed command of his battalion on the eve of the battle of Messines, and won his D.S.O. for the above cited deeds at St. Eloi on the 7th of that month. On the previous day, the St. Eloi crater was formed by our mines being set off, but Wardell had already led his men across No Man’s Land so that they were positioned just 100 yards from the enemy in readiness for the planned attack on the 7th, an attack that cost the Battalion 33 killed and 162 wounded, himself among the latter - notwithstanding the serious nature of his wounds, Wardell compiled his official post-action report from hospital and, on 16 June, received the following message from his Divisional Commander: ‘I have heard with great satisfaction of the gallant conduct of your battalion on 7 June - they did splendidly.’

Due to his wounds, Wardell saw no further active service and, according to one obituary, thereafter ‘his war service affected his health and he suffered considerably’. The Colonel, who lent valuable support to Captain E. W. J. Neave, M.C., in his compilation of the History of the 11th Battalion, died in June 1933; sold with original newspaper obituary.