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Auction: 25112 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 697

'The dead still lay where they died in the orchard near the Kasteel, a few German but many 3rd Mons. The weapons of the British dead had been retrieved. Some of the dead lay still in the prone position with their arms forward as if clutching their rifles. Some expressions were of pain and shock and some of sheer surprise. There's not much dignity to violent deaths.'

(Lieutenant Ted Deeming, 15/19th Hussars describes the aftermath of the blood Battle of Brockhuizen.)

The 'Brockhuizen 1944' M.M. group of four awarded to Private T. C. Warren, South Wales Borderers, earned during the 3rd Monmouthshire's bloody but important victory in the Velno pocket

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (14729536 Pte. T. C. Warren. S. Wales. Bord.); 1939-1945 Star; France and Germany Star; War Medal 1939-45, mounted as worn, pitting, very fine (4)

M.M. London Gazette 1 March 1945, the original recommendation states:

'On 30 Nov Pte Warren's Coy was directed to capture Brockhuizen. The enemy were picked men and fighting stubbornly to defend one of the last outposts on the west side of the R.Mass. The coy succeeded in entering the village before darkness fell, but there were quite a number of enemy snipers still hiding in the buildings.
Pte Warren P1 runner, and during the night was despatched on hazardous errands through the village several times. He heard movement in a house he passed. On his own initiative he entered the building alone, and discovered three Germans. These he succeeded in capturing.
Afterwards, on two further occasions, again on his own initiative and alone, he managed to surprise further enemy snipers. Altogether he rounded up twelve prisoners during the night entirely by his own endeavours.
His cheerfulness and individual heroism were the talk of the comrades.'

Thomas Charles Warren was born on 19 March 1926,and enlisted at Glasgow on 16 March 1944 being initially posted to the Royal Fusiliers. He was serving with the 3rd Monmouthshire Battalion, South Wales Borderers (Territorial Force) during the advance into North-West Europe. They found themselves engaged in the Venlo pocket, during the drive on the Mass River when they came up against the village of Brorkhuizen. The Battalion War Diary goes into further detail on the action, stating:

'With both A and C Company commanders killed and most of the senior NCO's and many of the men, the commanding officer of the 15/19th Hussars came forward to investigate the position in his tank.
As a result, "D" Company with only 60 men was now ordered into battle with tank support. The tanks fired at Kasteel while "D" Company advanced, arriving at Kasteel they swung around and with tank support attacked Broekhuizen from the west. The Germans were unprepared for an assault from this direction and D company reached the village. With tanks they cleared the houses, no mean feat since there were over two hundred Germans in the village entrenched in a veritable maze of dugouts, trenches and reinforced houses. While the village was cleared, a task which took, the whole of that night, the Kasteel was attacked by tanks firing at point blank range and then captured by the survivors of A company. Victory had been obtained at a heavy cost. Of the three hundred men who fought, one hundred and forty had fallen, including ten officers of whom eight were killed. "D" Company and the tanks of 15/19th Hussars had retrieved an apparently hopeless situation in the face of heavy odds.'

A letter from his commanding officer at the time Bernard M. Laws to Warren's mother goes into further detail on his own actions:

'We went forward into action and by dusk had captured our objective- a village on the Maas. Prisoners were coming in fast and the village still contained Germans who were hiding all through the night. Despite the lurking enemy, your son worked like a Trojan and was really wonderful, during the day of Dec 1st, 1944, he searched houses in the village near by his Platoon position and single handed, brought back 21 Germans in small batches. His bravery was something to be seen to be believed. I feel sure that you, his mother, must be very proud and you have every reason to be so. I am proud of him too, also his comrades. We all hope that he is soon fit ad well again, so if you have any worry on that score, please dispel them for I can assure you that he will soon be back in his happy-go-lucky way. Now I am afraid I must close and write to my mother.'

Re-attesting after the war Warren joined the King's Yorkshire Light Infantry on the Rhine on 28 April 1947. Transferring to the King's Shropshire Light Infantry he saw further service in the Far East although he was not deployed in any conflicts that saw him earn additional medals. Warren was discharged on 27 April 1959 at Exeter. Settling in Essex he died there in June 2001; sold together with copied research, and several items of original documentation including:

i)
Soldier's Certificate of service dating from his second period of service.

ii)
Certificate of Education.

iii)
Soldier's service and Pay book.

iv)
K.O.Y.L.I. Regimental Association membership card.

v)
A letter written by his platoon commander to the recipient's mother giving details of his award.


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Sold for
£1,700

Starting price
£1100