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Auction: 8023 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 85

A Good 1918 ´Battle of Amiens´ Cavalry D.C.M. Group of Nine to Sergeant H.R. Smith, 5th Dragoon Guards, Who with the Help of Another Trooper Captured 20 Prisoners and 2 Motor Lorries on the First Day of the Battle a) Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (9502 Pte. H.R. Smith. 5/D. Gds:) b) Queen´s South Africa 1899-1902, three clasps, Cape Colony, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902, naming details erased c) 1914 Star, with later slide Bar (9502 Pte. H.R. Smith. 5/D.Gds.) d) British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oakleaves (D-9502 Pte. H.R. Smith. 5-D. Gds.) e) General Service 1918-62, G.V.R., one clasp, Iraq (D-9502 A.Sjt. H.R. Smith. 1-D. Gds.) f) Defence and War Medals g) Delhi Durbar 1911, contact marks throughout, nearly very fine or better, mounted as originally worn (9) Estimate £ 1,400-1,800 D.C.M. London Gazette 30.10.1918 9502 Pte. H.R. Smith, Dn. Gds. (Brighton), ´´For exceptional gallantry during an attack. He was sent out with another man to reconnoitre a village. This reconnaissance was carried out with the greatest dash, the two entering the village and capturing twenty prisoners and two motor lorries. He displayed fine courage and enterprise.´´ 9502 Sergeant Henry R. Smith, D.C.M., served during the Great War with the 5th Dragoon Guards on the Western Front from, 26.8.1914; in July 1918 Smith´´s regiment moved to Autieule (3 kilometres east of Doullens), and were attached to the Third Army. On the 5th August the 5th Dragoon Guards started moving by night on Amiens, for planned operations in that area. Three days later, in the early hours of the morning, the regiment arrived at the divisional concentration area, east of Longeau. As part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade Smith´´s regiment initially moved into position to the south-east corner of the Bois d´´Aquerre (south-west of Villers Bretonneux) before progressing along the northern side of the Amiens - Chaulnes railway. By 9.45am the brigade, less the advanced-guard which was formed by the Queen´´s Bays on this occasion, had reached a point 1,000 yards south of Bayonvillers. At approximately the same time the infantry (Australian troops) had nearly reached one of their objectives for the attack - a line running north and south through the eastern outskirts of Morcourt and 500 yards west of Harbonnieres, ´´The 5th Dragoon Guards were ordered to pass through the infantry and advance between Harbonnieres and the wood 1200 yards north of it to gain the third objective (the old Amiens defence line), if not too strongly resisted. The line Framerville-Vauvillers was to be the limit of their advance. At 10 am the regiment (less one troop C Squadron, liaison with 9th Cavalry Brigade) moved off at a trot in double echelon of squadrons, A Squadron (Captain A.D. Winterbottom) leading, B Squadron (Captain L.F. Mitchell) on the left, C Squadron (Captain H.O. Wiley, M.C.) on the right; headquarters with C Squadron: objective, the line Framerville-Vauvillers. The regiment passed through the leading infantry 1,000 yards west of the second objective, and advanced to a point 1,000 yards past the second objective without opposition..... From this point the operations of squadrons were as follows: A squadron [Smith´´s squadron] was shot at by machine-guns from Harbonnieres, but went straight on, and reached the old Amiens defence-line, and found it unoccupied. After crossing the trench-line the squadron was fired on from a train on the railway running from Proyart to the east of Harbonnieres. The train was trying to steam away, but was hit by a bomb from an aeroplane and set on fire. Continuing its advance the squadron overran the train, and the men in the train (most of whom had just returned from leave) tried to get away towards Framerville, but were all killed or captured, some by this squadron and some by B Squadron. Still advancing, the squadron was enfiladed by machine-gun fire from the cemetery at the western outskirts of Vauvillers, but reached its objective, the Framerville-Vauvillers road, where it came into dismounted action against the retreating enemy. Some infantry, transport, and two motor-lorries [see Smith´´s citation] coming out of Vauvillers were captured, and the walking wounded and personnel of a casualty clearing station at the Moulin de Vauvillers, numbering about 180 men in all, were captured; two anti-aircraft guns, two field-guns, and one 5.9 howitzer were captured, and the personnel either killed or captured. The squadron remained in dismounted action till joined by B Squadron, when both squadrons, being much depleted, owing to casualties and escorts to prisoners, and as no reinforcements appeared to be coming up, retired to the Amiens defence line, north-east of Harbonnieres´´ (Regimental History from 1685 to 1922 of the 5th Princess Charlotte of Wales´´ Dragoon Guards, by Major the Hon. Ralph Legge Pomeroy, refers). At 1.30pm the regiment withdrew to west of Harbonnieres, having captured 20 enemy officers, 740 other ranks, 50 horses and 5 transport wagons. The 5th Dragon Guards suffered 1 officer killed, and 1 wounded, 6 other ranks killed, and 42 other ranks wounded, with 122 horses killed, wounded, or missing. The regiment received congratulations from the King of the Belgians on the 13th August, and from the Commander-in-Chief, Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig the following day, when he carried out an inspection. For their gallant attack on the 8th August the 5th Dragoon Guards received the following awards: a Bar to the D.S.O.; a D.S.O., 5 M.C.´´s, 5 D.C.M.´´s, and 17 M.M.´´s. The other man mentioned in Smith´´s D.C.M. Citation was Private R.W. Short, who also received the same award for this action; the Great War appears to be Smith´´s first taste of war as there is no trace of him having served with the regiment during the Boer War, it is of course possible that he could have served with another regiment; he later transferred for service with the 1st Dragoon Guards as part of 18 Division, 7th Cavalry Brigade in Iraq, 1919-20. One of only eighteen D.C.M.´´s awarded to the 5th Dragoon Guards for the Great War. M.I.D. Unconfirmed.

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£1,400