WW1 Book Plates

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Lance-Corporal M. Parker Holding Turks At Bay In A Mine Gallery. One edition. £10.00

Bombardier Cook Taking Live Shells out of a Blazing Ammunition Wagon. One edition. £10.00

Lance-Corporal Colgrave Rallying Indian Troops And Leading Them Into Action At Hollebeke. One edition. £10.00

Sergeant-Major Sharpington Rescuing An Old Woman From A Burning Farm. One edition. £10.00

Lance-Corporal McDonnell Shows What Three Brave Men Can Do Against Ten Times Their Number. One edition. £10.00

Private McChord Won The D.C.M. For Rescuing Two Gassed Sappers From A Mine. One edition. £10.00

The Great Act Of Heroism Of Privates H. G. F. Mead, J. W. Otton And A. S. S. Spencer, Of The 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment. One edition. £10.00

Captain Douglas Reynolds And Drivers Drain And Luke Winning The V.C. For Saving A Gun At Le Cateau. One edition. £10.00

The Last Stage Of Lieutenant Smyths Heroic Journey. One edition. £10.00

An Early Incident Before The Occasion On Which Captain Shout Won The V.C. One edition. £10.00

Driver G. Smith Saving Panic Stricken Horses From A Burning Farm. One edition. £10.00

Company Quartermaster-Sergeant Downs Working His Machine Gun From A Haystack For Five Days Under Heavy Fire. One edition. £10.00

Quartermaster-Sergeant Downs, The Last Survivor Of His Machine Gun Section, Beats Off A German Attack And Saves The Line From Being Broken. One edition. £10.00

A Shell Struck The Ambulance Wagon, Killing One Man And Rendering Lieutenant Hincks Unconscious. One edition. £10.00

Bombardier Dubois Repairing Telephone Wires In Gallipoli. One edition. £10.00

Sergeant Clarke Directing The Defence Of Chateau Herentage During The First Battle Of Ypres. One edition. £10.00

Major Wheeler Riding To His death at The North Mound. One edition. £10.00

Mined! A Wonderful Escape And Its Heroic Sequel. One edition. £10.00

Bombardier Cooper Digging Out Men Buried In A Gun Pit. One edition. £10.00

Sergeant Boulger Taking His Heavy Cable Cart Across Half A Mile Of Fire Swept Ground. One edition. £10.00

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Text for the above items :

Lance-Corporal M. Parker Holding Turks At Bay In A Mine Gallery. The emergency in which Lance- Corporal Parker, of the 5th Kings Own Scottish Borderers, proved his prowess was as unexpected as formidable. Parker and his men was on the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 14th September 1915, constructing under the Turkish trenches a mine gallery, which suddenly broke into a hostile gallery. A weird subterranean contest then began. Parker held off the Turks with his rifle though they fired on him and threw bombs at him. Then he was driven out by fumes, but returned and filled up the breach so that a charge might be laid and the enemy's works destroyed. He was awarded the D.C.M.

Bombardier Cook Taking Live Shells out of a Blazing Ammunition Wagon. Bombardier C. W. Cook, of the 368th Battery, Royal Artillery, won the D.C.M. for a remarkable example of cool courage and presence of mind at Cape Helles on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On June 28th 1915, the position of his battery was discovered by Turkish observers on the Asiatic shore and was subjected to a severe fire from heavy howitzers. One lucky shot hit the gun on which Cook was working and killed or wounded the whole detachment. A little later the ammunition wagon was set on fire. Bombardier Cook immediately rushed forward to save the ammunition. No one could have blamed him for retiring to a safe distance in such an emergency, but so far from retiring he saved most of the shells from the wagon and also the ammunition stored in the pits instead.

Lance-Corporal Colgrave Rallying Indian Troops And Leading Them Into Action At Hollebeke. On October 30th 1914, Colgraves regiment, the 5th Lancers, was extremely hard pressed near Hollebeke and a battalion of Indian infantry was sent up to support them. Their battalion came under an extremely heavy fire and soon lost all its officers, while the men, leaderless and shaken, became demoralised. Colgrave, retiring with a scattered body of Indians, rallied them and led them back in time to shatter the German infantry attack. He then rallied other bodies and also carried a wounded officer into safety, services for which he received the D.C.N.

Sergeant-Major Sharpington Rescuing An Old Woman From A Burning Farm. On November 6th 1914, a German set fire, near the village of Fleurbaix, to a farm which belonged to an old woman who had refused to leave it though it was always in danger of destruction. The old womans existence was known to Sergeant-Major Sharpington, who was with his company of 1st Royal Fusiliers in a trench near by. The building was in a blaze, but without hesitation he entered it through a window, found its occupant unconscious on the floor, and carried her to safety through a hole in the wall made by a shell. For this action he received the D.C.M.

Lance-Corporal McDonnell Shows What Three Brave Men Can Do Against Ten Times Their Number. A large party of Germans in an advanced trench in a wood surprised Lance- Corporal McDonnell and two companions of the 1st Grenadier Guards when reconnoitring on the Aisne on The 23rd of September 1914. The enemy thought they had there preyed secure and began leisurely to walk out to take the three men prisoners. To their astonishment McDonnell gave a sharp order to fire, and the bullets flew thick and fast, finding many a victim. Before the Germans could recover from their confusion the three audacious Guardsmen had made good their escape. He was awarded the D.C.M.

Private McChord Won The D.C.M. For Rescuing Two Gassed Sappers From A Mine. Gas is always a deadly enemy to those engaged in military mining operations. On October 25th 1915, the two companions of Private McChord, of the 12th April and Sutherland Highlanders were suddenly overcome by suffocating fumes when a long way down a mine gallery. McChord was himself suffering severely from the effects of the gas, but he was not the man to let his companions die and save himself. In his weakened condition he dragged both men to the mineshaft, attached a rope round them and carried it to the surface, to which they were safely drawn.

The Great Act Of Heroism Of Privates H. G. F. Mead, J. W. Otton And A. S. S. Spencer, Of The 4th Battalion Middlesex Regiment. On November 5th 1914, near Neuve Chapelle, about six oclock in the evening, Private Mead heard a man crying for help and fort water. The cry came from the direction of a German trench, which earlier in the day had been taken by the 1st Connaught Rangers, who, however, had subsequently been compelled to abandon it. Private Mead immediately left his trench and ran across the open to the spot whence the cry had come, and found Lance-Corporal Ely lying badly wounded in the German trench. He raised the wounded men's head ad poured some water down his throat, and then finding that he could not lift him over the parapet alone, he went back, fetched two of his comrades, Privates Otton and Spencer. They succeeded in carrying Ely to within a few yards of the British trench when the Germans saw them. Both Mead and Otton were killed instantly, but Spencer succeeded in dragging the wounded man into safety, though not before his clothes and equipment had been almost riddled with bullets. This gallant deed was recognised by the award of the D.C.M. to each of the three men.

Captain Douglas Reynolds And Drivers Drain And Luke Winning The V.C. For Saving A Gun At Le Cateau. On August 26th 1914, the Royal Field Artillery did some magnificent rearguard work and saved the infantry from destruction. The guns were fought until the advancing German masses were right on the gunners and the guns had then to be abandoned. Captain Reynolds, of the 37th Battery, however, meant to save his guns if it were humanly possible, and he brought up two teams in the hope of bringing at least two guns away. The men of one team were shot down, but Captain Reynolds and Drivers Drain, Gobley and Luke limbered up one gun and started off. Gobley, driving the centre pair, was hit almost at once, and then Captain Reynolds showed great resource by riding alongside the unguided pair and keeping them in hand.

The Last Stage Of Lieutenant Smyths Heroic Journey. When only Lieutenant Smyth and Sepoy Lal Singh were left of the original eleven they reached a small stream. They were subjected to a heavy fire, and it was some time before they discovered a fordable spot. There they crossed, carrying a box of bombs between them and escaping disaster by some miracle. They reached he firing trench at last, but unfortunately Lal Singh was almost immediately killed. Lieutenant Smyth received the Victoria Cross for this heroic exploit and the ten brave Indians were rewarded with the Indian Distinguished Service Medal.

An Early Incident Before The Occasion On Which Captain Shout Won The V.C. After nearly three complete days of fighting in the Lone Pine trenches, during the longest and fiercest hand-to-hand struggle which had yet occurred in the Peninsula, the Turks still held a big communication trench winding almost directly to the point which was at first chosen for the headquarters. While Brigadier Smythe was standing outside the office the Turks had come up the trench, marching calmly three abreast, round the last elbow into the full view of some who were standing with the headquarters party. Only a low barricade, breast high, separated them, Lieutenant Howell Price, subsequently commanding the 3rd Battalion, shot two with his revolver.

Driver G. Smith Saving Panic Stricken Horses From A Burning Farm. During the terrible German bombardment of Ypres and neighbourhood in April and May, it was quite impossible to find safe quarters even for hospital installations. The artillery and transport horses were continually under fire and many crises occurred. On one occasion a barn in which several horses were stalled was set on fire by a shell. The plight of the terrified animals can well be imagined, but driver G. smith, of the 61st Battery R.F.A., proved himself a man for the moment, and, rushing into the burning building, drew them out into safety, for which action he received the D.C.M.

Company Quartermaster-Sergeant Downs Working His Machine Gun From A Haystack For Five Days Under Heavy Fire. Quartermaster-Sergeant Downs was largely responsible for the training of the machine gunners of the 1st Cheshire Regiment, who did brilliant work in the early stages of the campaign. On one occasion downs and his section were working their machine guns from a haystack for five days to cover the advance of the regiment. All that time they were under heavy shellfire, and the stack itself was hit once, whilst some artillery near by suffered heavy casualties. Nevertheless as observer, he was able to signal the position of a German trench, which was demolished by howitzers.

Quartermaster-Sergeant Downs, The Last Survivor Of His Machine Gun Section, Beats Off A German Attack And Saves The Line From Being Broken. On another occasion, during the first German onslaught on Ypres in October and November 1914, a mass attack compelled the evacuation of the trenches to the left of the 1st Cheshires. Downs and his machine gunners strove to prevent the enemy from pouring through the gap thus created, but one by one the men were struck down by shellfire and finally Downs was left alone. He then worked his gun with extraordinary skill and determination, maintaining so hot a fire on the advancing masses that they broke and gave time for British reinforcements to come up. For this invaluable service Downs was awarded the D.C.M.

A Shell Struck The Ambulance Wagon, Killing One Man And Rendering Lieutenant Hincks Unconscious. It was during in the heavy fighting at Neuve Chapelle, from the 11th to the 14th March 1915, that Lieut. A. C. Hincks, of the 26th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C. (T.F., 2nd Wessex), won the Military Cross. There were many wounded men to be attended to, and Lieut. Hincks showed conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in bandaging up their wounds and seeing that they were sent back safely to the dressing stations behind the firing line. On one occasion while he was performing one of these acts of kindness a shell struck the ambulance wagon, killed the wounded man and knocked Lieutenant Hincks down, rendering him unconscious. On recovering he disregarded his own ills and at once set about to collect the wounded under fire, and continued doing so throughout the night until everyone was attended.

Bombardier Dubois Repairing Telephone Wires In Gallipoli. Mending telephone wires is an important but often a very dangerous operation. On 6th August 1915, Bombardier O. C. Dubois, 460th (Howitzer) Battery, R.F.A., spent four hours at Cape Helles, going now here, now there to repair the wires wherever they were broken. He was under exceptionally heavy shellfire the whole time. For doing this work well and effectively and for the act illustrated on the following page he was awarded the D.C.M.

Sergeant Clarke Directing The Defence Of Chateau Herentage During The First Battle Of Ypres. When the first German attack on the Ypres salient in November 1914, culminated in a charge of the Prussian Guard on November 11th, Sergeant Clarke was stationed with his troop of the 15th Hussars and a party of Turcos in the Chateau of Herentage with orders to hold it at all cost. The Prussian Guard broke the British front line, and advancing in a great wave, surged round the Chateau, but Clarke had posted his men so skilfully that their rapid fire made the enemy think the place was held in force and they made no attempt to storm it. For two and a half hours this handful of men was utterly isolated, but at length relief arrived. Clarke received the D.C.M. for his leadership in a critical situation.

Major Wheeler Riding To His death at The North Mound. On the day of April 13th, Major Wheeler and his squadron (Indian Lancers) were entrusted with the task of carrying the Turkish position on the North Mound. The project was a desperate one, for the Turks were well entrenched. Major Wheeler decided to charge straight for the section where two Turkish standards were waving, rightly surmising that the loss of their flag would demoralize the enemy. The Turks, however, fought with extreme courage and steadiness and opened a devastating fire on the advancing cavalry. The Lancers began to waver. Then it was that Major Wheeler showed the spirit that was in him. Bit by bit he drew ahead of his men, and when last seen he was making straight for the standards, one man against many. He reached the Mound, but only to suffer a heros death and to gain a heros reward - the Victoria Cross.

Mined! A Wonderful Escape And Its Heroic Sequel. On September 30th 1915, a British trench near Zillebeke was mined by the Germans and almost destroyed. Lance Corporal C. Leadbeater, of the 1/5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment (TF) was in charge of the listening post at the end of the trench at the time. The violence of the explosion blew him bodily over the parapet and inflicted severe injuries, but, notwithstanding his sufferings, he crawled back to the ruined trench, and, collecting his men, ordered them to open rapid fire in anticipation of a German attempt to secure the mine crater. This prompt action saved the situation. The German infantry faltered and the attack was not pressed home. Leadbeater remained with his men until ordered to go to the dressing station. He was awarded the D.C.M.

Bombardier Cooper Digging Out Men Buried In A Gun Pit. During the heavy fighting near Ploegteert, in October 1914, a battery of the R.F.A. (Royal Field Artillery) behind the crest of a hill had the misfortune to be discovered by German artillery observers and subjected to a systematic shelling. In such circumstances the gunners had no option but to retire to their gun pits, rely on luck and hope for happier times. The occupants of one gun pit, however, were out of luck. A large shell scored all but a direct hit and buried them alive. Their plight was critical, when a young bombardier, Ernest George Cooper, sprang forward with a small party to dig them out. Two were quickly saved, but the third had six feet of earth above him and he was nearly dead before his rescue was affected. During this time the German howitzers had not ceased to devote their energies to the destruction of this battery.

Sergeant Boulger Taking His Heavy Cable Cart Across Half A Mile Of Fire Swept Ground. On the 30th October 1914, the Allied forces, which were advancing northeast and east of Ypres, were vigorously attacked by a large German force, but not only were all the attacks repulsed, but progress was made. It was during these operations that Sergeant H. W. R. Bougler, Signal Service, R.E., won the D.C.M. under circumstances of great danger. Although a certain portion of the ground, over half a mile in extent, was so heavily fire swept, he took his heavy cable cart across it, accompanied by a few men, and succeeded in establishing communications with our forward lines.