Object of the Month - February 2011

A new feature now, where we highlight an item of interest - this might be something in our own personal collections, or it may be an item on display or "hidden" in storage in a museum which we think worth showcasing.

This months item comes courtesy of the museum of the Royal Highland Fusiliers in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. I'm told that this item has been in the stores, but is currently in the admin office pending a decision on how it might be displayed.
This is a silver cup, hallmarked "Birmingham 1915". It appears to be an award given to the Battalion in 32nd Division which captured the most enemy prisoners.
It was won by the 15th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry in April 1918. The battalion had captured 161 prisoners and 9 machine guns.

A little further research makes us believe that this trophy was awarded for the Battalions performance in the Battle of Ayette - the village was retaken by the Allies on the 3rd April 1918. The fighting was particularly brutal for the HLI - forty percent of the attacking force was lost. The battalion was well decorated for their actions, winning two Distinguished Service Orders, seven Military Crosses, six Distinguished Conduct Medals, and no fewer than 26 Military Medals. 

Click on the images for larger versions.
Front:
Reverse:
(Our thanks to Sandy Leishman at the RHF Museum for the images)

The Story Behind the Name: Robert Mavor

Whenever you look at a war memorial, it is important to remember that the men and women commemorate are more than just a name on a plaque. This new regular feature will pick selected names on memorials and tell you a little about their lives.

My research into the Bank of Scotland memorials has also meant researching some of the banks which were incorporated into the Bank of Scotland, later HBOS and now the Lloyds Banking Group.

One such bank is the British Linen Bank. Their memorial can be seen in the Bank of Scotland branch in St Andrews Square in Edinburgh, and one of the names on that memorial is Robert George Mavor, MC.

The British Linen Bank First World War memorial in Edinburgh.

Robert George Innis Mavor was born in September 1891, the youngest son of John and Margaret Mathieson Mavor. He was educated at George Heriot’s School from 1903 to 1907, and served his apprenticeship with the Linen Bank in the Newington branch before being appointed permanently in the Head Office. He was a member of the Institute of Bankers.

He was released for military service by the bank on the 21st October 1915, and was commissioned into the 7th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as a Second Lieutenant.

He arrived in France in October 1916, and in April 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Vimy Ridge. The citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He took command of the company during the advance at a time when it was held up by machine gun fire. He reorganized the company and handled it with great skill. His fine example and skill enabled the company to gain its final objective.

The Captain of the company concerned wrote to Mavors’ parents, giving them a little more detail about the events leading to his award:

“I was hit in the knee, and unable to move. Things looked black; but your son, on finding I was hit, took command, reorganized the company, and led them forward, clearing out the enemy and taking our objective, for which splendid work he was recommended by the Colonel. It was magnificently done, and he deserves great credit , especially as he was slightly wounded at the time.”

Despite being wounded he was able to continue his duties, but he would not live to see the award of the Military Cross as he was killed in action at Roeux on the 23rd April 1917.

His Colonel wrote to his parents:

“It is with the greatest regret that I have to tell you that your son was killed on the 23rd, while gallantly leading his men in the attack. He was one of the most capable young officers I had, and had already done splendidly in the Vimy Ridge. His name would have been sent in for special mention.”

A fellow officer wrote:

“He went with B Company to attack Roeux on the 23rd, but unfortunately was killed by machine-gun fire in the woods before reaching the village. His men tell me he was slightly wounded, but refused to give up, like the true and faithful soldier he has always shown himself, until he was mortally hit. He is the greatest loss to the battalion as he was loved by everyone, and his work at all times was beyond praise.”

Another officer wrote:

“I knew your son well, and the longer he was with me the more I appreciated his sterling qualities. Always cheerful and willing, his men loved him and would go anywhere with him; an officer can have no finer tribute paid him…in his death the battalion have lost one of their very best officers, and the company, both officers and men, a bright and unselfish companion.”

Robert Mavor is buried in Section I, Row A, Grave 11/16 of Level Crossing Cemetery, Fampoux. As well as being commemorated on the British Linen Bank war memorial in Edinburgh, he is also listed on the memorial at George Heriot's School.

Distinguished WW2 hero Chandos Blair dies, aged 91

From The Scotsman:

Lieutenant-general Sir Chandos Blair, the first British Army officer to return home after his Scottish regiment was imprisoned by the Germans during the Second World War, has died. He was 91 and died on Saturday.

The soldier, who was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery, later became General Officer Commanding Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle.

He was also chosen to undertake a diplomatic mission to try to secure the freedom of writer Denis

Hills who had been sentenced to death by Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

As a young second lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, he was determined to escape after the original 51st (Highland) Division surrendered to Rommel's 7th Panzer Division at St Valery in northern France in June 1940.

The former fighting patrol officer managed to abscond from a work party the following year and spent eight days fraught with danger, walking 75 miles to neutral Switzerland, arriving home in January 1942.

The young soldier was later to distinguish himself again after being posted to the 7th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, part of the 15th (Scottish) Division which saw action during the Normandy invasion in June 1944.

He was awarded a bar to his MC after helping to repel a heavy counter-attack while wounded.

In 1959 he took command of the 4th Battalion, King's African Rifles in Uganda.

Among his troops was a young sergeant he promoted to lieutenant "because of his hard work and toughness on the battlefield". The soldier was Amin, the future dictator.

In 1975, Blair began an eight-year tenure as Colonel of the Queen's Own Highlanders, an amalgamation of his old regiment and the Camerons.

He was appointed OBE in 1962 and KCVO in 1972.

He married Audrey Travers in 1947 who predeceased him. They had a son and a daughter.

Soldiers unveil rare war memento seized from Taliban in daring raid

From the Daily Record today:

Black Watch squaddies yesterday unveiled a rare battle flag captured from the Taliban during one of the biggest airborne assaults since World War II.

A soldier dodged a storm of machine gun and rocket fire to seize the war standard during a daring raid on an insurgent stronghold at the start of Operation Panther's Claw.

Military experts said the white flag was an "astonishing find" and a powerful symbol which Taliban fanatics would have fought to the death to defend.

The flag, which has religious script scribbled on it by hardened Taliban fighters, is now the centrepiece of the Black Watch's regimental museum in Perth.

Captain Ben Collis, of 3 Scots, the Black Watch, said the flag was taken when 430 troops swooped into the Luy Mandah bazaar in Babaji, central Helmand, on June 20 last year.

He said: "It was the opening move of Operation Panchai Palang - which translates as Panther's Claw - and marked the beginning of the Afghan and British armies' retaking of central Helmand from the Taliban.

"The operation was focused on providing security in the most populous area of Helmand, between the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah and the town of Gereskh, before reconstruction and job creation schemes could begin.

"The battalion was to take part in three subsequent phases of the operation, which lasted for over a month in total. This Taliban flag was found flying in the bazaar.

"It was captured by Lieutenant Alex Phillips, commander of 5 Platoon, on the second day of that operation. Lieutenant Phillips was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in an earlier operation."

Other mementoes gifted to the museum from the battalion's recent tour of Afghanistan include blank mortar rounds fired at the repatriation ceremony of two fallen Black Watch soldiers, a pressure pad detonator from a deadly improvised explosive device and a personal mine extraction kit.

Afghanistan expert Dr Alex Marshall, of the Scottish Centre for War Studies at Glasgow University, said: "This flag is fascinating and a very unusual acquisition for the museum.

"The Taliban have a codex or book of strict rules on how to treat civilians and how to live. These are sometimes found but I have never heard of a flag being seized before.

"It would not be carried into battle but used as a marker to signify a Taliban stronghold or headquarters. Symbolically, it is very important and shows how the Taliban are trying to establish a shadow state.

"The flag would also be important religiously and to have it flying over an area would be a real two-fingered gesture towards the Kabul government.

"The Taliban would only have let this flag fall into British hands as a matter of last resort and if they were taken by surprise by overwhelming forces."

The Black Watch museum at Balhousie Castle features items from their formation in 1725 - when General Wade, leader of the King's Army in Scotland, set up six companies of the Highland "Watch" dressed in the unit's tartan - to modern-day wars.

Museum manager Emma Halford-Forbes said: "It was fantastic to get the Taliban flag, which is very rare, and other items from the battalion's recent deployment in Afghanistan.

"We are always very grateful for all items received from serving soldiers. They are mementoes from momentous times in people's lives and help bring to life the history of the battalion.

"They help to allow people to relate to what is happening in modern conflicts and the sacrifices of modern soldiers.

"A lot of young children will be fascinated by the displays from Afghanistan. These items may seem commonplace to people using them on a day-to-day basis but they have a huge sentimental value and provenance.

"They also help the museum to preserve the history of the Black Watch for future generations.

"In recent years we have been very lucky to receive many interesting items from conflicts to add to our collection.

"These include an Iraqi AK47 and a box of rations from Iraq in 2003."

Other items in the museum's collection include a German Luger pistol from World War I, a book of pressed flowers from Jerusalem belonging to a Black Watch soldier wounded at Ypres in 1917 and German and Japanese flags from World War Two.

White Flag When Taliban warlords seized power in Kabul in 1996 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the white flag became the national flag of the country. It symbolises the alleged purity of their Islamic faith and government.

After 1997, the Taliban added the Shahadah - the declaration that there is no god but Allah and the prophet Muhammad is his messenger - to the flag.

Pressure Pad This boobytrap was donated to the museum to show the deadly array of weapons they faced in Afghanistan. Taliban fighters made the pressure pad as part of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) designed to evade detection and kill British soldiers. The device has two metal sections that make an electric circuit when pressure is applied, triggering a nearby bomb.

Bunker Buster This rocket launcher was also gifted to the museum. The bazooka-style weapon was used by troops to destroy compounds and fortified positions.

The High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) Warhead Launcher was fired from the shoulder. It was very effective against Taliban using thick compound walls to snipe at British soldiers.

Troops to cross paths

Scots troops will cross paths as they leave and arrive in Afghanistan in Spring.

Soldiers of 2 Scots, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, and 5 Scots, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, are due home in April.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Royal Marines from 45 Commando in Arbroath will go over to the Nad-e-Ali district at the same time.

They will join 4 Scots, the Highlanders, 100 soldiers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and TA troops from the 6th and 7th battalions to train Afghan forces.

Around 120 personnel from RAF Lossiemouth's 617 Squadron will also carry out patrols from a base at Kandahar Air Field.

Some 200 from RAF Leuchars will provide security for a main Nato air base.

Following a training period in Kenya this year, soldiers of 3 Scots, the Black Watch, are due to go to Afghanistan in around a year's time.

Troops from 1 Scots, the Royal Scots Borderers, arrived back from Afghanistan in October. They were deployed to shovel snow on the streets of Edinburgh in early December and were officially stood down for Christmas on December 17.

In October 400 troops from 1 Scots marched down Edinburgh's Royal Mile as part of their homecoming parade. Army chiefs are planning similar parades for soldiers coming back in 2011.

Bravery honours for Black Watch

From the BBC News website:

Twenty soldiers of the Black Watch have been recognised for their bravery during a tour of duty in Afghanistan last year.

Four have been awarded the Military Cross, which will be presented at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace at a later date.

Acting Sgt Sean Binnie, 22, from Belfast, has been mentioned in dispatches posthumously.

He was shot dead as he threw a grenade while fighting insurgents last May.

Relatives had travelled from Aberdeen to Trowbridge in Wiltshire to attend the inquest into his death last month, and heard he was killed by a single enemy gunshot.

'Very proud'

Acting Sgt Binnie had married just a few months before his death. He had joined the Army in 2003.

Four other members of the Black Watch, the 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots), died during the tour.

Details of the honours were announced at the battalion's Fort George base, near Inverness.

The battalion's commanding officer, Lt Colonel Stephen Cartwright, will become an OBE.

The other honours comprised four military crosses, eight mentioned in dispatches and seven joint commanders' commendations.

Lt Cartwright said he was "very proud" of the courage his soldiers had shown against a "very determined" enemy in a difficult campaign and climate.

In January, soldiers from the Black Watch were presented with campaign medals from the Duke of Rothesay.

Families of three soldiers, killed on active service, received the Elizabeth Cross from Prince Charles in recognition of their loss.

The cross, which was presented for the first time last year, is awarded to next of kin of armed forces personnel killed on active service.

One of the three crosses presented in private by the prince was for a soldier killed in Iraq.

First time

The final group of Black Watch soldiers posted to Afghanistan returned to Scotland in November.

Their homecoming came just days after the funeral of Cpl Thomas Mason, 27, from Fife.

He died in hospital from wounds suffered in an explosion in Kandahar Province on 15 September.

He was flown back to the UK but died at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham on 25 October.

The funeral for Sgt Stuart "Gus" Millar, another Black Watch soldier killed during the deployment, was held at Fort George in September.

The 40-year-old's wedding to wife Gillian - mother of his young daughter - was held at the same venue.

Sgt Millar, from Inverness, died alongside Pte Kevin Elliott, 24, from Dundee, in Helmand on 31 August.

The soldiers were caught in an explosion when insurgents used rocket-propelled grenades to mount an ambush.

Pte Robert McLaren, 20, from Mull, was also killed in action during the tour of duty.

It was the first time the battalion had been posted to Afghanistan. The soldiers had previously seen action in Iraq.

The battalion moved back to Fort George in 2007 after eight years, during which time they were stationed in Northern Ireland and Germany.

Codebreaker

An interesting article appeared in the Scottish Sun today. Text "borrowed" below for anyone who doesn't buy the paper.

I did a little bit of homework into Berenger Bradford, as I was curious about the medal ribbon in the photograph published. The National Archives has three results for him inb their lists of recommendations for honours and awards. Two DSO and a Military Cross, although on looking at one of them it states he had previously been awarded an MBE and a Mention in Despatches. Apparently he was wounded in Normandy but recovered sufficiently from his wounds to take command of the battle and lead his troops by sitting on the front of a tank and directing it to the front line. A brave fellow, all told.

THE son of a World War II hero has cracked a secret code in his dad’s letters home — nearly 70 years on.

Captain Berenger Bradford escaped from a PoW camp in Germany and went on the run to France and Algeria before getting back to Britain to lead an assault in the Normandy Landings.

Fan mail ... proud son Andrew

He travelled nearly 5,000 miles in a year while fleeing the Nazis and sent a string of encoded letters to the War Office and his parents in Aberdeenshire.

Trigger

When Bradford died in 1996, his son Andrew, 54, discovered the cache of letters and has spent years unravelling their secrets.

Andrew, the Laird of Kincardine Castle and Estate, said: “In his writing he secreted the message by weighting some of the letters slightly lighter than the normal text.

“When you glance at the letter you cannot see this so you then have to produce a trigger to alert the reader.

“I looked at one letter for days then suddenly something twigged — it was very exciting when you saw the words coming out.

“In some of his later letters he had concealed messages within the lining of the envelope. He was just trying to feed what information he could and tell his father where he was.”

After navigating 700 miles back to Britain in a 17ft boat from Algeria, Bradford became a colonel and led soldiers from the 51st Highland Division into battle in Normandy in 1944.