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Auction: 11011 - Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria
Lot: 15

A Great War 1917 Battle of Cambrai ´V.C. Action´ D.C.M. Group of Four to Bombardier F.C. Gould, Royal Artillery a) Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (60701 L. Bmbr: F.C. Gould. C. 63/Bde: R.F.A.) b) 1914-15 Star (60701 Gnr: F.C. Gould. R.F.A.) c) British War and Victory Medals (60701 Bmbr. F.C. Gould. R.A.), toned, generally good very fine or better with three newspaper cuttings (4) Estimate £ 800-1,000 D.C.M. London Gazette 28.3.1918 60701 L./Bombr. F.C. Gould, R.F.A. (Chelsea), ´For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during an enemy advance when he formed one of a detachment under an N.C.O. He helped to man one of two guns, whichever was most suitable for the task, for over two hours. The enemy appeared at different points within and around the battery, which fired at close ranges, and was all the time under heavy machine gun and rifle fire. His courage and tenacity was worthy of high praise.´ 60701 Bombardier F.C. Gould, D.C.M. served during the Great War with "C" Battery, 63rd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery during the Great War on the Western Front, and was present with them and Lieutenant S.T.D. Wallace (later awarded the Victoria Cross for the following action), ´when the German counter-stroke at Cambrai broke our line on the morning of November 30, 1917, "C" Battery was in action behind the village of Gonnelieu, south of the Cambrai road. Heavily shelled from daylight onwards [including attack from German aircraft], the guns thundered steadily in reply. But as the Germans advanced the battery came under machine-gun fire, and officers and men began to fall fast. Hostile infantry were seen in the rear of the guns, but Lieutenant Wallace turned a gun completely round and shelled them out of sight. Soon the battery commander fell mortally wounded; five out of the six senior non-commissioned officers were down. Lieutenant Wallace, now in command, had only sufficient men left to keep two guns in action.´ Soon the Germans were passing within 300 yards of Gould, and Wallace´s position was totally surrounded, ´At last only one officer and five men were left. The officer was Lieutenant Sam Wallace. The other five survivors, Sergeant W. Howard, Bombardier W. Coyles, Gunners F.C. Gould, J.W. Mantle and A. Burgess. It is to these men that Samuel Wallace gives the credit for what happened next. "If it hadn´t been for them I couldn´t have done a thing," he told me. What happened in a nutshell was that the six stayed and saw the thing through. Six men could not fight all the guns. So the trails of three of them on the right flank were swung round close together so that the men could run from gun to gun, firing each in turn. They saw the glint of German helmets on the roof of the chateau at Gonnelieu and sent their wearers scuttling to cover. A party of 100 Germans in close formation marched down upon them they aimed a shrapnel burst at point-blank range - the sortie withered away. So for eight hours C Battery went on hitting back at the enemy wherever he showed himself - except in the air. Against the aircraft they were helpless.... the ammunition was set on fire. Snipers menaced them as the enemy closed in. But they never reached the guns. And when the Irish Guards came up to relieve them, the indomitable six marched back, taking their sights and breech-blocks with them so that - if the worst happened - the enemy could never use their guns. And even as they withdrew, Gunner Burgess was wounded by a sniper. It was for this day´s work that Sam Wallace won his V.C. To each of the five who fought with him to the last went a D.C.M.´ (Scottish Daily Mail, 27.1.1956, refers).

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£1,700