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Auction: 23003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 263

A Battle of the Somme 1916 M.C. and Spring Offensive 1918 Second Award Bar group of five awarded to Captain B. E. Ablitt, West Yorkshire Regiment, who was wounded on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme, and later served in the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force

Military Cross, G.V.R. with Second Award Bar; 1914-15 Star (2. Lieut B. E. Ablitt. W. York. R.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. B. E. Ablitt.); Jubilee 1935, mounted as worn, very fine overall (5)

M.C. London Gazette 14 November 1916:

'For conspicuous gallantry in action. He organised a party to shoot down a party of the enemy, who were firing into the backs of our advance. He also sent in valuable reports of the situation. Later he assumed command of the right flank, displaying great courage and ability.'

Second Award Bar to M.C. London Gazette 16 September 1918:

'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in first assisting under heavy fire to hold battalion headquarters against the advancing enemy, and afterwards helping other units in resisting attacks on the reserve trenches.'

Bernard Ernest Ablitt was born at Wimbledon and educated at All Hallows' School in Honiton. Appointed Cadet Lance-Sergeant in the Junior Division of the Officers Training Corps while there he was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in September 1914. Ablitt served on the Western Front from 21 September 1915 with the 1st/5th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment.

The Battalion War Diary takes up the story with the opening of the Somme Offensive on 1 July 1916, Aveluy Wood:

'4pm Battn assembled for attack on THIEPVAL VILLAGE Attack was counter ordered and Battn ordered to occupy BRITISH front line trenches. Battn was withdrawn and ordered to occupy SCHWABEN REDOUBT. REDOUBT reached by small party including Lt.COL WOOD Major THOMPSON Lt & Adj CASEBOURNE Lt JAMESON and 2/Lts A.B.LEE DRESSER CLOUGH. Remainder of Battn moved to JOHNSTONES POST. Casualties 2/Lts ABLITT BROWN and WHITE wounded O.R. killed 5 wounded 53.'

Returning home as a result of his wounds on the 5 July 1916 Ablitt was appointed to command a Company with the rank of Captain on 29 September 1916. Transferring to the 1/6th Battalion he re-joined the war in France on the 29 December 1916. The transfer was not to last however and he returned to the 1/5th as Temporary Captain on 31 December 1916.

Ablitt was sent out on 13 April 1917 along with 2nd Lieutenant Beech and 2nd Lieutenant Benjamin. They crossed no man's land on parallel courses. Norrie Beech found Bertha Post to be protected by new, impassable wire. Ablitt reported that Wick Salient was covered by an active Machine gune which fired on them, and the German front line was protected by a flooded borrow pit. The wire at Irma was penetrable, but again, the enemy front line was well protected by flooded ditches, which also prevented Benjamin from working round it sideways.

Ablitt rose swiftly through the Battalion heirarchy, becoming a senior Captain. This is underlined at the Battle of Poelcappelle on 9 October 1917, the Weatherby Memorial Website provides more detail, stating:

'At 8.00 am., Battalion Headquarters had moved to a position in the British Front Line about 300 yards, east-north-east of "Calgary Grange". At about 8.15 a.m., a message was finally received from the front written by Lieutenant Thomas Hardwick commanding "D" Company stating that reinforcements were required to continue the attack. Acting on receipt of this, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Bousfield led the Headquarters Staff forward to provide assistance. In this attempt to advance, Lieut-Col. Bousfield was wounded and any further movement by Headquarters and associated staff proved impossible due to machin-gun [SIC] and shell fire.

As the attack continued throughout the morning, the battle became a series of isolated actions, each group of men holding what positions they had captured and consolidated.

On receiving information that Lieut-Col. Bousfield was wounded on the attempt to move forward, Major Donald Mackay went forward from the "Old German Line", near Wieltje to take command of the batallion [SIC], accompanied by Lieutenant John Harford, they finally reached the location of Battalion Headquarters at about 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon. In the maelstrom of machine-gun and shell fire that swept the battlefield, Major Mackay was killed at about 4.30 p.m., command now devolving on Captain Bernard Ernest Ablitt.

As night fell, the men occupied the "positions"' won during the day, some men just sheltering in mere shell holes filled with water. The remnants of the battalion, scattered and in isolated parties, occupied positions located from the south edge of "Wolf Farm" consisting of a line of detached "forts", to the eastern edge of "Wolf Copse". The latter position also consisted of a detached post located about 150 yards south-east of the southern corner of "Wolf Copse". To assist these forward posts, a support line was also established about 200 yards behind and located on the limit of the First Objective.

Late on the night of the 10th, the battalion was relieved by the 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifles of the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Returning to "Old German Line" position east of Wieltje small parties began "drifting" back between the hours of 3 a.m and 11 a.m. on the morning of the 11th.'

Ablitt was second-in-command to Colonel Oddie by early Ocober. The 51st Division heaved the front line further forward towards the Belgian border, to within two miles of Valenciennes, in the early hours of 29 October, when the 49th Division relieved them once more. Ernest Law recalled the German being 'on the run' by this point and that the British 'couldn't catch 'em'.

With the enemy in full flight, the battle lines were now changing hourly as unit commanders made independent tactical decisions in order to exploit opportunities as they arose. The stalemate of trench warfare had been fully replaced by a war of movement and relative chaos. The 146 Brigade diary records that the front line was 'obscure', and that the relief was 'impossible to arrange' in detail. Battalion and company commanders simply did their best, improving as they went.

The 5th Battalion was to hold the brigade front line, running 1,000 yards to the east of Famars. This was the scene of the battle in 1793 where the 14th Regiment of Foot had fought the French Revolutionary Army, and the coincidence was not lost on the Adjutant, Bernard Ablitt. He added in the margin of the battalion war diary, underlining 'Famars' and adding:

'Remarkable as the place where the Regiment won the right to have the "Ca Ira" as the Regimental Quickstep in 1793.'

Despite three and a half years of fighting on the Western Front, and the huge turnover in men, the 5th Battalion still cherished its regimental roots. Ablitt served until the end of the Great War and applied for his Medals in 1923. He was later to serve as Major and Second-in-Command of the 2nd Battalion, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, Singapore receiving his 1935 Jubilee medal whilst serving with them.

He died on 17 April 1939 at the Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London. At the time he had the address of Union Building, Collyer Quay, Singapore; sold together with four assorted badges and two buttons, a yellow metal Collar stud and the dog Tags of Major W. Oddie, 1/5th W.York. Regiment.

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Sold for
£5,000

Starting price
£1600