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Auction: 24002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 199

A Great War M.B.E. group of eight to Warrant Officer Class I S. H. Bayes, Royal Engineers

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, M.B.E. (Military Division) 1st Type, Member's breast Badge, (R.S.M. S. H. Bayes R.E.); 1914-15 Star (40648 C.S.Mjr S. H. Bayes. R.E.); British War and Victory Medals with M.I.D. oak leaves (40648 W.O.1. S. H. Bayes. R.E.); Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (26841 C.S.Mjr: S. H. Bayes. R.E.); Army Meritorious Service Medal, G.V.R. (40648 C.S.Mjr:- T.R.S.Mjr:- S. H. Bayes. 14/ Div: Eng: R.E.); Belgium, Kingdom, Order of Leopold II, 5th Class breast Badge with Palme; Belgium, Kingdom, Croix de Guerre, mounted court-style as worn, very fine (8)

M.B.E. London Gazette 12 December 1919.

M.S.M. London Gazette 17 June 1918.

M.I.D. London Gazette 4 August 1917.

Belgian Order of the Leopold II London Gazette 24 October 1919.

Belgian Croix de Guerre London Gazette 24 October 1919.

Sidney Henry Bayes was born in February 1873 in Woburn, Bedfordshire. After leaving school, was apprenticed as a Plumber, Painter and Glazier. He attested into the Royal Engineers at Chatham on 16 August 1892 as a Regular Army soldier (No. 26841). He achieved a 2nd Class Education Certificate on 28 April 1895 and qualified as an electric lighting and firing mines engineer on 5 February 1897. Bayes married May Lewry on 20th March 1897 at Medway Registry Office. During his first period of engagement with the Army, he was posted as follows:

16 August 1892 - Chatham,
10 May 1898 - Aldershot,
1 June 1899 - Perham Down,
12 April 1900 - Malta,
11 April 1903 - Gibraltar,
10 March 1908 - Aldershot.

During his service in Gibraltar, Bayes became seriously ill with enteric fever and was hospitalised between 13 May-2 September 1907. His record states that he suffered a '...very severe attack, complicated with Bronchitis', plus other symptoms which affected his heart and it was not until 25 June that he began to recover.

Bayes gained the following promotions to Lance-Corporal - 8 July 1895; 2nd Corporal - 1st April 1899; Corporal - 10 January 1901; Sergeant 1 March 1906; Company Sergeant-Major - 20 August 1910.

He completed 21 years of service with the colours and was discharged to pension, time served, on 15 August 1913 whilst serving with the 11th Field Company, being awarded his L.S. & G.C. Medal in April 1911, without seeing any active service on the North-West Frontier of India, in the Boer War, or in any campaign.

He was recalled in August 1914, then living at 34 St Michaels Road, Aldershot. He was immediately given the rank of Company Sergeant-Major with the 61st Field Company, Royal Engineers. The 61st Field Company formed part of the divisional engineers of the 14th (Light) Division. On 29th January 1915, he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class II.

On 20 May 1915, Bayes landed in France. It's likely that his first real major encounter with the enemy was during the Second Battle of Ypres at Hooge, where the Germans were first in the use of flame throwers (German Liquid Fire Attack), on 30-31 July 1915. On 15 September Bayes was promoted to Regimental Sergeant-Major, leaving the 61st Field Company. It would appear that his skills and abilities had been recognised at Divisional level. The Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) of the 14th Division was in need of a good Regimental Sergeant Major for his Divisional Engineers - a role that now fell to Bayes.

The Division was to be involved in the following major battles:

Second attack on Bellewaarde - 25 September 1915,
Battle of the Somme,
Battle of Delville Wood - August and September 1916,
Battle of Flers-Courcelette - September 1916,
Battle of Arras (1917),
The First Battle of the Scarpe - 9-14 April 1917,
The Third Battle of the Scarpe - 3-4 May 1917,
Third Battle of Ypres,
The Battle of Langemark - 22-27 August 1917,
The First Battle of Passchendaele - October 1917,
The Second Battle of Passchendaele - November 1917.

The 14th Division was hard pressed by the enemy during the German Spring Offensive at St Quentin. During this battle, Bayes found himself at Montescourt facing a large number of advancing German troops. There was a large ammunition dump located at Montescourt which stood directly in the path of the advancing Germans. By the 22 March, the dump had been prepared for demolition and Bayes was tasked to standby until 0400hrs on that morning to set it alight. Bayes waited at his post, being fully aware of the magnitude of the enemy onslaught. He was finally relieved when the officer commanding the British rearguard crossed the St Quentin Canal and arrived at Montescourt. He was ordered not to fire the dump by the Cavalry commander for fear of lighting up the entire area and giving away the position of the British troops crossing the canal under cover of darkness. Thus relieved, Bayes left the dump with his colleagues of the retreating cavalry. He was then placed in charge of the ammunition dump at Flavy, which was then heavily shelled from 1100hrs. Bayes re-joined the Divisional HQ from Flavy and moved from Beaumont to Guivry.

The front was finally stabilised on 23 March and Bayes was able to return to his duties at 14th Division Headquarters. The 14th Division was involved in some further actions after the German Somme offensive. These actions involved the Battle of Avre on the 4 April, the Battle of Ypres from 28 September-2 October, and the Battle of Courtrai from 14-19 October 1918.

Bayes returned home on 3 June 1919 and shortly after was discharged. He returned to his former profession as a painter, living at 30 St. Michaels Street, Aldershot. It would also appear that he was a part time fireman too. Bayes died on 9 March 1946.


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Sold for
£1,000

Starting price
£750