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Auction: 3016 - Orders, Medals, Decorations & Militaria
Lot: 607

The Exceptional Great War Victoria Cross, D.S.O., M.C. and Bar Group of Twelve to Major General D.M.W. Beak, South Lancashire Regiment, Late Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Commander, Drake Battalion, Royal Naval Division
(a) Victoria Cross (T/Comn. D. M. W. Beak. D.S.O. M.C. Drake Bn. R.N.V.R; 21st & 25th Aug. & 4th Sep. 1918)
(b) Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., reverse of suspension bar engraved 'Temp. Commdr. D.M.W. Beak M.C. Drake Bn. R.N.V.R. March 21st-25th 1918'
(c) Military Cross, reverse engraved 'T/Sub Lt D.W.M. Beak Drake Bn. R.N.V.R. Nov.13th.1916, and Second Award Bar, the reverse engraved 'A/Lieut Commdr D.M.W. Beak Drake Bn. R.N.V.R. Apr 23rd.1917'
(d) 1914-15 Star (S. Lt.)
(e) British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. Oakleaves (Commr.)
(g) 1939-45 Star (Maj. Gen.)
(h) Africa Star, with 8th Army Bar (Maj. Gen.)
(i) War Medal, M.I.D. Oakleaf (Maj. Gen.)
(j) Jubilee 1935 (Major)
(k) Coronation 1937 (Lt. Colonel)
(l) Coronation 1953 (Maj. Gen.), good very fine, the group mounted as worn (12)


V.C. London Gazette 15.11.1918 T/Commander D.M.W. Beak, D.S.O., M.C., Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 'For most conspicuous bravery, courageous leadership and devotion to duty during a prolonged period of operations.
He led his men in attack, and, despite heavy machine-gun fire, four enemy positions were captured. His skilful and fearless leadership resulted in the complete success of this operation and enabled other battalions to reach their objectives.
Four days later, though dazed by a shell fragment, in the absence of the brigade commander, he reorganized the whole brigade under extremely heavy gun fire, and led his men with splendid courage to their objective.
An attack having been held up, he rushed forward, accompanied by only one runner, and succeeded in breaking up a nest of machine guns, personally bringing back nine or ten prisoners. His fearless example instilled courage and confidence into his men, who then quickly resumed the advance under his leadership.
On a subsequent occasion he displayed great courage and powers of leadership in attack, and his initiative, coupled with the confidence with which he inspired all ranks, not only enabled his own and a neighbouring unit to advance, but contributed very materially to the success of the Naval Division in these operations.'


D.S.O. London Gazette 26.07.1918 D.M.W. Beak M.C., Temporary Commander, Royal Naval Divison, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During a night attack by the enemy the right flank of his division was left in a dangerous position. He arranged for a flank to be formed in that direction, and subsequently covered the retirement of two brigades with a composite rear-guard which he organized and commanded. His initiative and presence of mind greatly assisted in extricating these brigades from a very difficult situation. Throughout, the skilful handling of his battalion was particularly noticeable.'

M.C. London Gazette 26.1.1917. Temp. Sub-Lt. Daniel Marcus Beak, R.N.V.R. 'For conspicuous gallantry in action. He led his men in the attack with great courage and initiative and materially assisted in the capture of the enemy line. He set a fine example throughout.'

M.C. Bar Award London Gazette 18.7.1917. Temp. Sub. Lieut. (actg. Lieut-Comdr.) Daniel Marcus William Beak, M.C., R.N.V.R. 'For conspicuous gallantry during operations, when he continually dashed forward, under heavy fire, to reorganize the men, and led them on with great bravery through the enemy barrage and machine-gun fire.'

The Historic Retreat of the 5th Army

The Allied Spring Defensive of 1918 was severely put to the test on the morning of 21st of March along the Flesquieres salient . The front line troops of the 189th Brigade, Vth Corps, 4th Bedfords, the Hawke and the 2nd Royal Marine Battalion, supported by the 7th Royal Fusiliers, the Drake and the 1st Royal Marine Battalions came under heavy bombardment. At 5.15 a.m. the bombardment lifted, and the enemy attack commenced. Within minutes communication between the front line and Brigade Headquarters were severed. Headquarters did not know until some six hours later that the enemy had penetrated in depth the British defensive positions. At 4p.m. Commander Beak was ordered to relieve the Hawke Battalion in the Hindenburg support line.
By the end of the day's action a new divisional front had formed, one that should have been defendable had it not been for IVth Corps (on the left of the Vth Corps) having been pushed along the Cambrai-Bapaume road as far as Beaumetz. Without strong reserves to repulse counter attacks on their flanks the Vth Corps could not retreat in localised fashion. The 189th Brigade found itself taking a position to the rear of the line, with a view to covering a further retreat of the 5th Army to the Green line.
The night of the 22nd-23rd was occupied by a movement to the Metz defences. Such mass movement, however, inevitably caused confusion, and the orders to retreat never reached Commander Beak and his Drake Battalion. The Drakes held their position, with the Germans closing in on their flanks. The arrival of a demolition party of Engineers preparing to blow his position up, alerted Commander Beak to the fact that something was amiss. In light of this Beak took it upon himself to withdraw his men from the position. In order to prevent the enemy following up, he stayed behind with a Lewis gun and kept up a steady fire on the advancing enemy. He repeated this process in stages for several hours, enabling his Battalion to move down the road from Trescaut to Neuville. The entire process lasted until 7 a.m. on the 23rd, when Drake Battalion was finally re-united with the rest of the 189th (D.S.O.)

The Attack on the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance, August-September 1918

In July 1918 German forces had renewed their attack on the French lines, over an area encompassing fifty miles to the east and west of Rheims. They achieved initial success, having crossed the Marne for the first time since 1914. May saw the return of the Naval Division, including Beak's Drake Battalion, to the Hamel-Aveluy sector in preparation for a planned August offensive. In early August the Division moved into the Montigny area, south of the Albert-Amiens road. A new offensive from the north, Bapaume, was planned, and for this the Naval Division was transferred to the IVth Corps which held the Front north of Beaumont Hamel, through Bucquoy. Marching only at night, the Division moved North (15th-19th August) to Souastre in preparation for the attack on the 21st. The first set of objectives were Bucquoy, Ablainzeville and Ablainzeville Spur. The IVth Corps and the Naval Division were assigned to the secondary set of objectives, the Irles-Bihucourt line and further north the Achiet-le-Grand-Arras railway. General Lawrie also set an intermediate objective known as the Brown line slightly to the east of Logeast Wood, which was to be attacked by eight companies, including two from the Drake Battalion.
On the 20th all units managed to reach the Brown line having encountered virtually no opposition; the Germans had speedily retreated to a new line of defence further to the east. In attempting to press on, the Drakes found themselves halted on the outskirts of Achiet-le-Grand by well entrenched enemy forces, equipped with anti-tank guns and strengthened by fresh reserves.
The British Infantry, without artillery support, made a gallant attack on the German lines, but were beaten back with heavy losses from most of the positions. The advanced posts, however, held firm, Beak 'by his skill and gallantry, contributed in no small measure to the success of the operations in the centre of the line'.
On the 22nd, the British line held against three counter-attacks. The following day saw another German retreat, to a line running through Grevillers, Loupart Wood and Warlencourt. In light of this, an attack was planned for the evening of the 24th which would see the Naval Division work in concert with the New Zealand Division.
Beak's Drake Battalion was to clear a communication trench, which ran along the right of the Divisional boundary to the German trenches, halfway between Loupart Wood and the Albert-Bapaume Road. Despite early success, heavy resistance was met on the south-west corner of Loupart Wood and both the Hawke and Hood Battalion Commanders became casualties. By midday the enemy resistance broke and the attack was now taken to the villages of le Barque, Thilloy and Ligny Thilloy. Here the German's strength in depth proved too much for the attacking forces and they were unable to reach the final objective, Riencourt. Despite this, the rest of the operations had proved to be a great success, the enemies' communications had been cut and Bapaume was effectively isolated. Especially worthy of note had been the achievement of the 189th Brigade, including the outstanding part played by the Drake Battalion under Commander Beak.
Beak's men had been positioned well outside of the Divisional boundary and indeed remained in their position without support untill nightfall on the 25th. In the course of these operations 37 enemy Officers and 1095 other ranks were captured.
August 30th saw the Naval Division in action again, this time at the Second Battle of Arras with Sir Charles Fergusson's XVIIth Corps. The immediate object was to seize the northern end of the Hindenburg system and the Drocourt-Queant system behind it, ideally forcing the enemy to retire east of the Somme and relinquish their hold on Lys falling back to the lines of the Canal du Nord and Canal St. Quent.
The intermediate objectives were met with rapid success and the next step was to advance on Inchy. Before these instructions had, however, reached the Battalions Commander Beak had made on his own iniative a deeply penetrating advance across the railway to Pronville (south -east of Queant), capturing on the way a substantial part of the Hindenburg support line. Beak crossed the railway at 4p.m. and his patrols were in Pronville by 6.30p.m. The main part of his Battalion remained in position at the Pronville-Inchy Road blocking the enemy's line of retreat and ensuring the capture of a substantial number of prisioners as well as many machine guns, several trench mortars and field guns.

Major-General Daniel Marcus William Beak, V.C., D.S.O., M.C. and Bar (1891-1967), born at Southampton, Hampshire and joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1915. He served at Gallipoli and was present at the evacuation. He joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 1918, and was transferred to the King's Regiment with the rank of Major, 1932. From 1939-40 he commanded the 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment. He was promoted to Brigadier, 1940, and saw service in France, being made Acting Major-General, 1941. Beak was appointed General Officer Commanding at Malta, 1942.


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£155,000