Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Great War D.S.O. group of six awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel B. W. Collier, South Wales Borderers, who was decorated for his gallant command of the 14th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the closing months of the war: he had earlier served with distinction as C.O. of the 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers in the period 1915-16

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with integral top riband bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg (Lieut. B. W. Collier, S. Wales Bord.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Lt. B. W. Collier, S. Wales Bd.); 1914-15 Star (Lt. Col. B. W. Collier, S. Wales Bord.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (Lt. Col. B.W. Collier), the reverse of the D.S.O. slightly recessed, contact marks, generally very fine (6) £2,000-£2,400

Provenance: Llewellyn Lord Collection, Dix Noonan Webb, September 2016.

D.S.O. London Gazette 2 December 1918:
‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during an advance. He repeatedly organised the front line of his battalion and helped to get it forward under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. It was by his personal efforts and fine leadership that his battalion advanced some 500 yards beyond the flanking units and were successful in beating off a counter-attack.’

Bertram William Collier was born in March 1874, the son of Thomas Collier of Broughty Ferry. Educated at Rugby School, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the 3rd (Militia) Battalion, Liverpool Regiment in February 1894 and gained a regular commission in the South Wales Borderers in December 1895.

Having then undertaken tours of duty in Gibraltar and India, Collier was embarked for South Africa with the 2nd Battalion in January 1900. He subsequently participated in the operations in the Orange Free State in February-May, including the actions at Karee Siding, Vet River and Zand River; likewise in the Transvaal in May-June 1900, including the action near Johannesburg, and in subsequent operations in the period November 1900 to June 1901, when he served as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Johannesburg. Thereafter he was actively employed in the 15th Mounted Infantry in the Orange River Colony until May 1902, in which period he also acted as Intelligence Officer to Major Holmes’ Column.

Collier served as a Captain and Adjutant of the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve) from September 1912 until September 1915, soon after which he joined the 1st Battalion in France in time to see action at Loos. At the end of the same year he was appointed to the command of the Battalion in the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and led it on the Somme in July 1916 and beyond, up until being invalided home at the year’s end. For his services he was Mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette 22 May 1917).

In December 1917, Collier returned to France with command of the 14th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, in which capacity he was awarded the D.S.O. for the above cited deeds during the final Allied advance in 1918; he was also Mentioned in Despatches for a second time (London Gazette 27 December 1918). He was placed on the Retired List in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in February 1920 and died as a consequence of a riding accident in the west country in December 1929.

Sold with copied research including various photographic images.