Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An outstanding and well-documented Second War ‘Dunkirk 1940’ Immediate D.C.M. group of ten awarded to Regimental Sergeant-Major W. J. Gilchrist, Irish Guards, later Norfolk Regiment, who served with the Commando ‘Harpoon Force’ which evacuated the Dutch Royal Family just days before the country fell, and then distinguished himself in action against the German advance to Dunkirk which resulted in the knocking out of an enemy tank - despite being wounded by three bullets that tore through his helmet and left him blind for three months he refused to leave his post.

Gilchrist saw later action post D-Day with the Irish Guards during their famous stand on the ‘Bridge too Far’ at Nijmegen, and then saw further service with the Royal Norfolk Regiment in Korea, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches

Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.VI.R. (2717907 Sgt. W. J. Gilchrist. I.G.); 1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Korea 1950-53, 1st issue, with M.I.D. oak leaf (2717907 W.O. Cl.1. W. J. Gilchrist. R. Norfolk.) number and unit partially officially corrected; U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed as issued; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Cyprus (2717907 W.O. Cl.1. W. J. Gilchrist. D.C.M. R. Norfolk.); Coronation 1953, unnamed as issued; Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (2717907 W.O. Cl.1. W. J. Gilchrist. D.C.M. R. Norfolk.) good very fine (10) £4,000-£5,000

D.C.M. London Gazette 22 October 1940.
The original Recommendation (for an Immediate award) states: ‘Boulogne 23 May 1940. Sergeant Gilchrist was in personal charge of an anti-tank rifle which protected the rear of the Battalion during its withdrawal into Boulogne on the 23rd May. For two hours this N.C.O., with a few men, succeeded in holding their post at a street corner, thus enabling the remainder of the Battalion to move on unmolested.
Although under extremely heavy machine gun fire he showed the greatest contempt of danger and continued to keep his anti-tank gun in action. He was instrumental in hitting and setting on fire an enemy tank, thus blocking a street down which the enemy was trying to move. Later in the action he himself was wounded but refused to leave his anti-tank rifle until it and the Bren supporting it became jammed from over firing. Throughout the whole action Sergeant Gilchrist showed courage and bravery of a very high order and set the finest example to the remainder of his platoon.’

M.I.D. London Gazette 24 April 1953:
‘For gallant and distinguished service out in Korea in the period from 1st July to 31st December 1952.’

William John Gilchrist was born in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, (Northern) Ireland on 15 August 1915, and attested for the Irish Guards on 16 January 1934. Posted to the 1st Battalion, by family repute he served for sometime at Batman to the future Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis, before proceeding with the Battalion to Egypt in November 1936. Appointed a Lance Corporal, he transferred to the Army Reserve on 14 May 1938. Following the outbreak of the Second World War he was recalled from the Reserve, and posted to the 2nd Battalion. As such he remained on home service initially, but with the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, his battalion was ordered to depart from Dover for the Hook of Holland to cover the evacuation of the Dutch Royal Family and Government in May 1940 as part of what became known as Harpoon Force.

Harpoon Force
As the German blitzkrieg ravaged across Europe, old Kingdoms were been swept aside with impunity by the German army. The Dutch Royal family were next on the list and by late April 1940 their situation was on the brink. A 'Commando' style withdrawal was required. Major Haydon, Officer Commanding 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards, was called to arms in order to raise a small combined force to bring the Royal Family to Britain so they might rule in exile.

Harpoon Force left off from Dover aboard Hereward. The invasion had taken everyone by surprise, so about a quarter of the men were on leave and couldn’t be reached through phone or telegram. With the landing planned for Walcheren the wider aims were: 1. Secure it for use of the Royal Navy; 2. Rescue the Royal family; 3. Evacuate embassy staff and other British citizens; 4. Cover the escape route from The Hague to Walcheren. Besides this the troops already in Holland were to try and secure any gold or diamonds and destroy as much as possible to damage anything the Germans might soon 'inherit'.

Harpoon Force reached the Hook of Holland at dawn on 13 May to find the place in flames and had just docked when Stukas began bombing their ship and strafing them for good measure. They also found that it wasn’t just the enemy who were shooting at them. Some of the locals supported the German invasion and began taking potshots at the 2nd Battalion from several houses, forcing them to take cover. The Irish Guards had to get to The Hague to escort the Dutch royal family, but it was hard going even when members of the Dutch resistance came to their aid. The Dutch also warned them not to accept candy or cigarettes from any local because they were likely poisoned by Nazi-sympathizers. Since Haydon was given some leeway in his orders, he chose not to sacrifice anyone to The Hague. Walcheren was under siege, so securing it was hard enough. Besides the ship’s guns, all his battalion had were a few 3-inch mortar guns, the standard issue Bren guns, some anti-tank guns, and two signal trucks.

By late morning, trucks began arriving from Amsterdam, but none carried the Royal Family. They instead brought diamond-filled crates which the sailors loaded onto the Hereward. To make room for more, they began unloading the ship’s stores for the use of the resistance. With the Germans still strafing them and still not a Dutch Royal in sight, Haydon finally gave the order to secure the roads between Walcheren and the docks. They hoped that some British nationals might make it out. Shortly after noon, a fleet of cars finally made it to the docks – the Royals were fashionably late! Haydon thus passed the work to Captain Thomas Halsey, of the Malcolm, but he came back with bad news: 'Nonsense! She left yesterday!’

Crossed wires meant that Queen Wilhelmina and her party were left standing on the dock, barred from boarding. It finally transpired that Princess Juliana had been evacuated the previous evening, so they eventually were given a berth. The problem was the Queen simply refused to let the ship leave. She was not going to leave her people without the Government, who finally arrived at six o’clock that evening. The Germans had spent the afternoon taking pot-shots and bombing the docks to keep themselves amused. Harpoon Force finally weighed anchor and took their precious cargo off, but at the cost of some 36 Guardsmen.

Boulogne - Immediate D.C.M.
With Holland falling just two days after they returned home, the 2nd Battalion were soon sent off to France to attempt to stem the tide. Posted to Boulogne, Gilchrist, by then a Sergeant, was part of an important 6-man team that attempted to hold off the German attack at Boulogne on 23 May 1940. It was at this stage that he earned an ‘immediate’ award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. In gaining the D.C.M. Gilchrist had suffered when three bullets ripped through his helmet. Having stayed at his post until the very last, Gilchrist was pulled from his gun and evacuated home. By the time he reached England, he had gone blind and spent some three months in a blind hospital learning braille, before waking one day to find his vision restored.

Gilchrist was then posted to the 3rd Battalion, Irish Guards, and shortly after his recovery found himself dug in on the Cliffs of Dover during the height of the Battle of Britain - he found home on ‘Hellfire Corner’. Gilchrist was soon promoted to Acting Warrant Officer 1st Class and Regimental Sergeant-Major, a promotion that left him with the nickname ‘That Bastard Mick’.

Arnhem - A Bridge Too Far
Gilchrist went on to land with the Headquarters Company of the 3rd Battalion in Normandy in June 1944, when part of the Guards Armoured Division, and took part in the attempt to capture Caen as part of Operation Goodwood. They also saw action in the Mont Pincon area. On 29 August, the 3rd Battalion crossed the Seine and began the advance into Belgium with the rest of the Guards Armoured Division towards Brussels.

The Irish Guards were part of the ground force of Operation Market Garden, 'Market' being the airborne assault and 'Garden' the ground attack. The Irish Guards led the vanguard of XXX Corps in their advance towards Arnhem, which was the objective of the British 1st Airborne Division, furthest from XXX Corps' start line. The Corps crossed the Belgian-Dutch border, advancing from Neerpelt on 17 September but the Irish Guards encountered heavy resistance which slowed the advance. Following the conclusion of Market Garden, the Irish Guards remained in the Netherlands until taking part in the Allied advance into Germany and seeing heavy action during the Rhineland Campaign. Gilchrist was present in the famous actions for the Irish Guards in Normandy and at the Lommell Bridge, Nijmegen - ‘A Bridge too Far’ - during September 1944. He served alongside the legendary Brigadier 'Joe' Vandeleur and clearly made quite an impression, for the pair corresponded for the rest of their lives.

With the cessation of hostilities Gilchrist was discharged, but then re-enlisted into the Royal Norfolk Regiment at Norwich on 23 October 1946, and was promoted back to the war substantive rank of Sergeant on rejoining. He saw service out in Germany with the British Army of the Rhine from 15 September 1947 to 23 June 1950, and was promoted to Acting Warrant Officer Class II on 19 July 1949, and Acting Warrant Officer Class I on 30 July 1950. He saw further service as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 1st Battalion, prior to being posted home on 17 February 1951.

Korea
Gilchrist saw active service during the Korean War from 29 August 1951, and again found himself in the thick of the action. He was also part of the ‘tour party’ that welcomed Field Marshal Alexander, the then British Defence Minister, when he paid a visit to the field in June 1952. The Sunday Dispatch takes up the story: 'As he went from hilltop to hilltop, Lord Alexander saw hundreds of men from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom stripped to the waist in the hot sun. On one position he met an old friend, R.S.M. W. G. Gilchrist, D.C.M., of Stafford Avenue, Norwich, formerly of the Irish Guards - the Field Marshal's old regiment - and now serving with the Norfolks. Lord Alexander asked the R.S.M. two questions:
“What do you think of National Servicemen?”
The R.S.M. replied:
“National Servicemen are No. 1, Sir. They are terrific.”
The Field Marshal then asked: “How do you like Korea?”
The R.S.M. replied: “Too many hills, Sir”.’

For his services in Korea, Gilchrist was Mentioned in Despatches. He was then posted from Korea to Hong Kong on 29 September 1952, and was given the honour of taking the Regimental Colour back to Britain for the Coronation in 1953. He made it back in one piece but soon after fell very ill, with a Doctor at one point suggesting he might have just two weeks to live. Having sent this news back to Hong Kong, he got a reply that perhaps he got himself back to see his family to be with them. A typical R.S.M.'s reply followed by Telegram:
'No! Queen and Country First!!!'

Empire Windrush
Recovering, Gilchrist was posted home again on 1 April 1954. The homeward journey would prove quite interesting. For the journey home, Gilchrist and his family found themselves loaded onto the troopship Empire Windrush, with Gilchrist appointed Troopdeck Sergeant-Major. The vessel had famously previously carried so many families from the Caribbean to a new life in 1948. Untold Lives by the British Museum takes up the story:
‘In March 1954, the Empire Windrush was bringing 1,276 men, women and children back to the UK from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Suez. Many were National Servicemen returning home to be demobbed.

On the morning of 28 March the ship was 20 miles off Algiers. At about 6.15am officers on the bridge heard a “whoof” of air and, turning round, saw oily, black smoke pouring out of one of the ship’s funnels. Then ten foot high flames appeared. There was a fire in the engine room. Since the alarm bell system failed to work, stewards and catering staff were sent to arouse crew and passengers.

Some of the military officers thought it was a practical joke when they were awoken by stewards bursting into their cabins shouting ‘Get quickly to your emergency station!'. Captain Anderson turned over in his bunk and continued to wait for his morning cup of tea, but then became aware of a smell of burning. He threw on his overcoat and rushed on deck. Hot paint from the top of the funnel was setting light to the wooden decks. The ship’s power failed and there was no light, water, or telephone.

Evacuation procedures swung into action. Lifeboats and rafts were launched and ships were sent from Algiers. Everything proceeded in a disciplined manner. Within twenty minutes of the order to abandon ship, all 250 women and children had been placed in lifeboats, as well as 500 of the servicemen and the ship’s cat Tibby. One boat was damaged as it was being launched and later sank when full of survivors. Some of these were in the sea for two hours before being rescued. As the fire spread, the order was finally given - every man for himself. At about 7.15 am the last men left the ship, including the Captain.’

Gilchrist and his family were picked up by a large oil tanker and dropped at Algiers.

Later Life
Two quiet years followed in England, before an attachment to the King's African Rifles out in East Africa from 12 August to 14 December 1957 gave Gilchrist two interesting subordinates during his time in Uganda - Idi Amin and a young Crown Prince (later King) Hussein of Jordan.

With the EOKA Emergency in Cyprus, Gilchrist was posted there to join his battalion on 14 December 1957, and was still out there when his battalion was retitled the 1st Battalion, East Anglian Regiment on 1 June 1960. In May 1960 he was awarded his Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal by Lieutenant-General Sir Roger Bower, and was posted home on 4 August 1960, being pensioned from the service on 30 April 1961. Looking back on his army life he said: ‘I have no regrets. I’d do it all over again if I could.’

Having retired to Australia, Gilchrist settled in Brisbane and set up a car business. Appointed a Magistrate of Queensland in August 1966, he donned uniform for the final time as a Security Officer during the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Gilchrist returned to Korea upon the invitation of the South Korean President in 2000 and attended a Garden Party in honour of Korean Veterans, being presented to The Queen. Engaging in conversation with Her Majesty, it is said she endured the longest handshake of her reign. Gilchrist died in Brisbane just months later in September 2000 and his ashes were returned to Ireland to be interred at Castlederg in Tyrone in November 2000.

Sold with the following extensive archive:

i) The recipient’s British Army Soldier’s Record and Pay Book, cover inscribed ‘C.S.M. Gilchrist. W. J.’
ii) The recipient’s three Regular Army Certificate of Service Red Books, dated 28 January 1938, 28 July 1950, and 7 March 1961.
iii) The recipient’s tunic medal ribbon bar and a mounted group of 10 Commemorative Medals comprising: Dunkirk Veteran’s Medal 1960; European Union Combatants Cross; Belgium: King Albert 1st Commemorative Cross for Veterans with gold, silver and bronze palm devices; Belgium: National Organisation of Veterans of King Albert I 1948-1973 25th Anniversary Commemorative Medal; Normandy Campaign Commemorative Medal; Battle for Britain 1939-1945 Commemorative Medal with The Army Clasp; Frontline Britain 1939-1945 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal; France: Operation Overlord 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medal as issued by the town of Caen in Normandy; International Federation of Korean War Veterans Association 1950-1953 Commemorative Medal as issued in 1990; Republic of South Korea: Korean War Medal, mounted as worn; together with various award Certificates
iv) The recipient’s Army Certificate of Education Third Class, dated 9 May 1934; Army Certificate of Education Second Class, dated 21 July 1937; and Army Certificate of Education First Class, dated 19 March 1953
v) Typed Certificate of Service with Assessments of Military Conduct and Character, dated 7 March 1951, and War Office Letter issued on Pension after 25 years, dated 11 April 1961.
vi) A rare Troopdeck Sergeant-Major's cloth armband, as used by Gilchrist during the loss of the Empire Windrush on 28 March 1954 off Algiers in the Mediterranean
vii) Press photograph relating to the Korean War, detailing Gilchrist offering a helping hand to Field Marshal Lord Alexander, the British Defence Minister. The caption reads: ‘Field Marshal Lord Alexander, the British Defence Minister, receiving a friendly helping hand up a shell town hillside on the Korean front by R.S.M. Gilchrist when he visited the 1st Bn The Royal Norfolk Regiment, whose Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. J. H. R. Orlebar is seen looking on.’
viii) Two photographs, both press images, showing American troops detailing the functions of a tripod mounted bazooka to two men of the Royal Norfolk Regiment (Gilchrist is identifiable in both); together with three photographic images relating to a Korean War veterans reunion, two taken in the Republic of South Korea, in both of which Gilchrist is wearing all of his medals including the commemorative awards, and the third showing Gilchrist shaking hands with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; and a photographic image of Gilchrist in uniform wearing his medals, taken shortly before his retirement.
ix) Various 21st Army Group Personal Messages &c.
x) Irish Guards Association London Branch Annual Dinner commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Regiment, dated 18 March 1950, this signed in pencil ‘Alexander of Tunis’ for Field Marshal Lord Alexander.
xi) Newspaper cutting from the Sunday Dispatch, dated 15 June 1952, detailing the visit to Korea of Field Marshal Lord Alexander, the British Defence Minister, titled ‘Alexander Sees Korea Napalm Attack’; a newspaper cutting from the Tyrone Constitution, dated 20 May 1960, detailing the award of the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to Gilchrist, carrying an image of him being presented with his medal by Lieutenant General Sir Roger Bower in Cyprus, and the article is titled: ‘Twenty-Five Years Globe-Trotting with the Army - Castlederg Man’s Experience’; and a newspaper cutting from the Sunday Life, dated 5 November 2000, with an article titled: ‘Home is the Hero to an Irish Grave’, detailing how Gilchrist’s body was returned to Ireland for burial, he having latterly lived in Brisbane, Australia.
xii) A copy of the book ‘Women and Children First... The Loss of the Troopship “Empire Windrush”’, by Captain W. N. Seybold.
xiii) various other ephemera and copied research.