Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Boer War D.S.O. group of six to Captain H. G. Bryant, Shropshire Light Infantry, who died of wounds on 1 May 1915

Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamel, with brooch bar; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg (Lieut., 2/Shrop. L.I.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps (Cpt., D.S.O., Shrop. L.I.); 1914-15 Star (Capt., D.S.O., Shrops. L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.); together with a mounted set of three miniature medals, first three as above, D.S.O. in gold and enamel, second and third full-size medals with some contact marks, very fine and better (9) £4000-5000

D.S.O. London Gazette 10 September 1901.

M.I.D. London Gazette 10 September 1901; 31 May 1915.

Henry Grenville Bryant was born in London on 5 June 1872, the eldest son of Henry Strickland Bryant of Hesketh Crescent, Torquay.

Educated at Eton, he was gazetted from the Militia into the Bedfordshire Regiment on 2 June 1894 and the Shropshire Light Infantry on 26 September 1894, becoming a Lieutenant in July 1898.

He accompanied his battalion to South Africa in 1899 and was Brigade Signalling Officer on the Staff, 13 March-9 June 1900, 10 July-2 September 1900 and 16 October 1900-23 July 1901. He took part in the operations in the Orange Free State, February-May 1900, including operations at Paardeberg, actions at Poplar Grove, Dreifontein, Houtnek, Vet River River and Zand River. He served in operations in the Transvaal, May-June 1900, including actions near Johannesburg and Pretoria. In operations west of Pretoria, July-November 1900, he was present at the actions at Elands River, 4-16 August. He was present in operations in the Orange Free State, May-November 1900, including the action at Rhenostar River and was in the Transvaal, November 1900-May 1902, being slightly wounded at Bothwell, 6 February 1901. For his services in the war he was mentioned in despatches and created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. He was promoted to Captain on 22 January 1902.


Captain Bryant served with his battalion in India from March 1904 to January 1905 and again from 1907 to October 1914. In the Great War he served as a Captain with the 2nd Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, entering the France/Flanders theatre of war in December 1914. On 26 April 1915 he led his company in a night attack on a German trench near Ypres. He was seen by his men, at whose head he charged, to reach the parapet, and to be wounded by a hand grenade. He was reported ‘missing’. On 1 May 1915, five days after the action, he died in the Kriegs Lazarette, at Roulers, of heart failure, following the amputation of his right arm. He was buried in the Roeselare Communal Cemetery,West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. A brother officer wrote of him, ‘His name will always be revered in the regiment for what is noblest and best. I never met a man so absolutely without fear’. He was the husband of Phyllis Mary Bryant, of The Hollins, Knayton, Thirsk, Yorkshire. Sold with riband bar and two K.S.L.I. buttons and K.S.L. badge.