Orders, Decorations and Medals Including five Special Collections

A very good Great War group of four to Captain H. B. Mostyn Pryce, Rifle Brigade, a St Eloi casualty

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 4 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1902; Transvaal (Lieut., Rifle Brigade) clasps mounted in this order with unofficial rivets to last; 1914-15 Star (Capt., Rif. Brig.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.) generally nearly extremely fine (4) £450-500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, A Fine Collection of of Great War Medals to the Rifle Brigade.

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Educated at Eton & Sandhurst, Hugh Beauclerk Mostyn Pryce (“Moses”) was gazetted to the Rifle Brigade in 1900; he first served in Dublin with the 4th Bn. then in South Africa from December 1901 with the 1st Bn. (“operations in the Transvaal, Jan. to 31 May 02. Also in Orange River Colony and Cape Colony, Jan. 02. Queen’s Medal with 4 clasps”) He was promoted Lieutenant in 1904 and to Captain commanding a company in the 3rd Bn. in 1911. On the outbreak of war he was at the Depot and joined the 4th Bn. in France as OC “D” Company at the beginning of 1915. On 14 March the trenches and famous “Mound” at St. Eloi had been captured by the Germans and 4th R.B. was called out of rest to march six miles up to the line, in pitch darkness, to organise an immediate pre-dawn counter-attack on the 15th. The brigadier’s report stated: “…the R.B. trench previously reported as unoccupied by the Germans was now occupied by them, and this information was telephoned on to Colonel Thesiger. He therefore had to arrange to re-take the R.B. trench as well as the Mound. He therefore, after leaving behind a company in reserve, moved along the road until he reached a point about 180 yards from the R.B. trench and 200 yards from the Mound. From this point, marked by a fallen tree, he directed one company under Captain H.B. Mostyn Pryce to attack the R.B. trench… this was gallantly accomplished by Captain Mostyn Pryce’s company…” Sergeant Riddell of “D” Company wrote: “We got into a line then whoosh at ‘em. They flung a few bombs, I remember reaching the trench shouting and over we went and as quickly as possible changed the sandbags over for cover. I think we lost 10 or 15 in the attack… As there were no loop holes they [sentries] had to look over the top. I think we lost five or six shot through the head. Then the company commander put his head up and he stopped it.” Captain Mostyn Pryce was taken to No. 2 Clearing Hospital at Bailleul. He Died of Wounds on 19 March 1915. Billy Congreve wrote in his diary: “Moses died this morning. He was shot in the head. They at first thought he was doing well, then suddenly he went worse.” He is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension.

The family were the premier Cymric family in Montgomery and one of the oldest county families in Wales. They lived at Gunley Hall, Chirbury, an estate of which they had unbroken tenure since 1640. Captain Mostyn Pryce, who turned down a commission as major in the newly formed Welsh Guards to serve with the Rifle Brigade at the front, was the last direct representative of the Pryces of Gunley.

Several copy portrait photos., also of Gunley Hall & further research on battle of St. Eloi etc.