William Slade Vincent

Appendix 3.0
Military Cross Awarded to Lieut. William Slade Vincent

In the War Diary for the 7th Bn. K.O.R.L.R. (1st August 1917 to 10th October 1917), mention is made of a patrol, on the night of 28th September 1917, in which 2nd Lieut. Vincent took part.

War Diary 7th Bn. K.O.R.L.R., 28th September 1917 [168]

The 7th Bn. War Diary on that date recorded the following:

“Hostile artillery still active along the line of Railway embankment & OAF AVENUE. Officers patrol proceeding along S. [South] along Railway embankment encountered six of the enemy. The officer, 2/Lieut. Vincent shot 3 & it is believed that the remainder were accounted for by Lewis gun fire”.

No other mention can be found in the Bn. War Diaries of William being involved in any combat role involving mass troops, so it is believed this was the action for which he was awarded the Military Cross.

[In 1917, the Military Cross (M.C.) was awarded to commissioned officers of the rank of Captain or below, and Warrant Officers, but not other ranks. This was changed in 1993 to allow it to be awarded to other ranks. It was, in 1917, a second level award, the first level being the Victoria Cross.]

Military Cross 1917

The M.C. was awarded for “an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land, to captains or officers of lower rank up to warrant officers”. (Non-Commissioned Officers or other ranks instead received the Military Medal).

William’s award of the Military Cross was published, as were all awards, in the London and Edinburgh Gazettes. His appeared in the London Gazette Supplement on 26th November 1917.

London Gazette Supplement 26th November 1917 [169]

Before the British War Office had a chance to publish an account as to why the medal was awarded to William, the Journal Newspaper of Adelaide had broken the news to William’s friends and family in South Australia.

Adelaide Newspaper broke the news of William being awarded Military Cross

Another article in appeared in the newspaper, the Adelaide Mail, on 16th February 1918. The article described William’s own account of what occurred the night on which he won the M.C.

Adelaide Mail 1616th February 1918

The “push” William refers too in the above account was at 5:40am on 20th September 1917. The 7th Bn. K.O.R.L.R. was part of 56th Brigade of the 19th Division of the IX Army. At the end of the battle around 30th September 1917, it resulted in the Bn. losing one officer killed, 2/Lieut. H. T. Lyons and 22 other ranks killed and 68 wounded. These casualties were sustained to gain about 500 metres of ground in the centre of the offensive which the 7th Bn. was not even part of. The Bn. was on the right flank and saw very little action.

The “Push” on 20th July 1917 [170]

The citation of his being awarded the Military Cross, according to the War Office version, appeared in the London Gazette Supplement on 4th June 1918.

London Gazette Supplement 4th June 1918 [171]

The account of the action on the 28th differs from the War Diary and William’s own account published in the South Australian newspaper. This could be forgiven with the confusion reining on the battlefield and the rudimentary forms of communications used at that time. And knowing William, his own account could have been closer to the truth.

------------------------------
[168] National Archives - War Diary W/O 95
[169] London Gazette 26th Nov 1917
[170] National Archives - War Diary W/O 95
[171] London Gazette 4th June 1918