Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry

‘In a fight against large odds he is perfectly happy and an excellent shot, he has on several occasions proved his capabilities under very trying circumstances and on one occasion, at considerable risk and very great discomfort, saved a machine from a forced landing by standing on the plane and holding together two ends of a petrol pipe.’ The superb and extremely rare Great War Royal Naval Division ‘Gallipoli and Western Front’ D.C.M., Royal Naval Air Service ‘North Sea Patrols’ D.F.M. group of seven awarded to Chief Petty Officer W. G. Chapman, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, later Chief Mechanic, Royal Naval Air Service, who was awarded the D.C.M. for brave deeds with the Drake Battalion at Antwerp 1914, ashore at Cape Helles, 1915, and in France, 1916. Subsequently joining R.N.A.S. Great Yarmouth where, as an exceptional engineer and fearless crew member, Chapman displayed the utmost gallantry in action on numerous long distance flying boat patrols, 1917-18, often engaging in fights with enemy scouts and fast seaplanes; gallantry for which he was awarded the D.F.M. and was Mentioned in Despatches Distinguished Conduct Medal, G.V.R. (Lond: 10-3044 Ch: P.O. W. G. Chapman. Drake Bn: 63/R.N.D.); Distinguished Flying Medal, G.V.R. (224573 Sergt.-Mech Chapman W. G., D.S.M. R.A.F.); 1914 Star (L.10/3044 W. G. Chapman, A.B. R.N.V.R. Drake Bttn R.N.D.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaves (224573. Ch. Mech. W. G. Chapman. R.A.F.); Canadian Volunteer Service Medal; War Medal 1939-45, Canadian issue in silver, with M.I.D. oak leaf, nearly extremely fine (7) £4,000-£5,000 --- D.C.M. London Gazette 1 January 1917, citation published 13 February 1917: ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He has performed consistent good work with the Division since its formation.’ Annotated Gazette states ‘Gallipoli’ and ‘France’. D.F.M. London Gazette 21 September 1918: ‘He has been a member of a seaplane crew on practically every long-distance patrol. He has taken part with zeal, gallantry, and coolness in numerous engagements with hostile aircraft.’ M.I.D. London Gazettes 1 May 1918 and 2 June 1943. Note: In common with their Royal Marine counterparts, when coming under Army command during integrated land operations, the N.C.O.s and men of the Royal Naval Division were unusual in their eligibility for both the D.C.M. and the D.S.M. This complexity is undoubtedly responsible for the erroneous post-nominals ‘D.S.M.’ being impressed on Chapman’s D.F.M. rather than ‘D.C.M.’. This administrative error was replicated in the London Gazette entry for his award. William George Chapman was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, on 10 April 1895 and was raised in Southwark, London. An electrical engineer by occupation, he joined the London Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 23 October 1913 and was mobilised for war on 2 August 1914, immediately seeing service in the North Sea. Posted as an Able Seaman to the 1st (Drake) Battalion of the newly formed Royal Naval Division on 22 August, he participated with the 1st Naval Brigade in the Antwerp operations during October 1914, making good his return to England the same month. Gallipoli Petty Officer Chapman embarked with ‘A’ Company of his battalion in February 1915 for ‘an operation in the Mediterranean’, arriving at Port Said, Egypt on 29 March. A week later he was re-embarked for Gallipoli where the Drake Battalion was landed at 8.30pm on 26 April onto the Cape Helles beaches barely won by the main landings the previous day. At 8am on 28 April, with the entire Naval Division now on land, the Drake Battalion - attached 87th Brigade, 29th Division (and the only battalion of the R.N.D. to be engaged that day) - was thrust into the assault inland towards Krithia and Achi Baba. Suffering heavy losses, the tired, demoralised and virtually leaderless troops were soon stopped by the resolute Ottomans and the First Battle of Krithia was all over by nightfall. Digging in just above the W Beach headland, the Drake Battalion were next involved in the successful repulsion of a Turkish counter attack on 1 May (Battle of Eski Hissarlik) and would be employed in further attempts to push inland on 6-8 May (Second Battle of Krithia), 4 June (Third Battle of Krithia) and the Action at Achi Baba Nullah on 12/13 July. All to no avail and at great cost. In fact, so numerically weakened had they become, the Naval Division played little part in the later struggles at Cape Helles in August and September. Finally, and somewhat anticlimactically, on 8 January 1916 the men of the Drake Battalion, together with the rest of the British Empire forces, left their trenches for the last time, returned to the beaches so hard won, and left the peninsula. Battle of the Ancre - D.C.M. The Royal Naval Division (now renumbered the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, comprising of the the 188th, 189th and 190th Brigades) was ordered to France in May 1916 as part of V Corps, 5th Army and so following four months peaceable employment in the Aegean, Chapman returned to the Western Front now in the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Disembarking at Marseille on 7 June 1916, the Division took it’s place in the fighting line between Lens and Vimy Ridge in the Angres-Souchez sector on the Western front. Here, the life of the Division was almost uniformly without incident and it was moved to the IV Corps training area in mid September. Two months later, the Royal Naval Division, commanded by the increasingly unpopular Major-General Shute, was thrown into the Battle of the Ancre, 13-18 November 1916, during the final stages of the Battle of the Somme, advancing along the River Ancre to capture Beaucourt. The Drake Battalion, of the 189th Brigade, lost half their effective strength in the opening stages of the attack, including their C.O. Lieutenant-Colonel Tetley killed, and many more were scattered. The remaining body of three officers and eighty petty officers and men now came under the command Colonel Freyburg of the Hood Battalion whose composite force went on to execute a series of brilliant advances before capturing Beaucourt Village. Freyburg was awarded the Victoria Cross: ‘Again at a critical moment in the battle Colonel Freyburg retrieved the situation by himself leading the assault, followed by a mixed detachment of his own men, details of Drake, Hawke, Nelson and H.A.C., and the 13th K.R.R.C. In a moment Beaucourt was ours, the garrison of eight hundred surrendering, almost without a pretence of resistance.’ (The Royal Naval Division by Douglas Jerrold refers). Jerrold goes on to state that ‘the success of the Hood and Drake Battalions was both brilliant and astonishing, and it was decisive’. However, it could scarcely redeem the severe losses suffered by the two Naval Brigades. For the Drake Battalion’s part, only three officers and some 280 petty officers and men survived the battle unwounded. Immediately after the Ancre, on 5 December 1916, Chapman was discharged to the R.N.A.S. as a C.P.O. Mechanic, having been rated exceptional in his assessment. He was awarded the D.C.M. (London Gazette 1 January 1917) for his gallantry with the Naval Division since its formation, the annotated gazette entry for the award stating ‘France’ with an additional side note stating ‘Gallipoli’. Whilst the timing of this D.C.M. is consistent with other Ancre awards, in later interviews Chapman would describe his D.C.M. as a Gallipoli award. It seems most correct, however, to take the citation at face value and regard it as a decoration for distinguished conduct...