A little over ten years ago I was sitting in an archive when I had a “Eureka” moment.  Rewind 103 years to this day in 1917 when an envelope was despatched from France, postmarked Field Post Office D7, 19 No 17, stamped “Passed by Censor” with the signature Wm. Hickie underneath.  The writer of the letter inside was also Wm. Hickie and it was private correspondence to a friend.

The discovery of this letter was the cause of my moment of euphoria.  I had always known of the claimed existence of something like its contents, although I did not know its precise nature, and here it was in front of me.

The letter was written the day before, 18th November 1917, by Major General William Hickie on notepaper embossed Headquarters, 16th (Irish) Division and was sent to a senior army officer on home duty in Ireland.  The recipient was Brigadier General Horace Kays and from the way the letter commences it seems that Kays had made a specific enquiry to Hickie.  The letter starts, with no preamble:-

“Father Doyle was one of the best priests I have ever met and one of the bravest men who have fought or works out here.”

Later in the letter Hickie says of Father Doyle:-

“He was recommended for the Victoria Cross by his C.O. by his Brigadier and by myself.  Superior authority however has not granted it …”

Hickie was the Divisional Commander and one assumes that the recommendation for the VC stopped at either Corps level or above; my own pet theory being at Army level i.e. Fifth Army commander General Sir Hubert Gough.

I was reminded of all this when I saw the recent tweet from @GreatWarGroup about the Victoria Cross, which posed the question: “who have you come across who perhaps was overlooked”.  In my biography of Fr Doyle, published in 2013, I said that if retrospective awards could be made for cases overlooked at the time, a good case could be made for the padre. I also sat on the fence regarding whether retrospective awards per se are desirable or not; I said that is another matter.  My wider engagement with military history in the intervening seven years leads me to definitely conclude that retrospective awards are not desirable.  Nevertheless, it is fascinating to consider the rationale for Major General Hickie’s recommendation – and I am not the first person to have done so.

Fr Willie Doyle’s story features in the historiography (especially Irish) of the Great War.  He was killed during Battle of Langemarck, 16th August 1917, trying to retrieve a wounded officer of 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers from the heat of the battlefield.  This was around 3pm, after having marched with the battalion to assemble at the front line in the early hours of the morning for Zero at 4.45 a.m. He then helped, except for a short break, the medics in the Regimental Aid Post situated in shallow gun pits some five hundred yards in front of that assembly line.  It was reported that he made forays outside of the RAP to reach the wounded and that, indeed, was how he met his death. The short break was when he and the Medical Officer were ordered to leave the RAP because of the progress of a German counter-attack.  However, Fr Doyle returned to the RAP; the M.O. did not. 

For the two weeks prior to Zero hour the chaplain had been continuously in front line trenches, declining to leave with the 8th Dubs when they were relieved by 9th Dubs because the 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers no longer had a padre.  Fr Frank Browne (another brave and decorated chaplain, MC and Bar) had been sent back to the Irish Guards and there was no immediate replacement for him.

The day before Fr Doyle died, Fr Frank Browne wrote about his colleague – snippets as follows:-

“Father Doyle is a marvel … I went the other day to see the old Dubs, as I heard they were having – we’ll say, a taste of the war.  No one yet has been appointed to take my place and Fr. D has done double work.  So unpleasant are the conditions the men had to be relieved frequently. Fr D had no one to relieve him and so he stuck to the mud and the shells, the gas and the terror … The men couldn’t stick it half so well if he weren’t there …the conditions of the ground and air and discomfort surpass anything that I ever dreamt of in the worst days of the Somme.”

The day before that, 14th August 1917, Lieutenant Daniel Galvin of 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers wrote home with another telling comment:-

“If ever a man earned the VC in this war, it is Father Doyle. He is simply splendid. He comes up every night under heavy shell-fire, burying the dead and binding the wounded and cheering the men. I wish to heavens we had a few doctors like him.”

The Irish writer Myles Dungan quotes a Sergeant Flynn’s letter to the Irish News after Fr Doyle’s death in which he said: “Everybody says that he has earned the VC many times over, and I can vouch for it myself from what I have seen him do many a time”.

There were many other tributes, including this from Lieutenant Colonel H.R. Stirke the Officer Commanding 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers prior to the Battle of Langemarck, wounded the week previously:-

“He was one of the finest fellows I ever met, utterly fearless … ever ready to go out and attend the wounded and dying under the heaviest fire … rare pluck and devotion to duty … I know that he had been sent back by the O.C. of one of the regiments, together with some other non-combatants, as the fighting was very severe … He only remained behind a few hours and then returned to the fighting line, like the brave man he was.”

Dungan said, but with no reference to the source: “In fact Doyle was recommended for the VC but it was not granted, an omission which reflected no credit whatsoever on those responsible for the decision”. 

The subject also exercised Gordon Corrigan in his Mud, Blood and Poppycock book published in 2003, a couple of years before I became interested in Fr Doyle.  Major Corrigan indicates how Fr Doyle operated in the front lines, how he had been awarded the Military Cross for actions in 1916 and describes:-

 “A quite remarkable man of the cloth was Chaplain Willie Doyle, padre to 8th Battalion the Royal Dublin Fusiliers … a charismatic leader and would probably have been as much at home commanding the battalion as being its spiritual mentor … highly respected and admired by all, whether of his faith or otherwise.”

Corrigan addresses two theories about why this Dubliner, a Jesuit priest, was not awarded the VC, neither of which relate to the actual actions by Fr Doyle in the field. Corrigan points out that Major General Hickie would either have to reject or support a citation for gallantry and, after considering all the available evidence, Corrigan concludes that:-

 “Although we may never know for sure, it seems that Father Doyle was never recommended for the Victoria Cross … simply because the criteria for an award were incredibly high”.

Yet, six years after publication of Corrigan’s book, I had in front of me the evidence about the recommendation.  

The reason Corrigan, Dungan, and others had either not known about the evidence, or not been able to reference a source for it, is because the letter had been quoted by a Doyle family friend, Alfred O’Reilly, in his biography, but it  had never been in the public domain.  It is in a family archive.  

Hickie said Fr Doyle’s Commanding Officer made the recommendation, but who was the C.O.?  Although not an attacking battalion of 31st July 1917 (the start of Third Ypres) the 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers had suffered extensive losses since then owing to its workload, providing burial and working parties and holding the new line of trenches.  They were not unique in this, but their losses from wounds, gassing and illness meant that on 16th August, when they were in support, with some men attached to other units, their attacking strength was a little over 80 men.  The C.O. of this composite battalion was a newly promoted captain (because of losses), Major George Cowley.  

An unknown C.O. (see quote above) ordered the Chaplain and the Medical Officer to return to Headquarters and, shortly afterwards, Major Cowley and his cohort of 8th Dubs moved forward in support of their 48^th Infantry Brigade colleagues in the first wave of the attack.  Major Cowley was not around when Fr Doyle returned to the Aid Post, neither were any other officers.  The witnesses to Fr Doyle’s actions were Corporal Rait holding the Aid Post and other ranks out under fire.  Unfortunately, the testimony of NCOs and ORs was not a consideration for the award of a VC, despite it being good enough for the Brigadier and the Divisional Commander.

Did Fr Doyle’s actions on 16th August 1917 conform to the Royal Warrant of 23rd April 1858 that the VC should be for: “conspicuous bravery or devotion to the country in the presence of the enemy”. Some would argue not only, yes, but that his actions during the two weeks prior to that also qualified him, in which case witnesses of the appropriate rank would be able to provide first hand evidence to add weight to the testimony of 16th August.  

In 1918 the already decorated (DSO, MC) Rev Fr Theodore Bayley Hardy was awarded the VC for cumulative actions over a period of time in April (5th and 25th/26th of the month).  The London Gazette entry of 11the July 1918 commences: “For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on many occasions”.

When Field Marshal Haig visited Fifth Army HQ on 17th August 1917, General Gough told him that he was displeased with the two Irish Divisions of XIX Corps i.e. their part in the disappointing Battle of Langemarck.

There was a Victoria Cross awarded to 16th (Irish) Division for that battle – acting Lance Corporal Frederick Room, a stretcher-bearer of 2nd Royal Irish Regiment, 49^th Infantry Brigade.  He was from Bristol.

I have drawn my own conclusions about the contents (based on other evidence, obviously) of those last two sentences.

Fr W.J. Doyle has no known grave and is commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing at Tyne Cot, panel 160, Royal Army Chaplains’ Dept.  The identity of the officer he was trying to get to safety is one of two young Second Lieutenants, either Charles Marlow or Arthur Green.  Both are commemorated on the panel for the Royal Dublin Fusiliers at Tyne Cot.

Note to self: advise Commonwealth War Graves Commission of evidence supporting an amendment to their record of the deaths of Fr Doyle and Second Lieutenants Marlow and Green from 17^th August to 16^th August 1917.  Also, advise Gordon Corrigan and the fact that Fr Doyle’s personal file is at National Archives (it could not be located at the time of his research, but does not reveal anything about the VC issue, although there is other fascinating stuff).

An updated, but scaled back (and that’s not a contradiction of terms) of my biography of Fr Willie Doyle will be published in 2021.

References:-

Irish Voices From The Great War, Myles Dungan, Irish Academic Press, 1995, pages 171-173

Mud, Blood and Poppycock, Gordon Corrigan, Cassell, 2003, pages 101-103

The National Archives T333/1 Victoria Cross including warrants

The National Archives WO 339/123587 personal file of Fr William Doyle, SJ, MC.

Worshipper and Worshipped, Carole Hope, Reveille Press, 2013, various pages!

Transcription of letter:-

Nov 18^th 1917

My dear Kays

Father Doyle was one of the best priests I have ever met and one of the bravest men who have fought or works out here.  He did his duty (and more than his duty) most nobly and has left a memory and a name behind that will never be forgotten.  On the day of his death – August 16^th – he had worked in the front line and even in front of that line and appeared to know no fatigue (he never knew fear.)  He was killed by a shell towards the close of the day and was buried on the Frezenberg Ridge.  I hope to be allowed when things settle down and we can get a party there to do it, to move his remains to the Convent Garden at Locre and to put them in a grave beside that of Willie Redmond.

He was recommended for the Victoria Cross by his C.O., by his Brigadier and by myself.  Superior authority however has not granted it, and as no other posthumous award is given, his name I believe will be mentioned in the Commander in Chief’s despatch.  If I had known his father’s address I would have written to him to congratulate him upon having had such a son, and in the name of the Division I would offer him my thanks for the work of the Priest, and in my own name as Commander I would offer my own for the spirit he infused into all he came in contact with – officers and men – and for his very glorious example.  I can say without boasting that this is a Division of brave men – and even among these Father Doyle stood out.

All goes well.  I am prouder than ever of my commands.  I suppose we are half through the war now.

Yours ever W.B. Hickie

N.B. My “Eureka!” moment was the first, and possibly the only, time a researcher has had access to the Hickie letter and is a good example of how persistence and good old fashioned letter writing, as well as online methods, can produce results.

I had not planned to publish a blog this week; I was intending to do so next week.  However, the news that people of some influence are backing calls for the award of the Victoria Cross to the Unknown Warrior resting in Westminster Abbey has brought out the keyboard warrior in me.

I am astounded to read in a newspaper article circulating on social media that the Chair of an association, which has claimed the torch of remembrance for four decades, is quoted as backing the idea.  My astonishment is compounded by a quote attributed to him that: “There is a groundswell of support among our members that this injustice should be rectified”.

What groundswell, what injustice?

One can only hope he has been misquoted, but I don’t see how that is possible.

I can’t even tell you what expletives I would use in relation to the “groundswell” claim.

Bear with me a minute, I haven’t lost my marbles in going on a short diversion.  I draw to your attention a similar, claimed, groundswell of support of which the former (not long resigned) Chair of that association was aware.  Back in 2014 a local authority applied for (and received) a grant from a national funder for a scheme which involved closing a popular sport facility used by said Chair.  It was claimed in the application form that “Consultation overwhelmingly concluded in favour of …” and “Our proposals … have the support of the majority of the community”.  Freedom of Information requests revealed that this groundswell of support was based on survey returns of 175 people from two London boroughs, that option categories of the returns had been amalgamated to enhance the impression of support, that some claims regarding outreach were fabricated, that there had been no meaningful consultation with users and that the powers-that-be made a unilateral decision.  Yer man wasn’t happy!

It’s a pity one cannot make an FOI to the Western Front Association.  

My partner is a member of the association (and former branch chair) and his views on the award of the VC to the Unknown Warrior have not been canvassed.  I see a similar *groundswell* of comments posted on Twitter from members, branch chairs and ex-members.  I resigned from the WFA a few months ago, but I note from the special edition of Stand To! recently received by ‘imindoors that it is dedicated to The Unknown Warrior with multiple articles.  I cannot locate anywhere within this publication the suggestion that the views of members have been canvassed, or will be canvassed, on the subject of the VC.  In any case, are we really to believe that, even if they were broadly in agreement with the idea, the views of 6,000 people should influence and overturn a decision taken, after much deliberation and reflection, at the time and largely endorsed by the Great War generation?  That decision being that the Unknown Warrior was “Everyman”.

Other nations might have a different take on their “Unknown”, but the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey is “Everyman”.  Everyman includes the valorous, the less so and the villains.  Heroes all, they were not.   Everyman includes those who were killed before they had even once set foot in a front line trench, those who had been in the front line but were killed by shellfire at “rest” in camps, as well as those that fell in battle – and died in other circumstances too.

Thinking about my great uncle, killed 1^st October 1917 in the Ypres Salient, I know 1) where he was killed 2) the likely circumstance of his death 3) that he has no known grave and 4) he was not awarded the VC.  Could he be the Unknown Warrior?  Possibly, according to 1 -3, definitely not on the count of 4.  Was he valorous?  Who knows? 

I wonder what the current Chair of the association thinks should be the citation for the award of the VC to the Unknown Warrior?  Or perhaps that protocol would be dispensed with too?

“Imindoors, who is not on Twitter, is in agreement with those WFA members tweeting their opposition to this idea.  But they are only a small sample of the membership.  Their opposition is not a “groundswell” but what is the basis for the claim that there is a “groundswell” in support and that some kind of injustice has been perpetrated on Everyman?  An Unknown Warrior accorded the highest of honours of being buried amongst royalty in Westminster Abbey.

Image from Westminster Abbey website.

As is sometimes the case, this is not entirely the piece I intended to write – I was distracted by fireworks!

Remembrance is a theme prompting many commentators at this time of year and I am always interested to read the thoughtful contributions that come my way via social media.  One recurring theme is the debate around the symbol of the Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.  I’d like to think that most detractors of the poppy symbol don’t actually have an issue with the fund raising and the uses to which it is put (albeit administration costs versus frontline investment is a whole different debate to be had about many charities).

One thing that intrigues me about detractors (for varied reasons) of the poppy symbol is that I wonder how many of them are also critical of our annual love affair with fireworks and the long ago events that sparked the 5th November tradition?  I’m pretty sure that most people who, like me, own pets such as dogs and cats, plus services veterans suffering from PTSD, would be more than happy to see the tradition quickly die off, or at least return to one annual day.  Indeed I see proof of that every year on my social media feeds.  Equally there are many others (we hear the evidence for weeks on end every Autumn) who will say – yah, boo! Spoilsports!  

The custom of “Penny for the Guy” has faded away and I wonder how many people who continue to ‘ooh and ahh’ at fireworks are even aware of the long ago historic events which underpin the lighting of sparklers, Catherine wheels (the latter also having connotations other than Guy Fawkes) and rockets?  If, as a society, we insist on clinging, largely unthinkingly, to the tradition of loudly marking Guy Fawkes’ night(s), why is there so much angst over the humble poppy?

Yes, the poppy has become commercialised, but its commercialisation is non-threatening; it may offend some sensibilities in certain instances, but it doesn’t terrify animals or people in normal usage, nor can it be used as an offensive weapon.  (Having said that, don’t get me started on soldier silhouettes!)

Food for thought, but now my ramblings turn to a tradition which I cling to at this time of year and rudely interrupted by C19; Armistice commemorations.  Last Wednesday, the day before lockdown, I luckily had an appointment at the hairdresser.  It was specifically timed for just prior to my usual trip to Ypres which, unluckily, had to be cancelled.  The demographic of the Great War community, with whom I have contact, largely ‘remembers’ every day, but for many of us the 11th November has a special focus about which only a few curmudgeons might take issue.   For many of the nineteen years I have  been visiting Ypres at Armistice, I have been the partner of someone who has an intimate involvement in the Armistice Day Poppy Parade in Ypres, prior to the Last Post Association’s 11 a.m. commemoration under the Menin Gate.  

Andy Tonge follows on from Tony Noyes and Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Graham Parker in overseeing the Poppy Parade, in collaboration with Ypres town authorities, Last Post Association and a team of volunteers, prior to the morning commemoration.  It was former battlefield guide Graham’s idea (fondly referred to as “Daddy Parker” by some of his clients) and he was the first co-ordinator and bowler-hatted leader of the parade.  (Graham is on the right as you look, clutching his bowler hat and umbrella, I guess some time late 1990s.)

Andy’s co-ordination takes the form of fielding emails for up to a year in advance; a couple of face to face planning meetings in Ypres during the year and on 9^th November; a briefing for marshals the night before the parade; an early start in the Vandenpeereboomplein in front of St Martin’s Cathedral on the morning and overseeing the forming up and marching of the standard bearers, bands and uniform groups, including youths.  Then their orderly dispersal after the service and, at some point later, a de-brief meeting.  A team of marshals briefed by Andy direct the general public, together with his number two Fiona Payne. 

 Genevra Charsley and Natasja Feliers have distributed and collected the crepe poppy petals that later float from the roundels in the roof of the Menin Gate, to the strains of O Valiant Hearts, for longer than I have been in attendance.

Meanwhile, where am I in all this?  Generally speaking I’m part of the general public, having tried my hand at marshalling and failed miserably.  No one takes any notice of a short-legged (polite version) old gal like me!  I have even been viewed with suspicion and asked to move on under the Menin Gate by a man wearing the same marshal’s identity badge as me.  If I can get a ticket for the service at St George’s Chapel I will, just to sing (badly) O Valiant Hearts and hear the Last Post sounded inside, as well as later under the Menin Gate.  And an Armistice without hearing at least one rendition of Highland Cathedral some time somewhere in the town would be a disappointment.

Some might regard all this on my part as trite, but memory is sensory, often prompted by music, vistas, aromas and tastes.  The sights and sounds, the flavours and atmospherics, the memories and chums of Armistice in Ypres reinforce ‘remembrance’ for me and will be sorely missed this year.  Does one need a haircut, a poppy (or poppies in some cases), smart clothes (my choice), ceremony, music and socialising with like-minded pals to remember the sacrifice of the Great War generation – of course not!  But I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument that a little bit of frivolity and pageantry undermines it.

The plus side to the cancellation of my usual plans is that I will be with my dog on his birthday on 9th November for the first time ever.  Not that Luca knows that I have not been around for his previous sixteen birthdays!

As you are here – by the by ….

I am publishing this blog today, 7th November, in case you don’t know about the initiative of Natasja and Genevra this year to place poppy crosses in the Ypres Salient, on request, for which this is the deadline day to advise them.  Details on the social media/website of the Ariane Hotel and Flanders Battlefield Tours.

Is it just me? Writing is so much easier than trying to set up a blog on this website! I’m currently rocking a Ken Dodd impression pulling my hair out trying to work out how it operates. I think I now have the basics, but we shall see. I’m here because I’m here and my bio on the About page gives an indication of what’s to come. Excuse me while I go and brush my hair. See you soon!