Sergeant Oliver Brooks, V.C., Coldstream Guards

A selection of personal items, comprising:- a fine quality 18ct. gold three quarter hunter pocket watch, by Kemp Bros., Bristol, the inside back plate engraved ‘Midsomer Norton Presented to Sergt. Oliver Brookes, V.C. who won his Victoria Cross at Loos Oct. 8th 1915’, the outside back plate engraved with the cypher ‘O.B.’; the original receipt for this watch, bought by the Midsomer Norton Council, dated 15th November 1915; a handwritten personal diary, covering the period 13th August 1914 to the 20th July 1915, detailing his experiences from Chelsea Barracks to the trenches, including the retreat from Mons, all contained in an army field message book - together with a typed transcription; a fighting knife, with staghorn handle and inset pommel with a silvered disk engraved with the initials ‘O.B.’, with leather scabbard; the recipient’s medal ribbon bar; ‘Ypres’ lapel badge, enamelled; other original ephemeria, including telegrams, newspaper cuttings, press photographs, the programme for the dedication of a memorial in memory of Oliver Brooks at Windsor Borough Cemetery, October 1987, generally in good condition an interesting archive (lot) £2000-3000

V.C. London Gazette 28 October 1915. ‘For most conspicuous bravery near Loos on the 8th of October 1915. A strong party of enemy having capture 200 yards of our trenches, Lance Sergeant Brooks, on his own initiative, led a party of bombers in the most determined manner and suceeded in regaining possession of the lost ground. The signal bravery displayed by this non commissioned officer in the midst of a hail of bullets from the Germans, was of the very first order, and the complete sucess attained in a very dangerous undertaking was entirely due to his absolute fearlessness presence of mind and promptitude’. - It was estimated that during the afternoon of this battle over 5,000 bombs were thrown by this Battalion.

Oliver Brooks was born in Paulton, Midsomer Norton, Somerset on 31 May 1889. He enlisted into the army in 1906, being transferred to the reserves in 1913. With the outbreak of war, he was mobilized into the Coldstream Guards and entered into the France/Flanders theatre of war. Actively serving at Mons and Ypres, he was to win his Victoria Cross during the Battle of Loos. Although his diary ends before his V.C. heroics, it provides a valuable insight to ‘trench life’ and the horrors of war - (31 January 1915) ‘.... our big guns start to bombard the Germans for a bit then our 2nd Batt. charge them and drive the Germans out of the trenches and what a sight the dead are lying about all over the place in heaps. I have never seen anything like it the trenches are full of them some blown to bits the sight is sickening to look at ...’

Sergeant Brooks’ Victoria Cross was presented to him by King George V while he was still in bed after his fall from a horse whilst reviewing the troops - Brooks being obliged to kneel at the King’s bedside so that he could pin the cross on to his uniform. Brooks later he became a Bombing Instructor, one of his pupils being, the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII; they became friends during this period and Brooks is mentioned in his memoirs. After the war Brooks was employed as a Commissionaire at the Harte and Garter Hotel, Windor and thence the Dorchester Hotel. He died at Windsor on 25 October 1940.