Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Great War D.S.O. group of seven awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel W. R. Pinwill, Liverpool Regiment, a veteran of the defence of Ladysmith who went on to serve with distinction in Gallipoli while attached to A.N.Z.A.C. - for which he received special mention from Birdwood for his part as rear-guard commander in the final evacuation - and on the Western Front as C.O. of the 18th Battalion 1916-18, which latter period witnessed much bitter fighting on the Somme

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamel; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Defence of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Belfast (Capt., L’pool Regt.); King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Cpt., L’pool Rgt.); 1914-15 Star (Capt., L’pool R.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.); French Croix de Guerre 1914-1918, with palm, mounted as worn, the first with remnants of brooch-pin device to reverse of upper suspension bar, the second with correction to surname, the third and sixth with official corrections to surname, generally very fine and better (7) £1800-2200

D.S.O. London Gazette 1 January 1918.

Mention in despatches London Gazette 8 February 1901 (Boer War); 28 January 1916 and 13 July 1916 (Gallipoli and the Dardanelles); 18 December 1917 (France and Flanders).

French Croix de Guerre London Gazette 15 December 1919.

William Richard Pinwill was born in Probus, Cornwall in October 1873 and was educated at Clifton College and the R.M.C. Sandhurst. Commissioned into the King’s Liverpool Regiment in 1893, he was advanced to Captain in the following year and served out in South Africa from August 1899 until November 1902, his record of service stating:

‘Operations in Natal in 1899, including the action at Reitfontein (24 October), Lombard’s Kop (30 October) and the defence of Ladysmith, including the sortie of 7 December and the action of 6 January 1900; operations in Natal March to June 1900, including the action at Laing’s Nek (6-9 June); operations in the Transvaal east of Pretoria July to 29.11.1900, including the action at Belfast (26-29 August); operations in the Transvaal 30.11.1900 to 21.5.1902. Despatches London Gazette on Sir R. Buller’s recommendation of 9.11.1900.’

Pinwill, who was latterly Commandant at Kaapsche Hoop, next served out in India and Burma, where he was appointed an officiating Brigade Major at Bombay in 1906, but he saw no further active service until the Great War, when he is recorded as having entered the ‘W. Pacific and Egypt’ theatre of war on 12 August 1914. Shortly thereafter he was attached to A.N.Z.A.C. and served with distinction in Gallipoli, gaining his first recommendation for a “mention” on 27 August 1915 and a second for ‘his efficient work as Rear-guard Commander on the final night of the evacuation’ that December. Having by then been confirmed in the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, he was further rewarded by the the Brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel ‘for services in the Field’ (London Gazette 2 May 1916 refers).

Pinwill subsequently commanded the 18th Battalion (2nd City), Liverpool Regiment from 23 July 1916 to 12 January 1918, a period that witnessed many costly actions, not least on the Somme, where he joined the Battalion in Happy Valley soon after its severe mauling on 1 July - and the death in action of his predecessor on the 8th. Among the more notable engagements in which the Battalion participated was a head-on assault on Gird Trench on the night of 17-18 October 1916, in which his men were checked by a mass of uncut wire and heavy machine-gun fire, besides other difficulties, including the state of the ground:

‘The ground was covered with shell holes. These combined with the sodden and greasy state of the ground and numerous dead men made the going exceedingly difficult. There were no objects visible on which troops could march and so maintain direction. The mud and slime clogged the rifles and Lewis guns and would have absolutely prevented them being fired ... ’ (Pinwill’s report on the action refers).

Again, on the night of 30-31 July 1917, Pinwill found his men committed to another head-on attack, this time on Pilkem Ridge. Having established his advanced H.Q. at “Crab Crawl Tunnel” shortly before zero hour, news began to filter back of serious opposition and confusion, two of his companies having got mixed-up with men from other units while pushing through Sanctuary Wood. Accordingly, at 5.40 a.m., and accompanied by his Intelligence Officer, and a Liaison Officer from the Wiltshire Regiment, he moved forward to assess his Battalion’s position. But he discovered very little of value, other than the fact his men were heavily engaged at “Bodmin Copse” and, having experienced ‘considerable machine-gun fire’, he returned to “Crab Crawl Tunnel” about two hours later.

At length, however, Pinwill did indeed move his advanced H.Q. further forward, and was able to re-establish some sort of communication, but by that stage it was apparent his Battalion had taken another severe mauling - in his subsequent report written in the field on 5 August 1917, he was able to confirm 7 officers and 3 other ranks killed, 7 officers and 46 other ranks wounded, and a further 194 other ranks missing. No doubt, however, for his bravery in going forward under such perilous conditions on this occasion, he was awarded the D.S.O.

In mid-January 1918, Pinwill was ordered to join 32nd Division with a staff appointment, taking his leave from his battalion at Moreuil on the Somme.