Orders, Decorations and Medals

A good Great War D.S.O. group of five awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel C. V. Bellamy, Royal Engineers, late Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers and Southern Nigeria Volunteers, a long served Field Engineer attached to A.N.Z.A.C. in Gallipoli and France 1915-18

Distinguished Service Order, G.V.R., silver-gilt and enamels; 1914-15 Star (Major, R.E.); British War and Victory Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf (Lt. Col.); Colonial Auxiliary Forces Decoration, G.V.R., silver, silver-gilt, hallmarks for London 1911, the reverse engraved, ‘Major C. V. Bellamy, Southern Nigeria Volunteers, 1913’, complete with top-bar, mounted court-style as worn and contained in an old Spink & Son leather case, extremely fine (5) £1000-1200

D.S.O. London Gazette 4 June 1917.

Mention in despatches London Gazette 4 January and 18 May 1917.

Charles Vincent Bellamy was born in April 1867 and was educated at Plymouth College. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Prince of Wales’ Volunteer Battalion of the Devonshires in 1886, he subsequently served in the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers 1889-95 and in the Southern Nigeria Volunteers 1907-13, in which latter year, in the rank of Major, the award of his Colonial Auxiliary Forces Decoration was announced in the Southern Nigeria Government Gazette on 26 March.

Having then returned to the U.K., he was appointed a Major in the Royal Engineers (Territorial Force Reserve) in November 1914, was embarked for the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in October 1915, and served at A.N.Z.A.C. Headquarters, Gallipoli until invalided to Egypt that November. Returning to duty in March 1916, with an appointment at H.Q., 2nd A.N.Z.A.C. at Ismailia, he was embarked with that corps for France in June 1916 and served there until being invalided to the U.K. in June of the following year. He was awarded the D.S.O. and twice mentioned in despatches.

Returning to France with an appointment at H.Q., XXII Corps in March 1918, he was ‘wounded at duty’ on the 20th, but subsequently joined XV Corps and served in the advance of August to November 1918, and thereafter in Flanders and in the Army of the Rhine, once more being invalided home in 1919. In a letter to the War Office written shortly thereafter, he summarised his ailments - and their cause - as follows:

‘The nervous affection of the throat I attribute to shock. The chest trouble and asthma I believe to be due to gas and to exposure on active service, and the loss of my hearing is the result of shellfire.’

Bellamy was duly discharged in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.