Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A very fine Great War Divisional Commander’s C.B., C.M.G., and Boer War D.S.O. group of twelve awarded to Major-General W. H. ‘Bob’ Greenly, 19th Hussars, late 12th Lancers

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, C.B. (Military) Companion’s neck badge, silver-gilt and enamels; The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, C.M.G., Companion’s breast badge converted for neck wear, silver-gilt and enamels, enamel damage to both centres; Distinguished Service Order, V.R., silver-gilt and enamels; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 6 clasps, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Wittebergen (Capt & Adj: W. H. Greenly, D.S.O., 12/Lcrs:) backstraps of clasps removed for mounting purposes; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (Maj. W. H. Greenly, D.S.O., 12/Lcrs:) backstraps of clasps removed for mounting purposes; 1914 Star, with clasp (Lt: Col: W. H. Greenly D.S.O. 19/Hrs.); British War and Victory Medals, with M.I.D. oak leaf (Maj. Gen. W. H. Greenly.); Defence Medal; Coronation 1911; France, Colonial Medal, 1 clasp, Maroc; Roumania, War Cross 1916-1918, the last ten mounted court style as worn, together with his named Hall Stone Jewel 1914-18, silver, good very fine (13) £3000-4000

D.S.O. London Gazette 27 September 1901.

Walter Howorth ‘Bob’ Greenly was born on 2 January 1875, the eldest son of Edward Howorth Greenly, of Titley Court, Herefordshire. He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst, and commissioned in the 12th Lancers on 20 February 1895. He served as Adjutant of his regiment in the South African War, 1 May 1900-22 August 1902, where he won a D.S.O. Greenly’s profile as an ambitious professional was confirmed by his passing staff college in December 1905. He spent the period January 1906 until January 1912 entirely in staff positions, principally with the cavalry in Aldershot Command, a place where a man could attract notice. This appears to have happened. On 2 January 1912 he was ‘fast-tracked’ to command of the 19th Hussars. It was his 37th birthday. On mobilisation, 19th Hussars were split up as divisional cavalry and Greenly had no opportunity to command the regiment in action.

On 19 September 1914 he was appointed GSO1 2nd (Cavalry) Division, recently formed under the command of Hubert Gough. He remained in this post until 14 April 1915, when he was promoted GOC 9th (Cavalry) Brigade, 1st (Cavalry) Division. He was 40. From November 1915 until November 1916 he was BGGS (chief of staff) XIII Corps, commanded by Sir Walter Congreve. XIII Corps was heavily engaged on the Somme and achieved the greatest success on 1 July, including the capture of Montauban. Even this pace of promotion seemed too slow for Greenly, however. He was restless for command and, in November 1916, succeeded in escaping the staff ‘ghetto’ to become GOC 2nd (Cavalry) Division. 

He was an undoubted success. Colonel W. N. Nicholson, no uncritical admirer of generals, described Greenly as ‘good as one could wish’ as a divisional commander. Greenly was clever enough to realise, however, that command of a cavalry division on the Western Front provided an able and ambitious man with very limited opportunities. He lobbied for command of an infantry division and, on 22 March 1918, he succeeded in getting one. This brought his glittering career to an immediate and humiliating halt.

Greenly’s new command, 14th (Light) Division, felt the full force of the German Spring Offensive. According to an official report by the GOC III Corps, Sir Richard Butler, during the period 22-27 March ‘14th Division was engaged continuously day and night under very difficult conditions and suffered very heavy losses. Major-General Greenly handled a new and difficult situation with energy, ability and calm. He was confronted with a difficult problem, and succeeded in concentrating and withdrawing the 14th Division from a situation which at one time looked critical.’ But the personal cost was high. 

On 28 March Greenly reported in person to the GOC Cavalry Corps, Sir Charles Kavanagh, that ‘he found himself incapable of thinking clearly and could not trust himself to issue orders’. He was consequently relieved of command, suffering ‘exhaustion from exposure’. Haig recorded more brutally in his diary that ‘Greenly … went off his head with the strain’. Nevertheless, Haig recommended that Greenly be considered for a staff or field command after a six-month period of rest at home. But, by then, the war was almost over. Greenly never returned to active service and retired in 1920 after a two-year tour as Chief of the Military Mission to Romania (Bt. Colonel, C.M.G., promoted Major-General, C.B.; Commander of Legion of Honour, Star of Roumania, St Anne and St Stanislaus of Russia, White Eagle of Serbia). Major-General Greenly died on 20 May 1955.

See Lots 485, 486 and 487 for Major-General Greenly’s foreign awards.