Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Three: Captain H. E. Sulivan, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, who died of wounds on 31 October 1917, having been severely wounded the previous day at Meetcheele during the Battle of Passchendaele

1914-15 Star (Lieut: H. E. Sulivan. P.P.C.L.I.); British War and Victory Medals (A. Major. H. E. Sulivan.) lacquered, nearly extremely fine (3) £600-800

Henry Ernest Sulivan was born in Bristol on 6 April 1888, the son of Colonel Ernest Frederic Sulivan and his wife Florence, and was educated at Cheltenham College. In 1910 he went to Canada where he was in business in Montreal. When war was declared he at once volunteered and was commissioned Lieutenant in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry on August 1914. He served on the Western Front from December 1914 and was severely wounded by a bullet fracturing his right leg in the hotly contested area around ‘The Mound’ near St. Eloi, on 5 February 1915, and invalided home. He was declared fit for general service on 7 December 1915, but again hospitalised with a fractured jaw on 20 February 1916. On his recovery, he was promoted to temporary Captain on 2 June 1916 and re-joined his regiment the same month. He was appointed acting Major while commanding a Company on 7 July 1916 and from 16 January 1917 until 21 March 1917. He was hospitalised with influenza at 20th General Hospital at Camiers, France, on 25 March 1917 and evacuated to England on 29 March 1917. After a short posting to the 7th Reserve Battalion on 1 May 1917, he re-joined the P.P.C.L.I. in the Vimy Ridge Sector, serving from 21 June 1917 to 15 October 1917, when he was granted 10 days leave. He returned to the Western Front on 25 October 1917 and at the end of the day in which the P.P.C.L.I. won their first two V.C.s, was shot in the chest by a sniper on 30 October 1917 at Meetcheele, dying the next day at No 8 Canadian Field Ambulance. Captain Sulivan is buried in Oxford Road Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium. He is also commemorated on St Peter's, Old Woking War Memorial, Woking; Christ Church War Memorial, Woking; Maybury, St. Pauls War Memorial, Woking; Woking Town Square War Memorial, Woking, and in the Canadian First World War Book of Remembrance.

Acting Major H. E. Sulivan is mentioned several times in the regimental history, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry 1914-1919 (Hodder-Williams). The following is related on 30 October 1917, a day when the Patricias were foremost in the advance and attack on Passchaendaele and Lieutenant McKenzie and Sergeant Mullin were awarded the Patricias’ first Victoria Crosses of the war:
“At 9:30pm another company from the Royal Canadian Regiment was sent forward from Dad Trench to dig and garrison a line in close support of the Patricias. This reinforcement was accompanied by the officers of the Regiment who had been summoned from reserve – Major Sulivan (instructed to take over command of the whole firing line) and one subaltern each for the right and left sectors. Major Sulivan at once gathered information from every source, and reported at midnight: ‘I find our line consisting of shell-holes running about level with the pill-box, well held in small separate posts. Captain Wood of the R.C.R. brought up his company of 30 other ranks with me, and has dug in 50 yards behind the pill-box. There are 8 R.C.R. left in the front line, with 2 officers. We have 6 Lewis guns in working order, and hold the crest of the ridge. The enemy have apparently dug themselves in 200 yards in front of us. One of their patrols has just come up to our line, but was beaten off. I figure I can hold this line against any counter-attack they put across. The sniping from the left is the worst feature...We have about 15 stretcher-cases in the pill-box, as well as others outside. The enemy were using white flags to-day with their stretcher parties. I suggest that you send up stretcher-parties by daylight to-morrow with white flags. We want water S.O.S. signals, s.a.a, bombs, a few rounds of blank.’
Only a quarter of an hour after sending this report, Major Sulivan fell mortally wounded…”.

The price of victory was high. 20 out of 25 officers engaged were casualties, 9 were killed, 9 wounded and 2 in hospital with gas poisoning. 150 men were killed, died of wounds or missing believed killed and 193 wounded. The total casualty list amounted to 363 out of 600 who had gone into action.

H. E. Sulivan’s Commanding Officer wrote: “No more gallant fellow ever made the great sacrifice. On the evening of the 30th he brought up reinforcements, and while consolidating the position was shot through the shoulder, chest and arm, and died on his way to the dressing station. He had the confidence and the following of his men, and the friendship and admiration of his brother officers. From his long experience in the field, he thoroughly realised the magnitude and danger of the task he was asked to perform – and simply did his duty.”

For the medals to the recipient’s father and two brothers, see lots 12, 236, and 400.