Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part III)

A Great War Portrait Miniature of Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Pilleau, D.S.O., The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment, who died of wounds on 21 September 1914
Pilleau depicted with scarlet jacket, showing Queen’s Regiment collar badges and wearing his D.S.O., Q.S.A. and K.S.A., Signed, ‘M.H.’ [Mabel Lee Hankey], 10cm high by 8cm wide, original glazed gilt metal frame and gilt-tooled brown leather double-fronted carry case, this with applied gilt metal intertwined initials ‘H.C.P.’, very good condition and a most appealing portrait £600-800

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Charles Pilleau was born at Bermuda on 17 February 1866 and educated at Wellington College and the R.M.C., Sandhurst, where he was Senior Under Officer and passed out with honours, taking the prize for military topography. He received his commission in the Royal West Surrey Regiment in February 1887, becoming Lieutenant in July 1889, and Captain in March 1896. He served in the South African War from 1899-1902, being present at the Relief of Ladysmith, and the actions at Colenso, Spion Kop, Vaal Krans, Pieter’s Hill, and operations on Tugela Heights, Natal and Laing’s Nek. He was awarded the D.S.O.; twice mentioned in despatches; and received the Q.S.A., 5 clasps and K.S.A., 2 clasps.

In the Great War Lieutenant-Colonel Pilleau, who was promoted to that rank on 18 September 1914, was mortally wounded in the Battle of the Aisne, but continued for four hours to direct his men. It was not known till dark, when retiring, that he had been wounded. He died a week afterwards on the 21st September 1914, in the American Ambulance at Neuilly.

The photograph of Lieutenant Colonel Pilleau that appears in The Bond of Sacrifice, Volume I is the same as the image used for the portrait miniature.