A superb Siege of Tobruk downgraded Distinguished Conduct Medal award of the Military Medal, GVIR 1st type bust, awarded to Bombardier C.W. Lowe, A/E Battery, 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery who was decorated in the London Gazette of 18th July 1941 for his outstanding gallantry at Tobruk on 14th April 1941 when his Battery was heavily attacked by enemy tanks who had broken through the outer defences of Tobruk. He was in position with a Boyes rifle on the exposed flank of the troop, and had been ordered into a new position when the attack began. He immediately got his rifle into action, and lying in the open in an exposed position, he fired until all his ammunition was expended. He scored direct hits and caused one tank to withdraw as it was endeavouring to outflank the guns. Lowe would later be serving as a Sergeant with 76th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery when he was killed in action at El-Alamein on 25th October 1942, he is now buried in El-Alamein War Cemetery.
Military Medal, GVIR 1st type bust; (5246917 BMBR. C.W. LOWE. R.A.) Mounted on a pin for wear
Condition: mounted on a pin for wear, Nearly Extremely Fine
Along with:
Card mounted image of the recipient in uniform wearing his MM ribbon.
Card mounted note from Major General, Commanding 9th Australian Division and Tobruk Fortress dated 2nd June 1941: ‘I offer you my heartiest congratulations on your being awarded the Military Medal and am very gratified that your gallant action has been so recognised’.
Card mounted notes from Army Commander, for 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery: ‘Whole Eight Army admires beyond description the wonderful display of courage and fighting qualities shown by your Regiment throughout the whole of the siege of Tobruk. It will live in the annals of history of the Royal Regiment and adds to the glory of your unit tradition as right of the line of the British Army. Well done, indeed.’
Also from the Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery which states ‘The above message from the Army Commander is passed to you for your information and retention. It is doubtful whether an Army Commander, even Wellington after Waterloo, has ever singled out an individual Regiment for higher praise, and you, Bombardier Lowe are one of those who has personally contributed so much, and so well earned it.’
Charles William Lowe was born in Hill Croome, Worcestershire and resided at Great Malvern before enlisting and seeing service with the Royal Horse Artillery with whom he would see service as a Bombardier and later Sergeant (No. 5246197) with the A/E Battery, 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery in North Africa during the Second World War.
Lowe would be present during the Siege of Tobruk and would be decorated with the Military Medal in the London Gazette of 18th July 1941, a downgraded Distinguished Conduct Medal recommendation, the citation reads:
‘I wish to being to your notice and to recommend for the D.C.M. No 5246197 Bdr Charles William Lowe, A/E Bty, 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery. Nearly on the morning of 14th April, A/E Bty was heavily attacked by enemy tanks who had broken through the outer defences of Tobruk.
He was in position with a Boyes rifle on the exposed flank of the troop, and had been ordered into a new position when the attack began. He immediately got his rifle into action, and lying in the open in an exposed position, he fired until all his ammunition was expended. He scored direct hits and caused one tank to withdraw as it was endeavouring to outflank the guns.
His coolness and courage was fine example to all ranks in the Bty.’
As part of the siege of Tobruk, from 11–12 April, the 5th Panzer Regiment probed the defences of the 20th Australian Brigade near the El Adem road. The tanks were held off by artillery-fire; German infantry who reached the anti-tank ditch were forced back by Australian infantry. The Germans were surprised, having assumed that the shipping at Tobruk was to evacuate the garrison and planned a night attack by the 5th Light Division for 13/14 April. Groups of Axis vehicles were attacked by 45 and 55 Squadrons RAF, which rearmed at the airfields inside the perimeter. The attack began after dark, with an attempt to get over the anti-tank ditch west of the El Adem road in the 2/17th Australian Battalion sector, which the Australians repulsed. Another attempt was made later and by dawn a small bridgehead had been established, where the 5th Panzer Regiment drove through and turned northwards, ready to divide into one column for the harbour and one to move west to stop the escape of the garrison.
The German tanks were engaged head on by the 1st RHA and veered away, only to drive into the path of the British cruiser tanks, waiting hull-down and received anti-tank fire from three sides, losing sixteen of 38 tanks and retreated. The Australian infantry had stood their ground and pinned down the German infantry. As the retreat continued, every gun and aircraft at Tobruk fired into the area and the German 8th Machine-Gun Battalion lost about 75 percent of its men including its commander Gustav Ponath, for a garrison loss of 26 men killed, 64 wounded, two tanks and a field gun knocked out. Attacks from the south were abandoned and the 5th Light Division dug in, with the Schwerin Group (renamed after Prittwitz had been killed) to the east. In support, the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica flew 959 sorties over Tobruk; on 14 April 40 Ju 87s bombed the defences and on day 27 they succeeded in destroying a heavy anti-aircraft battery at Tobruk by swamping the defences with 50 aircraft allowing for an entire staffel to concentrate on each gun.
Lowe would later be serving during the Second Battle of El-Alamein, the key battle of the North Africa campaign, in October 1942 and would be killed on 25th October 1942 whilst serving as a Sergeant (No. 5246917) with the 76th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery and is now buried in El Alamein War Cemetery, he is additionally noted as the son of Charles Drury and Emily Marie Lowe, Nee Smith and the husband of Edna May Lowe of Coventry, Warwickshire.
