Military Cross recipient’s Great War Memorial Plaque awarded to Second Lieutenant D.B. Cancellor, 3rd Battalion, attached 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, who having been educated at Twyford School and undertaken a scholarship at Radley College would subsequently be commissioned into the Hampshire Regiment arriving in France on 18th June 1917, and being twice wounded in the following months. After a period of recovery in England he would return to France on 26th September 1918 taking part in the final advances on the Western Front and being killed in action on 1st November 1918. He would posthumously be awarded a Military Cross in the London Gazette of 4th October 1919 for his gallantry and fearless leadership at Monchaux on 24th October 1918 for swimming a river alone under heavy fire and rushing to the nearest machine-gun post, and thus inspiring other men to cross and successfully establish a bridgehead.
Great War Memorial Plaque; (DESMOND BERTRAM CANCELLOR)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Along with forwarding slip, card outer folder, and outer paper envelope for Plaque.
Desmond Bertram Cancellor was born on 31st May 1897 and was the only son of 23 Edgar Road, Winchester. He would be educated at Twyford School and whilst there succeeded in gaining a Radley College Scholarship. He would go Radley in September 1912 and in December 1915 he was elected to a History Exhibition at New College, Oxford. He remained on, however, at Radley until December 1915 and became Senior Prefect, and on leaving was presented by the Warden with the ‘Founders Ring’. He was a member of the Cricket XI and of the Football XV and Captain of the Gymnasium.
He would go straight from Radley to commence his military training and the first few months were spent with an OCB at Cambridge. On 26th April 1917 he was given a commission in the Hampshire Regiment and proceeded to Gosport and on 18th June he would go to France. He was wounded on 21st July and again on 22nd August and after that had to spend some months in Hospital in England.
In January 1918 he was passed fit for home service and almost immediately, and to his great pleasure, he was in February attached for training and instruction purposes to the Officer Training Corps of his old school, Radley, where he worked for six months. At the end of July he was passed fit for general service and returned to Gosport. On September 26th he again left for France where he met his death on 1st November 1918 whilst serving with 3rd Battalion, attached 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment and was buried in Denain Communal Cemetery.
He would subsequently be awarded the Military Cross, with the citation appearing in the London Gazette of 4th October 1919, nearly a year after his death. The citation reading:
‘2nd/Lt Desmond Bertram Cancellor Hamps R. Special Reserve, attached 1st Battalion.
For most conspicuous gallantry and fearless leadership. On the 24th October 1918 at Monchaux, when the bridging party was trying to bridge the river under heavy fire he swam the river alone and rushed to nearest machine-gun post. This splendid example of dash led other men to follow him across, and a bridge-head was gained undoubtedly saved a very critical situation.’
