The interesting Civil and Military Intelligence Officer’s Great War Eastern Mediterranean and Dardanelles Mention in Despatches, Egypt and Palestine, Second World War Middle East double Mention in Despatches and post-war Palestine Jewish Revolt group awarded to Brigadier W.M. Hayes, C.B.E. (Mil.), O.B.E. (Civ.), Royal Engineers Intelligence Department, later General List, who throughout a good portion of his career identified as a Director General of the Survey Department of Egypt. Hayes was born in Cairo, Egypt, and spent nearly all his life involved at a senior yet mostly undisclosed level in that region of the world. Prior to the outbreak of the Great War he was working for the Survey of Egypt, and as a Director General and a civilian was then given the honorary rank of Lieutenant yet it was in his civil capacity that he earned a Mention in Despatches for his services in relation to the campaign in the Dardanelles during 1915 to 1916. He was formerly commissioned in September 1916 with the Royal Engineers Intelligence Department, and saw service service in Egypt, Palestine and allegedly Mesopotamia. Post war he returned to the Survey of Egypt, but clearly in some form of intelligence gathering role, and was appointed to be an Officer of the Civil Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 1929 Birthday Honours List. He was then further appointed by the King of Egypt to be a Commander of the Order of the Nile in August 1931, and a Commander of the Order of Ismail in March 1938. With the Second World War he was initially commissioned as a Lieutenant with the General List in September 1940, but immediately promoted to temporary Colonel, and then to temporary Brigadier. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches for the Middle East, the first for the period from November 1941 through to April 1942, as gazetted to him in December 1942, with the second being gazetted to him in April 1944, and he was then appointed a Commander of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours List of June 1944. He then remained as a Brigadier on service in Palestine during the early stages of the Jewish Revolt during 1945 to 1946 before retiring as an Honorary Brigadier in July 1946. the Survey Department of Egypt came to an end in 1948, yet he was not done with that area of the world, and most unusually found himself returning to uniform as for all intents and purposes as a Lieutenant with the General List but ‘without pay and allowances from Army funds’ in January 1952, and in doing so relinquished his honorary rank of Brigadier. It is clear that Hayes, owing to his extensive knowledge of Egypt, its people and topography, was being brought back into uniform in order to serve military intelligence at the time of the Suez Canal Zone troubles that occurred in the period from 16 October 1951 to 19 October 1954. The Egyptian revolution began on 23 July 1952, which saw the toppling of King Farouk in a coup d'état and Egyptian military’s Free Officer’s Movement come to power.
Group of 9: 1914-1915 Star; (LIEUT. W.M. HAYES.); British War Medal and Victory Medal with original Mention in Despatches Oakleaf; (LIEUT. W.M. HAYES.); 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp; Defence Medal; War Medal with original Mention in Despatches Oakleaf; General Service Medal 12918-1962, GVI 1st type bust, 1 Clasp: Palestine 1945-48; (BRIG. W.M. HAYES. M.B.E.); Coronation Medal 1953. Court mounted as worn.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
William Moring Hayes was born on 12 June 1888 in the Kasr el Aini Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, the son of William Hayes and Emma Mary Moring. He in turn got married in Cairo to Lilian Bain on 5 March 1910, with whom he had two children, Helen Joan Hayes and Emery Reginald William Hayes, born respectively in 1915 and 1918.
Hayes was employed with the Survey Department of Egypt, though most probably he was in civilian intelligence from the start. With the outbreak of the Great War, Hayes was a civilian, being employed as the Director General of the Survey Department of Egypt. Owing to his knowledge of the area he then found himself working as a civilian in Intelligence and was then appointed to the Honorary rank of Lieutenant and saw service in the Dardanelles during the campaign at Gallipoli, and for his gallant and distinguished services there was awarded a Mention in Despatches, the award being granted to him as a ‘Mr and Director General of the Survey of Egypt’ on the list, and published in the London Gazette for 13 July 1916. It is quite probable that Hayes had been under the guise of Survey Officer, gather intelligence of Turkish dispositions in the Dardanelles even prior to the outbreak of the war.
Hayes was only formally commissioned into the British Army when appointed as a temporary Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 10 September 1916 whilst remaining specially employed in intelligence work. Hayes saw service throughout the war when employed in Egypt, Palestine and also apparently Mesopotamia. He ended the war as a Major still with the Royal Engineers Intelligence Department.
After the war he returned to his work with the Survey Department of Egypt and for his services to this organisation, he was appointed to be an Officer of the Civil Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours List as published in the London Gazette for 3 June 1919. His Majesty The King of Egypt further appointed him to the Order of the Nile, when he made him as Commander 3rd Class grade recipient, as published in the London Gazette for 21 August 1931, and he was then further decorated by The King of Egpyt, being appointed a Commander of the Order of Ismail, which King George VI then gave his permission to wear, as confirmed in the London Gazette for 29 March 1938.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Hayes returned to uniform with the British Army, and despite being entitled to his former rank of Major, he was appointed to an Emergency Commission as a Lieutenant (No.152959) to the General List on 28 September 1940. He was however immediately promoted to temporary Colonel, and clearly resumed intelligence work, and for his gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East in the period from November 1941 through to April 1942, was awarded a Mention in Despatches in the London Gazette for 15 December 1942.
Hayes then found himself promoted to temporary Brigadier, and was awarded a further Mention in Despatches for gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East as published in the London Gazette for 6 April 1944, and as a Lieutenant Colonel and temporary Brigadier, than found himself appointed as a Commander of the Military Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, as announced in the King’s Birthday Honours List, this being published in the London Gazette for 8 June 1944. Hayes was briefly employed in Palestine during the early stages of the Jewish Revolt when still a temporary Brigadier. On completion of his military service, Hayes was granted the honorary rank of Brigadier on 26 July 1946.
Despite being long in the tooth, Hayes then most unusually found himself appointed to a Short Service Commission as a Lieutenant with the General List but ‘without pay and allowances from Army funds’ as of 28 January 1952, and in doing so relinquished his honorary rank of Brigadier. It is clear that Hayes, owing to his extensive knowledge of Egypt, its people and topography, was being brought back into uniform in order to serve military intelligence at the time of the Suez Canal Zone troubles that occurred in the period from 16 October 1951 to 19 October 1954. The Egyptian revolution began on 23 July 1952, which saw the toppling of King Farouk in a coup d'état and Egyptian military’s Free Officer’s Movement come to power.
Following the 1952 Revolution, the rule of Egypt passed to military hands and all political parties were banned. On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian Republic was declared, with General Muhammad Naguib as the first President of the Republic, serving in that capacity for a little under one and a half years. Republic of Egypt (1953–1958) was declared. Naguib was forced to resign in 1954 by Gamal Abdel Nasser– a Pan-Arabist and the real architect of the 1952 movement. After Naguib's resignation, the position of president was vacant until the election of Nasser in 1956. In October 1954, Egypt and the United Kingdom agreed to abolish the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium Agreement of 1899 and grant Sudan independence; the agreement came into force on 1 January 1956. Nasser assumer power as president in June 1956 and began dominating the history of modern Egypt. British forces completed their withdrawal from the occupied Suez Canal Zone on 13 June 1956.
During this period of turbulence in the formation of modern Egypt, Hayes, despite being at least in his mid-60’s, is confirmed as being granted a Short Service Commission a Lieutenant in the General List in January 1952, and as having been awarded the Coronation Medal 1953, he being shown on the list as a member of the Civil Service, with the title of Director of Hirings. It is believed that this can be nothing other than a cover title for his renewed work with the Intelligence Services. His position as a one time spook is further indicated by the complete lack of information on him, and in fact the only mention of him as working in intelligence was on his Great War Medal Index Card. But a position with the Survey Department of Egypt would also indicate this, as despite the fact he became a Director General of the Survey of Egypt, there is no record of him in any significant manner to be found online when with this organisation. In fact the only mention of his full title is for his Mention in Despatches award for the Dardanelles, is when he was appointed to the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire in June 1929. He clearly was well versed in all things Egypt, and to all intents and purposes held in high regard in that area, when taking into account of his two Egyptian awards, but otherwise he remains very grey.
After the Egyptian revolution Hayes then returned to his retirement, and died on 29 April 1959 in Naphill, Buckinghamshire. His probate is interesting, in that he let a not inconsiderable sum for the day, namely £28,345! This he split between his widow, Lilian Hayes, and one Group Captain Evelyn Michael Thomas Howell.
