The outstanding Second World War Home Service Birthday Honours June 1946 Officer of the Order of the British Empire, China Boxer Rebellion first relief force to Pekin 1900, Great War 1914 Royal Marine Brigade at Dunkirk and Ypres August 1915 double casualty and Egypt service, and subsequent Irish War of Independence service group awarded to Lieutenant Colonel F. Russell, Royal Marines, formerly Royal Marine Artillery, who was commissioned from the ranks in September 1914. During the Boxer Rebellion he had served ashore with the Naval Brigade from the battleship Centurion, and was present at the capture of the Pei Yang Arsenal and the operations at Tientsin when with the first relief force to Pekin during June to August 1900. From April 1910 he was a Quartermaster Sergeant and Instructor of Physical Training and was the individual winner of the Bayonet v Bayonet championship at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament in March 1910, and was also part of the winning bayonet team combats competition during the Regular Army & Territorial Force contest held in 1913 and 1914. After service with the Royal Marine Brigade at Dunkirk, he was with the Royal Marine Artillery Anti-Aircraft Brigade when he was twice slightly wounded at Ypres owing to shrapnel splinters, being wounded on 5 August and 20 August 1915. From October 1915 until January 1917 he was with the 4th Royal Marine Artillery Battery in Egypt. With the onset of the Irish War of Independence, he found himself assigned to the 8th Royal Marine Battalion from June 1920 until February 1922, when on service over in Ireland guarding the Coast Guard stations there. On his return from Ireland, he competed in the Royal Tournament, participating in the Royal Marine Artillery Foil v Foil competition as well as with the Bayonet Combat Team, he being team leader of the latter. He retired that year, but returned to uniform shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War and serving with the Royal Marine Establishment. From February 1943 he was second-in-command of the Headquarters of the Royal Marine Establishment at Faringdon as an Acting Lieutenant Colonel, being appointed an Officer of the Military Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours List in June 1946.
Group of 7: The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Officer, O.B.E., 2nd type, Military Division; China Medal 1900 with 1 Clasp: Relief of Pekin; (F. RUSSELL, BOMBR. R.M.A., H.M.S. CENTURION.); 1914 Star; (LIEUT. F. RUSSELL, R.M. BRIGADE.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (CAPT. F. RUSSELL. R.M.); Defence Medal; War Medal. Mounted swing style as worn.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
Together with the following:
Royal Naval and Military Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Championship Bayonet v Bayonet Winner Sgt. F. Russell S.D. Tournament March, 1910.’
Royal Naval and Military Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Bayonet Team Combats Regular Army & Territorial Force 1913 1st: Prize won by R.M.A. Portsmouth.’
Royal Naval and Military Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Bayonet Team Combats Regular Army & Territorial Force 1914 1st: Prize won by Royal Marine Artillery.’
Royal Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Royal Marine Artillery Sabre v Sabre Capt F. Russell 1922’.
Royal Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Royal Marine Artillery Foil v Foil Capt F. Russell 1922’.
Royal Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘Royal Marine Artillery Bayonet Combat Team Capt F. Russell 1922’.
Royal Tournament Prize Medal, bronze, reverse engraved ‘RMA Bayonet Combat Team Leader Captain F. Russell’.
Frederick Russell was born on 6 October 1878 in Edington, Bridgewater, Somerset, and having worked as a labourer, he then enlisted into the Royal Marine Light Infantry at Bridgewater on 10 November 1896 being posted to the Recruit Depot at Walmer. On completion of his basic training, he was then selected for service with the Royal Marine Artillery in May 1897, and officially completed his training on being assigned as a Gunner 2nd Class (No.6409) on 5 August 1897. He was ranked as a Gunner from 11 November 1897.
Russell first saw service afloat aboard the cruiser Blenheim from June 1898 and he transferred from her to the battleship Barfleur in October 1898, and remained with this ship until 15 June 1899. Barfleur became the flag ship of the China Station's second in command. Russell who had been advanced to Bombardier back on 30 December 1898, then joined the battleship Centurion, she being the flagship of Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, commanding the China Station. In 1900, Centurion was actively engaged in Allied operations in northern China during the Boxer Rebellion. On 31st May 1900, she put landing parties ashore which joined other forces in storming the Taku Forts and then relieved the foreign legations at Tientsin. Russell did not take part in the storming of the Taku Forts, however he did form part of the Naval Brigade that took part in the relief of Pekin operations from 10th June to 14th August 1900. He is noted as having been present at the capture of the Pei Yang Arsenal and the operations at Tientsin as well as having been posted of the first relief force to Pekin.
Russell was still with Centurion when he was promoted to Corporal on 18 May 1901, and he returned home on 20 September 1901, and then saw continuous service with the Royal Marine Artillery Depot through to February 1906, after which he joined B Company, and then saw service aboard the battleship Africa from November 1906 to November 1907 after which he returned to shore service with B Company, and would remain so employed through to the outbreak of the Great War, having in the meantime been promoted to Sergeant, a rank he held from 31 August 1906. He served as a School Assistant with the Gymnastics Headquarters Staff in the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant and Instructor of Physical Training from 17 April 1910.
Russell was clearly highly proficient in skill at arms, and was the individual winner of the Bayonet v Bayonet championship at the Royal Naval and Military Tournament in March 1910, and was also part of the winning bayonet team combats competition during the Regular Army & Territorial Force competition held in 1913, as won by the Royal Marine Artillery Portsmouth, being again so in 1914.
With the outbreak of the Great War he was made up to Acting Sergeant Major and Acting Warrant Officer 1st Class on 8 September 1914 and was then discharged on his being commissioned from the ranks and promoted to Lieutenant on 19 September 1914. From the following day, Russell saw active service ashore with the Royal Marine Brigade at Dunkirk, and from 20 July 1915 was employed on administrative duties with the Royal Marine Artillery Anti-Aircraft Brigade. He was slightly wounded in action by a shell splinter at Ypres on 5 August 1915, and wounded in action for a second time when at Ypres on 20 August 1915, this time with another small flesh wound to his arm owing to shrapnel, being then posted home to recover on 25 August 1915.
From 7 October 1915 Russell was on service with the 4th Royal Marine Artillery Battery which was on service with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Egypt from 17 October 1915 through to 30 January 1917. He was initially stationed at Alexandria, but then moved to Sollum on 29 May 1916. Promoted to temporary Captain in the Royal Marines on 20 June 1916, he would been eventually confirmed in that rank on 24 April 1918, Russell had been in the meantime been posted with his unit to Matruh on 2 September 1916, but was back at Sollum from 28 October 1916. Russell returned to England on 30 January 1917 for general service with the Royal Marine Artillery Division, and from 10 February 1917 through to 11 June 1918, was with the cruiser Crescent in the waters off Ireland on convoy protection duty. He ended the war once again on general service with the Royal Marine Artillery Division.
As the Irish War of Independence blossomed, Russell found himself assigned to the 8th Royal Marine Battalion from 2 June 1920 on special service in Ireland, and remained so employed until 9 February 1922 when he returned home to the Royal Marine Artillery Division. Whilst in Ireland his unit had been specifically tasked with defending the Coast Guard Stations there.
Russell was still clearly at the peak of physical fitness, and shortly after his return from Ireland, he competed in the Royal Tournament, when competing in the Royal Marine Artillery Foil v Foil competition as well as with the Bayonet Combat Team, he being team leader of the latter. Russell was however placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 October 1922.
It was owing to the outbreak of the Second World War that Russell retuned to uniform on his being recalled for service with the Royal Marines Establishment at Portsmouth from 12 June 1940, Initially resuming his rank of Captain, he was promoted to Acting Major on 17 June 1940, and then transferred for duty with the Headquarters of the Royal Marine Establishment at Faringdon in the role of second-in-command from 12 February 1943, he being promoted to Acting Lieutenant Colonel on 15 February 1943. With the end of the war in Europe, Russell was posted back to the Portsmouth Division on 18 July 1945, and was released from service on 12 September 1945, being confirmed as a Lieutenant Colonel on the Retired List. He returned to live in Southsea, Hampshire.
As a result of his distinguished services during the war, he was appointed an Officer of the Military Division of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the King’s Birthday Honours List as published in the London Gazette for 4 June 1946.
