The rare Great War Palestine Campaign April 1918 Action at Musselabeh Hill Imperial Camel Corps man’s Military Medal group awarded to Private F.E. Simco, Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, Territorial Force, and serving with the 2nd Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps. Simco from the City of London of which he became a Freeman in February 1927, and was out in Egypt from April 1915, and may well have seen service at Gallipoli. Later he formed part of No.8 Company, 2nd Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps, and then fought against the Turkish forces in Palestine, being awarded an ‘immediate’ award of the Military Medal for his bravery in action in the line and salient around Musselabeh hill to the north of Jericho. His brigade defeated a Turkish attack on 11 April 1918, and Simco for one of four recipient’s of the Military Medal for this action, the ribbon being presented to him by Lieutenant General Chauvel, Commanding Desert Mounted Column on 21 April, and then published in the gazette for 29 August 1918. He later worked aboard liners plying the Atlantic from Europe to New York, and with the Second World War was at sea as a Chief Steward with Merchant Navy in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific and Indian Ocean, though he never claimed his medals for this period of service.
Group of 4: Military Medal, GVR bust; (50050 PTE. F.E. SIMCO. 2/IMP: CAMEL CORPS.); 1914-1915 Star; (1564 PTE. F.E. SIMCO. BUCKS. YEO.); British War Medal and Victory Medal; (1564 PTE. F.E. SIMCO. BUCKS. YEO.)
Condition: second and last somewhat polished on high points, all then lacquered, overall about Good Very Fine.
Frederick Edwin Simco, also known as Frederick Eburn Simco and intriguingly, Frederick Eburn Bowden, was born on 3 October 1888 or 1889 at 9 Tokenhouse Yard, in Lothbury, a parish in the City of London, he being the third of four children of Albert Edward Simco and Emma. As of 1891 he and his family were still living at 9 Tokenhouse Yard off Coleman Street and Broad Street in the City, and his father was working as a caretaker. By 1901 he and his family were still there, with his father still working as a caretaker. By 1911, Simco was aged 22 and working as a servant in the house of a stockbroker, Frederick Leonard Govelt, who lived at 47 Princes Gardens.
With the Great War, Simco enlisted into the Territorial Force on 30 September 1914, joining as a Private (No.1564) the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry. The Buckingham Hussars as his unit was otherwise known, saw service on costal defence duties in Norfolk, before being sent out in Egypt from 22 April 1915, with Simco going with first troops of his regiment to Egypt. It formed part of the 2nd Mounted Division and from May 1915 was stationed in Cairo. The regiment was dismounted in August 1915 and took part in the Gallipoli Campaign. It left a squadron headquarters and two troops (about 100 officers and men) in Egypt to look after the horses.
They landed at "A" Beach, Suvla Bay on 18 August and moved into bivouacs at Lala Baba on 20 August. On 21 August it advanced to Chocolate Hill via Salt Lake and Hetman Chair and took part in the attack on Scimitar Hill. Due to losses at the Battle of Scimitar Hill and wastage in August 1915, the 2nd Mounted Division had to be reorganised. On 4 September 1915 the 1st Composite Mounted Brigade was formed from the 1st (1st South Midland), 2nd (2nd South Midland) and 5th (Yeomanry) Mounted Brigade. Each brigade formed a battalion sized unit, for example, 2nd South Midland Regiment and each regiment a sub-unit. The brigade embarked for Mudros on 31 October and returned to Egypt in December 1915 where its component units were re-formed and remounted.
The brigade left the 2nd Mounted Division on 17 January 1916 and was sent to the Western Frontier of Egypt as an independent formation. This became the Imperial Camel Corps, which was established at that time with its depot at Abbassia near Cairo. It consisted of four battalions with made up a brigade, with Simco finding himself on service with the 2nd Battalion. Each battalion was made up of four companies, each comprising 6 officers and 169 other ranks. The force was commanded by Brigadier General C.L. Smith, V.C. The 1st and 3rd Battalion’s of the Imperial Camel Corps consisted of Australians, mainly from the Australian Light Horse, and the 4th Battalion had two Australian companies and two made up of men from the New Zealand Mounted Rifles. The 2nd Battalion to which Simco found himself serving, consisted of British soldiers, primarily from Yeomanry regiments, and there were six British companies although only four would serve with the 2nd Battalion at any one time.
The Imperial Camel Corps had a mounted infantry role, the camels provided mobility although it was intended that the troops should go into action dismounted. The camel and its rider were regarded as a self-contained unit for up to five days. By the spring of 1918 Simco was part of No.8 Company, and was decorated for his bravery in action during the fighting around Musselabeh Hill during April 1918.
The fighting occurred to the north of Jericho, when holding the line Musselabeh, Abu Tellul and Wadi Aujah. It formed as sharp salient at Mussel-Abeh hill, making this hill to be of the greatest tactical importance. In front, the Turkish posts were in the Wadi Bakr and amongst the high range of hills almost due north of Tel El Truny. The surrounding country was extremely hilly and the method of defence adopted was a series of outposts on the tops of commanding heights roughly 500 yards apart, each post being held by about 2 officers and 40 other ranks. During this time, the Turkish forces spasmodically shelled the line, especially at Musselabeh, with mountain guns and howitzers, without much damage. On 11 April there were signs of an imminent Turkish attack and reinforcements were sent to Musselabeh. By now heavy shell fire was being experienced. The enemy was massing in the Wadis immediately in front of Mussel-abeh hill and with artillery support, and by late afternoon was attacking the hill from the north west, north and north east. The enemy got onto the edge of the hill but was unable to maintain his position there and was driven down into the Wadis by bombs, machine guns and rifle fire. By early the next morning, the enemy, who had suffered heavily from the British barrage, retired in the direction of Wadi Bakr and Green Hill.
Simco’s ‘immediate’ award of the Military Medal was announced on 21 April 1918, with the ribbon being presented to him by Lieutenant General Chauvel, Commanding Desert Mounted Column, and was published in the London Gazette for 29 August 1918. In all two Military Crosses, two Distinguished Conduct Medals, and four Military Medals were awarded for this action.
Simco was subsequently evacuated home and discharged on 17 July 1919, being awarded the Silver War Badge. His residence on discharge was shown as 143 Cannon Street.
Simco was granted the Freedom of the City of London on 22 February 1927, he being then shown as residing at 51 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn, and working as a steward with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. In that same year he is known to have been a waiter aboard the Red Star Line liner Pennland when she sailed from Antwerp and across the Atlantic to New York. This vessel had formerly been a part of the White Star Line when known as Pittsburgh. Simco is known to have made more than one voyage on this route.
As of 1939 he was living at 37 Cranford Road, Burton Latimer, Nottinghamshire, and working as a patrolman in an iron and steel works.
With the onset of the Second World War he went back to sea as a Merchant Seaman (No.430501) with the Marchant Navy, and gained entitlement to the following campaign medals: 1939-1945 Star, Atlantic Star, Africa Star with North Africa 1942-43 Clasp, Pacific Star with Burma Clasp, and the War Medal. His Medal Card for these awards however confirm he never applied for them. His is recorded as having been the Chief Steward aboard the S.S. Industria from 25 November 1943, and was with this vessel when having embarked at Glasgow, she crossed the Atlantic and arrived at New York on 20 December 1943. The S.S. Industria was a 4,734 GRT cargo vessel owned by the Metcalfe Shipping Company of Hartlepool, and is known to have previously made a voyage from Port Tewfik to Freemantle in Australia between 7 February and 27 March 1942. This may account for his entitlement to the award of the Pacific Star.
Simco later returned to London and lived at 50 Maygrove Road, Kilburn, and on 23 February 1960.
