The unusual Great War Western Front 1917 to 1918 R.E.8 Reconnaissance Pilot Third Battle of Ypres casualty and Squadron Commander’s February 1919 Air Force Cross and April 1918 French Croix de Guerre, and subsequent Second World War North Africa Tripoli May 1943 Regimental Commander casualty and posthumous Efficiency Decoration group awarded to Lieutenant Colonel C.H. Gardner, A.F.C., T.D., Royal Artillery, Territorial Army, formerly Territorial Force, sometime Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. From Neath, Glamorgan, South Wales, he was a pre-war officer with the Territorial Force, having been commissioned in September 1912 into the Royal Field Artillery for service with the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade. Mobilised for the Great War, he qualified as a pilot during 1915 and flew operationally out on the Western Front from January 1916 onwards when predominantly with No.7 Squadron and No.56 Squadron. He was twice slightly wound in action over the Ypres Salient during August and September 1917, on the latter occasion whilst on observation duties at the time of the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge. Awarded the French Croix de Guerre in April 1918, he had command of No.5 Squadron throughout the majority of 1918, and ‘in recognition of gallantry in flying operations against the enemy’ was awarded the Air Force Cross, as gazetted to him on 8 February 1919. Returned to service with the Territorial Army during the inter-war years, he was recalled from the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers in September 1939 and given command of the 34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, a Welsh raised wartime unit. He took it to North Africa in October 1942 and fought with the 8th Army in Libya from the end of that year. He was in action near Tripoli when he died of wounds on 7 May 1943. Owing to being entitled for his earlier Territorial service, Gardner was ‘posthumously’ awarded Efficiency Decoration, as gazetted to him in September 1948.
Group of 8: Air Force Cross, GVR GRI cypher, undated as issued, complete with original ribbon and wearing pin, and housed in its John Pinches fitted presentation case; British War Medal and Victory Medal; (MAJOR C.H. GARDNER. R.A.F.); 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star with 8th Army Clasp; War Medal; Efficiency Decoration, GVI 2nd type cypher, reverse dated 1948, complete with Territorial top bar; France - Third Republic: Croix de Guerre, reverse dated 1914-1918.
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Together with the recipient’s group of miniature medals worn in the form that he felt was appropriate in relation to his Great War service, namely: Air Force Cross, GRI cypher to reverse; 1914-1915 Star; British War Medal and Victory Medal; and the French Croix de Guerre. dated 1914-1918, this with a Bronze Star and a Bronze Palme on the ribbon. These all mounted swing style as worn and housed in a Spink and Son case.
Cyril Herbert Gardner was born on 17 August 1895, the son of Alfred Sidney and Emily Mary Gardner, he came from Neath, Glamorgan, South Wales. Educated at St Edwards School in Oxford between 1908 and 1912, whilst at school he was a Cadet with the St. Edwards School Contingent of the Junior Division of the Officer Training Corps, and on leaving school, was commissioned into the Territorial Force on 4 September 1912 as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery, being posted to the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade, and he then saw service with this unit, which for administrative purposes was shown as the 43rd Battalion R.F.A. It had originally been formed in April 1908 from the men of the 1st Glamorganshire Royal Garrison Artillery (Volunteers) when the the Volunteer Force was re-organised into the Territorial Force. Owing to his being from Neath, it seems likely that Gardner was an officer with the 2nd Glamorgan (Howitzer) Battery. The batteries were each equipped with four 5-inch howitzers.
Gardner was mobilised on the outbreak of the Great War and was promoted to Lieutenant on 29 August 1914 when still with the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade and part of the Welsh Division, but it remained on home service when the division was posted to the Mediterranean. Gardner meanwhile gained some 18 months experience in engineering work relating to a motor detachment in the United Kingdom, and having opted for service as a flying officer, was then posted from Montrose airfield, where he had presumably undergone pilot training, to No.14 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron on his being appointed as a Lieutenant to the Royal Flying Corps from on 11 December 1915. Gardner was sent to the Western Front that same month, and arrived out there to join No.18 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron on 6 January 1916, before being posted operational to join No.7 Squadron on 22 January 1916. This squadron was re-equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 twin-seater biplanes, and was used for both bombing and reconnaissance duties, and operated as such during the Battle of the Somme.
Gardner found himself posted to Royal Flying Corps Headquarters as a Communication Pilot from 31 July 1916, but then rejoined No.7 Squadron from 29 August 1916. Appointed to the position of Flight Commander in the rank of temporary Captain from 29 September 1916, he was posted to No.5 Squadron as a Flight Commander from 31 October 1916 before being hospitalised on 12 November 1916. No.5 Squadron was originally a reconnaissance unit and also specialised in artillery observation, being equipped with the B.E.2 aircraft. Gardner was however then posted back home to Montrose, presumably for duties as a pilot instructor, being sent to join No.18 Reserve Squadron from 10 January 1917, and then transferred to No.11 Reserve Squadron at Northolt from 10 April 1917, followed by No.49 Reserve Squadron at Spittlegate in Grantham, Lincolnshire, from 27 July 1917, but then returned to operations with No.7 Squadron out on the Western Front from 3 August 1917, when operating over the Ypres Salient. This squadron was continuing in the reconnaissance role, having been re-equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 two-seater biplane aircraft back in July 1917.
On 14 August 1917 Gardner took off in an R.E.8 (No.A4370) on a contact patrol at 6.05 am, with a Lieutenant W.H. Davies as his observer. They became involved in combat with an enemy aircraft and were both wounded when their aircraft was shot up. They nevertheless returned to base and made a successful landing. It is clear that Gardner was only lightly wounded, as he was back in the air again on another contact patrol in an R.E.8 on 20 September 1917 when he was again slightly wounded. This occurred during the period of the Third Battle of Ypres known as the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge. On this day, the air co-operation provided by the R.F.C. was of the highest order in this battle. The corps machines were forced low by the clouds on their contact patrols and artillery spotting, but the fullest picture was relayed back. The most important work of the day was the warning those in the air were able to give of approaching German counter-attacks. Virtually every airman in one way or another was on the look out for these, and for once the clearing conditions enabled to the situation to be understood. It meant that artillery fire could be directed onto enemy concentrations as they gathered, and counter-attacks were often broken up before they began.
Gardner was appointed to command a detached flight from 9 January 1918, and then transferred to No.4 Squadron on 11 January, presumably transferring across with his detached flight. He then rejoined No.5 Squadron circa February 1918, and on 11 March 1918 was promoted to temporary Major on being given command of No.5 Squadron. Gardner transferred into the Royal Air Force on its formation on 1 April 1918. He reminded so employed with No.5 Squadron when working on artillery observation duties, often closely with the Canadian Corps, and from 18 April 1918 he was specifically employed on Corps Observation duties, remaining as such for the remainder of the hostilities. Gardner relinquished command of No.5 Squadron on 16 November 1918, on which date he found himself attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Battalion, for Corps Dispersal duties.
Gardner was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for his work prior to assuming command of the squadron, the award being however published in the London Gazette for 16 April 1918, and he then went on to be awarded the Air Force Cross for his distinguished and meritorious services on the Western Front, the award being published in the London Gazette for 8 February 1919 ‘in recognition of gallantry in flying operations against the enemy’. Some 679 Air Force Crosses were awarded for the Great War.
In the meantime Gardner had been posted home on 9 December 1918, and then saw service in the South West Area with No.7 (Training) Group, being posted to No.37 Training Depot Station at Yatesbury near to Cherhill in Wiltshire, and then moving with this unit to Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire from 29 April 1919. Posted to No11 Training Squadron on 30 July 1919, as a Captain he proceeded on home leave pending demobilisation on 26 September 1919. Gardner was living at 22 London Road, Neath, when he claimed his Great War campaign medals, the British War Medal and Victory Medal, in June 1920. Despite having been sent to the Western Front in December 1915, his Medal Index Card confirms the he is not entitled to the 1914-1915 Star, and he was presumably on passage out at the advent of the New Year of 1916, though clearly he felt entitled to this award as he wore it in miniature. This confusion on his Medal Index Card probably resulted in no-one informing him that in fact he should have applied for the award of the Territorial Force War Medal 1914-1919, issued to those pre-war Territorials who saw service overseas from 1916 onwards.
He married a local Neath girl, Emma Nesta. Owing to the Second World War he found himself back in uniform with the British Army, having by then been a long serving member of the Territorial Army, which the Territorial Force had become in 1921. He had presumably returned to this in the aftermath of his flying service during the Great War, and by the outbreak of the second war, was a Major (No.100338) with the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers.
Recalled for service as a Major on 1 September 1939, he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the 34th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. This regiment was originally formed in Chepstow and/or Swansea in August 1939 with one battery. A second battery was added in 1941 and the third in 1942 before moving overseas. The Regiment went to Egypt in October 1942 and fought with the 8th Army as a unit of the 17th Anti-Aircraft Brigade being on operations in Libya in the Tobruk area from November 1942. It would transfer to the 12th Anti-Aircraft Brigade in May 1943. It was towards the very end of the fighting in North Africa that Gardner died of wounds on 7 May 1943. He is buried in Tripoli War Cemetery. Gardner was awarded the Efficiency Decoration in the London Gazette for 3 September 1948, the gazette notice specifically detailing that he had ‘died of wounds’.