More 5th Battalion photo's and bio's

Lieutenant-Colonel Edgar William Brighten, C.M.G., D.S.O., T.D.

Lt-Colonel Brighten had served with the battalion from 1898, including in the South African Wars and was the 5th battalion's commanding officer from the turn of 1915, all the way through Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine, until the 15th February 1920. His younger brother, Ralph Brighten, was killed on Gallipoli during the battalions first battle. After some years in the Indian training schools, Edgar commanded the 2nd battalion between June 1929 and June 1933, after which he retired. A full story of his service can be seen here.

Lt-Colonel Edgar William Brighten, 5th Btn CO

Survived

Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Noel Butler

Lt-Colonel Butler commanded the battalion between the 20th January 1912 and 25th January 1915. Afterwards, his experience was required in the field so he was posted to France following the British armies losses in 1914. He was also in temporary command of the 1st battalion on the Western Front between December 1916 and March 1917.

Lt-Colonel Francis Noel Butler,5th Btn CO pre war

Captain Christopher Harold Miskin M.C. and BAR

Captain Miskin spent time in England in 1915 as one of the two "most capable transport officers a battalion could wish for" before joining the battalion in Egypt with a large draft as they rebuilt following their trials on Gallipoli. He is shown in the group photographs here and his Military Cross and a fuller biography can be seen here. He was also in command of the 5th battalion between 20th March 1928 to March 1933.

Lt-Colonel CH Miskin M.C.

5th Btn CO 1928 onwards

Captain Ernest V. Andreini

Whilst the battalion were still in England, Ernest was their Transport Officer who was seemingly capable of procuring absolutely anything, despite how unusual or bizarre! This even involved "requisitioning" a coal lorry and fitting it onto their transport train despite the dimensions insisting it could not be achieved. The "rather short gentleman with the twinkling eyes" officer relinquished his transport duties on his own request to the young 2/Lt Miskin (see below) whilst still in England. On the the 15th August 1915 battle Ernest was posted missing but turned up several days later suffering from severe sunstroke, having been out in no-man's land for several days. He survived the war but not much information seems to be available on him, despite him being such an obvious character. He is also shown in the 1915 photographs here.

Captain Andreini, Transport Officer

Survived

Major John Edgar Hill

John Edgar Hill was born in 1886 and left Oxford with a 2nd Class M.A. Honours degree in Modern History. After his schooling had finished, he enlisted into the 1st Battalion of the Oxfordshire Volunteer Brigade (The Oxfordshire Light Infantry) on the 19th October 1905. On the 17th May 1909 he was commissioned as a 2/Lt and posted to the 5th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment, where he served until the end of the Great War.

On April Fool’s Day 1911 John was promoted to a Lieutenant and the 2nd May 1913 saw him rise to the rank of Captain. From the 25th May 1915 he served as a temporary Major until it was finally substantiated on the 27th October 1921.

When the battalion sailed for Gallipoli in July 1915, John was the second in command and landed with them on Gallipoli early on the 11th August. During their first battle on the 15th August 1915, he “performed prodigies of valour” by running between the spread out groups of Bedford’s left after their assault to keep the unit coherent . Ever watchful and never still for a moment, he noted the plight of Lt Shoosmith’s Machine Gun section who were attracting the Turkish artillery to the point that only Shoosmith and one other were left. He dashed across the shrapnel swept ground and found Shoosmith “merrily hammering away at the Turks” for all he was worth, despite the attentions of their artillery. Major Hill slid to a halt next to the focused Shoosmith and asked “Who is to fight the gun if you get knocked out? No one else knows enough about it up here; your section is gone and you had better show me how to do it”. “Oh, you just pull this and press that! It’s quite simple” came Shoosmith’s breezy reply as he continued “pumping hell into the Turks”.

That night, Major Hill took charge of the forward remnants of the Battalion as they grimly held onto the position they had just won at such a dreadful cost and continuously moved between the posts ensuring his men were in good spirits.

His handling of the battalion impressed his superiors in the next two months, so much so that on the 23rd October 1915 he was posted to the post of Staff Captain in the 162nd Brigade. A year later he moved to D.A.A.G. in the Delta Force, Egypt where he served between the 28th October 1916 and the 20th February 1919. During his service in the Delta Force, Major Hill was awarded the O.B.E. (Military Division) for services rendered in the war and was mentioned in General Sir E.H.H. Allenby’s dispatches on the 23rd October 1917 and the 23rd October 1918.

On the 29th January 1921, Major Hill left the Middle Eastern theatre and headed home, arriving Valentines Day, 14th February 1921. On the 19th February 1921, he requested to resign his commission on the grounds of being unfit due to Nephritus resulting from the Dysentery he had suffered whilst on active service. His resignation was finalized on the 11th July 1921 although he retained the rank of Major.

On the 28th September 1921 John lived at 9 Regents Court in London NW1, having spent the previous six months in New York on business.

Major John Hill can be seen here in the 1915 Officers group photograph, sitting fourth from the end of the third row.

Lieutenant MA Strugnell in 1916

Lieutenant Milton Arthur STRUGNELL

Milton Arthur Strugnell was born on the 23^rd June 1889, his parents being Arthur Alfred and Frances Annie (formerly Balls). They lived at 108 Ramsdens Road in Clapham, London and his father was a Bank Clerk by trade. Milton was educated at Haysmans College in Finchley, London before becoming a taxidermist and a vocalist.

The 5 feet, 6 inch unmarried Milton joined the Inns of Court OTC on the 10^th December 1914 as Private 2240. At the time he lived with his father at 192 Portsdown Road, Maida Vale in London. By the end of his training he had gained the rank of Sergeant and on the 5^th July 1915 he enlisted into the 3^rd/5^th battalion of the Bedfordshire regiment. On the 23^rd July 1915 Milton was discharged from the OTC when his commission in the regiment was granted. Between the 4^th and 14^th August 1915 he attended a course on Bomb throwing and explosives after which time he waited around Halton Camp to be posted to his unit. It was here that Leonard Brereton took his photograph, which can be seen here. He is the top row, far right with the moustache in the group of five Officers in their billets who look half asleep and is also on the photo of four Officers at Buckland Range.

Finally on the 4^th November 1916, Temporary Lieutenant Strugnell embarked from Devonport bound for Egypt on the H.M.T. Huntsend. He landed at Alexandria on the 29^th November and joined the 1^st/5^th Battalion in the field on the 1^st December 1916.

Milton was to serve for around a year in Egypt and Palestine and spend much of it in hospital, as was the case with many of the men who served in that theatre. On the 23^rd January 1917 he was admitted to the 2/1 East Anglian Field Ambulance suffering from Pyrexia NYD and was admitted to the hospital at Suez the same day. There he stayed until discharged back to the battalion on the 6^th February but the very next day found himself back in the Field Ambulance suffering from Synovitis to his left knee. The following day he was transferred to the 24^th Stationary Hospital at Kantara and two days later was whisked away to hospital at Cairo. He rejoined the battalion in the field on the 9^th March but was admitted to the 1^st/1^st Welsh Field Ambulance on the 27^th suffering from blistered feet. Milton was moved back through the 2^nd Australian Stationary Hospital at El Arish and onto the 26^th Stationary Hospital at Ismalia by April Fool’s Day 1917. Having been moved again to Alexandria and Bulkeley he found himself at the Base Depot at Mustapha on the 30^th April but was back in hospital yet again 5 days later with the ever present diarrhoea until he finally got to rejoin the battalion on the 2nd May.

Between the 13^th and 30^th June 1917 Milton served as the 162^nd Brigade’s Bombing Officer after which he spent until the 5^th September with the 5^th Battalion as they held the lines opposite Gaza. On the 5^th September Milton was off to be an instructor at the 54^th Divisional Training Camp but reported to the 1^st/2^nd East Anglian Field Ambulance on the 25^th September with a high fever. 3 days later he was back in the 24^th Stationary Hospital at Kantara as his fever had turned to Pleurisy after which time he spent between the 8^th and 30^th October in the Rest Camp at Mustapha. It was whilst here that he learned of his official promotion to Lieutenant.

Milton fought with the battalion at the 3^rd Battle at Gaza which saw the fortified city finally fall and helped to hold the thin lines north f the city against Turkish assaults immediately afterwards. After things had stabilised, he was granted three weeks leave to the UK. He left Port Said on the 24^th January 1918 but, although unbeknown to him at the time, never returned to Egypt.

Lieutenant Milton Strugnell had never really recovered from the almost constant illnesses he had suffered from whilst in Egypt and Palestine and was struck off the strength of the 5^th Battalion on the 10^th April 1918 after Medical Boards found him unfit for service in either Category A, B or C.

Lieutenant Strugnell was disembodied from the Territorial Force on the 15^th May 1919, with his address given as 30 Forduyer Road in Brondesbury, London NW2. He was last serving in the 3^rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment and saw no active service beyond early 1918.