Guy George Egerton Wylly
Encyclopedia
Guy George Egerton Wylly VC
, CB, DSO
(17 February 1880 – 9 January 1962) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces, for actions during the Second Boer War
.
, Tasmania
to Edward Arthur Egerton Wylly; an officer in the Indian Army
, and his wife Henrietta Mary, née Clerk.
As an infant Wylly went to India
with his parents, before settling at Sandy Bay
, Hobart
in 1885, where he attended The Hutchins School
before completing his education at the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide. His father retired from the army in 1888.
in the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen, raised to fight in the Second Boer War.
On 1 September 1900 near Warm Bad, Transvaal, South Africa
, Lieutenant Wylly was part of a force under Herbert Plumer which engaged a small group of Boers at Rooikop. The Imperial forces captured 100 rifles, 40,000 rounds of ammunition, 7 Boers, 350 cattle, and 2 supply wagons. After the engagement, Wylly was reported to have been severely wounded, along with another Tasmanian officer, and 3 men from the Bushmen.
On 18 September 1900, the London Gazette
carried an announcement that Wylly had been granted a commission as a second lieutenant
in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
, on the nomination of the Governor of Tasmania, backdated to 19 May 1900. On 16 November, this appointment was cancelled for some reason. On 23 November his VC was gazetted, with the following citation:
On 5 December, came a new commission as a second lieutenant, now in the South Lancashire Regiment. Confusingly, The Times
of 14 January 1901 listed in a report of killed and wounded "2nd Berkshire Regiment.—Lieut. G. Wylly, dangerously wounded, doing well, Nooitgedacht, date not stated." Whether this was a new wound, or he had not yet recovered from the wound he received in September, his condition was such that he was invalided to England, leaving Cape Town
on 5 March 1901, on the hospital ship Avoca, which arrived at Southampton on 26 March. The report of this also indicates that he was serving with 2nd Battalion, South Lancs. By the following Sunday, 31 March, when the United Kingdom Census 1901
was taken, he was staying with his uncle, Robert M Clark, a retired colonel, at Charlton House in Shepton Mallett. He was presented with his VC at Buckingham Palace
by King Edward VII
on 25 July 1901.
On 22 March 1902 he was promoted to lieutenant in the South Lancs. He transferred to the Indian Army on 1 October 1902, and his promotion to lieutenant was backdated to 5 March 1902.
On 7 January 1906 Wylly was appointed the aide-de-camp
to the Commander in Chief, India
, who was then Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
. Wylly had been serving with the Corps of Guides
. He was promoted captain
on 26 April 1909. In 1913 he passed the examination for entry to the Staff College, Quetta, but not high enough up the list to be admitted immediately.
on 14 September 1915. He finally completed the staff course at Quetta in February 1916, was promoted to temporary major on 26 April 1916, and on 20 June 1916 he was appointed a General Staff Officer, Grade 2. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 15 June 1916. Following Lord Kitchener's death, Wylly, along with others who had also served as Kitchener's aides, received a bequest of £200. He received a further Mention in Despatches on 15 May 1917, and again on 11 December 1917. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in the 1918 New Year Honours
. During the Third Anglo-Afghan War
he again served as a General Staff Officer, Grade 2 from 6 May 1919.
He was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 26 April 1926. From 15 November 1926 until his retirement in 1933, Wylly was an aide-de-camp to King George V
. On 9 November 1929 he was appointed an Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (AA & QMG) in India, he had also by now been given brevet
promotion to colonel. He received substantive promotion to colonel on 26 April 1930, with seniority from 15 November 1926. On 6 May 1931 he was Mentioned in Despatches for his part in the campaign against the Afridi and Red Shirt Rebellion as AA & QMG Peshawar District
. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1933 King's Birthday Honours. He received a further Mention on 8 September 1933 for his part in the Chitral Reliefs. He stepped down as AA & QMG of Peshawar on 9 November 1933, retired from the army on 30 December. A final Mention was gazetted on 3 July 1934, for his part in the Mohmand and Bajaur Operations between 28 July and 3 October 1933. He attended an investiture at Buckingham Palace
on 27 February 1934 to receive his insignia for the Order of the Bath. Following his retirement he worked for the Retired Army Officers Employment Bureau. Although he did not reach the age limit for service until 17 February 1940, he was not recalled for service in the Second World War.
He died on 9 January 1962 in Camberley, Surrey.
His medal is on display at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
, Hobart.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, CB, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(17 February 1880 – 9 January 1962) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces, for actions during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
Early life
Wylly was born on 17 February 1880 in HobartHobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
to Edward Arthur Egerton Wylly; an officer in the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, and his wife Henrietta Mary, née Clerk.
As an infant Wylly went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
with his parents, before settling at Sandy Bay
Sandy Bay, Tasmania
Sandy Bay is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, located immediately south of the central business district.The suburb is home to many large homes, and adjoins the waterfront Salamanca area and Battery Point. The suburb is known as one of the city's prestigious areas...
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
in 1885, where he attended The Hutchins School
The Hutchins School
The Hutchins School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia....
before completing his education at the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide. His father retired from the army in 1888.
Boer War
As a 20 year-old, he became a lieutenantFirst Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen, raised to fight in the Second Boer War.
On 1 September 1900 near Warm Bad, Transvaal, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Lieutenant Wylly was part of a force under Herbert Plumer which engaged a small group of Boers at Rooikop. The Imperial forces captured 100 rifles, 40,000 rounds of ammunition, 7 Boers, 350 cattle, and 2 supply wagons. After the engagement, Wylly was reported to have been severely wounded, along with another Tasmanian officer, and 3 men from the Bushmen.
On 18 September 1900, the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
carried an announcement that Wylly had been granted a commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
, on the nomination of the Governor of Tasmania, backdated to 19 May 1900. On 16 November, this appointment was cancelled for some reason. On 23 November his VC was gazetted, with the following citation:
On 5 December, came a new commission as a second lieutenant, now in the South Lancashire Regiment. Confusingly, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of 14 January 1901 listed in a report of killed and wounded "2nd Berkshire Regiment.—Lieut. G. Wylly, dangerously wounded, doing well, Nooitgedacht, date not stated." Whether this was a new wound, or he had not yet recovered from the wound he received in September, his condition was such that he was invalided to England, leaving Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
on 5 March 1901, on the hospital ship Avoca, which arrived at Southampton on 26 March. The report of this also indicates that he was serving with 2nd Battalion, South Lancs. By the following Sunday, 31 March, when the United Kingdom Census 1901
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
was taken, he was staying with his uncle, Robert M Clark, a retired colonel, at Charlton House in Shepton Mallett. He was presented with his VC at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
by King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
on 25 July 1901.
On 22 March 1902 he was promoted to lieutenant in the South Lancs. He transferred to the Indian Army on 1 October 1902, and his promotion to lieutenant was backdated to 5 March 1902.
On 7 January 1906 Wylly was appointed the aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Commander in Chief, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who was then Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
. Wylly had been serving with the Corps of Guides
Corps of Guides (British India)
The Corps of Guides was a regiment of the British Indian Army which served in the North West Frontier and had a unique composition of being part infantry and part cavalry.-History:...
. He was promoted captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 26 April 1909. In 1913 he passed the examination for entry to the Staff College, Quetta, but not high enough up the list to be admitted immediately.
First World War and after
He was appointed a Staff Captain on 14 December 1914, and advanced to brigade majorBrigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
on 14 September 1915. He finally completed the staff course at Quetta in February 1916, was promoted to temporary major on 26 April 1916, and on 20 June 1916 he was appointed a General Staff Officer, Grade 2. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 15 June 1916. Following Lord Kitchener's death, Wylly, along with others who had also served as Kitchener's aides, received a bequest of £200. He received a further Mention in Despatches on 15 May 1917, and again on 11 December 1917. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in the 1918 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. During the Third Anglo-Afghan War
Third Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
he again served as a General Staff Officer, Grade 2 from 6 May 1919.
He was promoted lieutenant-colonel on 26 April 1926. From 15 November 1926 until his retirement in 1933, Wylly was an aide-de-camp to King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. On 9 November 1929 he was appointed an Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (AA & QMG) in India, he had also by now been given brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
promotion to colonel. He received substantive promotion to colonel on 26 April 1930, with seniority from 15 November 1926. On 6 May 1931 he was Mentioned in Despatches for his part in the campaign against the Afridi and Red Shirt Rebellion as AA & QMG Peshawar District
Peshawar District
Peshawar is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Until divisions were abolished as part of local government reforms in 2000 it was part of Peshawar Division. The city of Peshawar, as well as being the provincial capital, is the capital of the district...
. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1933 King's Birthday Honours. He received a further Mention on 8 September 1933 for his part in the Chitral Reliefs. He stepped down as AA & QMG of Peshawar on 9 November 1933, retired from the army on 30 December. A final Mention was gazetted on 3 July 1934, for his part in the Mohmand and Bajaur Operations between 28 July and 3 October 1933. He attended an investiture at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
on 27 February 1934 to receive his insignia for the Order of the Bath. Following his retirement he worked for the Retired Army Officers Employment Bureau. Although he did not reach the age limit for service until 17 February 1940, he was not recalled for service in the Second World War.
He died on 9 January 1962 in Camberley, Surrey.
His medal is on display at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery is a museum located in Hobart, Tasmania. The museum was established in 1843, by the Royal Society of Tasmania under the leadership of Sir John Franklin, the oldest Royal Society outside of England.-Governance:...
, Hobart.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Woking Crematorium)
- Extensive Biography at Australian Dictionary of Biography