Medal & Mortality index
The Military Cross was instituted as a Decoration on December 28th, 1914, to
reward Distinguished Services rendered by Officers of certain ranks in the army
in time of war. Bars may be added for additional acts of gallantry. Since August
1st, 1918, it has, like the D.S.O., been awarded for "services in action" only.
D S Boorman starts active duty from 25.1.1915 to 6.5.1915 in the 5th London
Regiment as 344 Rifleman D S Boorman; and receives a commission on the
19.12.1915 to the 4th London regiment. Latterly, he is listed as a Captain by
the London Gazette of 14th November 1921.
In the latter part of January 1917 the long awaited order arrived for the 58th
Division to proceed overseas.
2/Lieut. D. S. Boorman.
Military Cross
2/Lieut. D. S. Boorman ; London Gazette 25. 8.17
On the 24th February the 2/4th Battalion moved into Bellacourt, relieving the
l/5th K.O. Y.L.I, in Brigade reserve, taking over the front line from the l/4th
K.O.Y.L.I. on the following day. The sector lay between Ransart and Blairville
to the left of that previously occupied, and was held with three companies in
front trenches and one in support. Battalion Headquarters were in Grosville.
The German lines opposite this sector possessed two features of particular
interest in the Blockhouse, a strongly defended salient, and the Talus, a
machine-gun post pushed some 200 yards forward of their main line in a hillside
embankment. Two sunken roads and a watercourse in No Man's Land added to the
interest of life and provided our patrols with some useful work.
The advancing British troops in the south this day were beginning to threaten
Puisieux, the possession of which would lay open to attack the Bucquoy Ridge to
its north. It was clear that with British forces on the Bucquoy Ridge the German
reserve lines of defence and gun positions about Adinfer Wood (which supported
the lines now opposite the 173rd Brigade) must either retreat precipitately or
run a serious risk of being cut off. Requests for information from Brigade
consequently became more and more insistent, and information was passed to the
Battalion that the lines opposite had actually been evacuated. Officers' patrols
under 2/Lieuts. A. G. Croll, A. M. Duthie, T. J. Bell and D. S. Boorman, which
covered No Man's Land, especially in the vicinity of the Blockhouse and the
Talus on the nights of the 24th and 28th, however, elicited unmistakable signs
of occupation of the German defences. But the desultory nature of the enemy's
machine-gun fire, and of his shell fire from the direction of Adinfer Wood, the
marked decrease in the number of Very lights put up by him at night and the
constant sounds of transport moving on the roads in rear of his lines all
provided indications that his retirement could not long be delayed. The patrols
frequently heard working parties hard at work in rear of the enemy's lines, and
it afterwards transpired that these were busily engaged in mining the roads over
which our advancing troops must pursue the German retreat.
##
A Company (Cotton) was detailed for the first day's attack, and the special task
allotted to it by Lieut. -Col. Richardson, commanding the 2/2nd Battalion, was
the capture of the sunken cross-roads to the left of the Hump and of a German
strong point in the front line about 100 yards north of them.
The assembly was successfully carried out during the night of 14th/15th June,
and completed by about 2.15 a.m. At 2.50 a.m. our barrage opened and the
assaulting waves moved forward to the attack in good order, keeping well up to
the barrage and suffering very little loss.
The attack proved successful though it led to some hard fighting. The actual
advance was entrusted to two platoons under 2/Lieut. Wheatley (right) and
2/Lieut. Bell (left). The objective at this point was strengthened by two "
pillbox " machine-gun posts and was in line with the trench already held on our
left by the 21st Division, from which it was divided by a double barricade ; and
Lieut.-Col. Richardson took up his Battle Headquarters in a dugout in their
line, as did also Capt. Cotton. A third platoon of A Company under 2/Lieut.
Boorman assembled in the 21st Division trench, and was formed as a bombing party
with others to rush the double barricade at zero hour and to bomb the enemy out
of their two pillboxes before our barrage had lifted off the enemy trench in
order to clear it before the arrival of Bell and Wheatley with their platoons. A
good many casualties were therefore inevitably caused to Boorman's platoon by
our own shell fire, and he reached the traverse next to the first pillbox with
only two corporals, Sherwood and Whitworth. Here the two N.C.O.'s threw bombs,
which landed neatly outside the two doors of the pillbox, and directly they
exploded Boorman dashed round the traverse with a bomb in each hand. Sheltering
himself against the wall, he threw his bombs into each door of the pillbox
before the Germans inside had recovered from the effects of Sherwood and
Whitworth's attack. This neat piece of work secured the pillbox to us, but
before Boorman could reorganise his party for the further advance to the second
pillbox Bell's platoon had occupied the trench. A few men of Wheatley's platoon
were also found to be in line. The greater number, including Wheatley himself,
apparently overshot the objective, not recognising it in its battered condition,
and must all have been killed or captured.
According to the prearranged scheme, Bell's platoon was withdrawn shortly before
dawn, and Boorman was left in charge of the captured position with the remains
of his own and Wheatley's platoons. The 2/2nd Londons were now in touch on our
right, and by arrangement with them the trench was divided between the two
Battalions, the 2/4th Londons being responsible from the 21st Division on the
left as far as the communication trench running back from the Hump to the German
support line. The shelling now resumed more moderate proportions, although it
continued sporadically all day, and casualties were continually being caused in
our ranks. The Battalion suffered a severe loss early in the day in Sergt.
Riley, who was acting C.S.M. for the attack. He had done very good work indeed
ever since the Battalion had been in France, and had throughout shown complete
indifference to danger. He was shot through the chest while accompanying Boorman
on a reconnaissance to endeavour to trace Wheatley's missing platoon.
#
On the front held by the 2/4th Londons the counter-offensive took the form of a
bombing attack, the approach of which along the communication trench opposite
the right of our sector was disclosed by the enemy's own star shells, which
rendered plainly visible the forms of the attackers waist high above the
battered sides of the trench. A shower of Very lights was at once put up, and
with the assistance of these the attack was driven off by Lewis gun and rifle
grenade fire, arrangements for which had been made most skilfully by Boorman
earlier in the day. None of the enemy succeeded in penetrating our position, but
many of his dead were left on the ground.
During this period awards were made of the Military Cross to 2/Lieut. D. S.
Boorman, and of the Military Medal to L.-Corpl. Coates, for their gallant
conduct on the 15th/16th June. The Battalion was joined on the 24th June by
Capt. W. A. Stark and 2/Lieut. S. Davis, and by drafts of 107 other ranks on the
21st June and of 28 N.C.O.'s on the 4th July. This welcome accession of
strength, especially in N.C.O.'s, who had become very few, rendered it possible
once more to reorganise the Battalion in four companies under Capts. E. N.
Cotton (A), G. H. Hetley (B), H. A. T. Hewlett (C), and A. G. Croll (D). The
duties of Intelligence Officer were taken over from Capt. Croll by 2/Lieut. S.
A. Seys, and on the 12th July, Cotton having been evacuated to hospital, command
of A Company was assumed by Capt. D. S. Boorman, M.C. The period of rest at
Logeast Wood was brought to a close by a Battalion sports meeting, one of those
quite informal but very keenly followed affairs which always have proved such an
invaluable means of recuperation for tired troops. The following day the
reorganised Battalion was inspected by the Colonel, and on the 8th July the
Battalion marched through the devastated region and the ruins of Courcelles,
Sapignies and Bapaume to Bancourt. Its route continued the following day to
Ytres, where six days in billets were occupied in parading for inspection
successively by the Divisional General (Fanshawe), the Brigadier (Freyberg) and
the IV Corps Commander.
#
The Third Battle of Ypres, 1917
The casualties sustained during the action included :
2/Lieuts. H. N. Bundle, E. R. Seabury and W. D. Warren, killed ; 2/Lieut. F. B.
Burd, died of wounds ; Capts. W. A. Stark, H. A. T. Hewlett and S. Davis, M.C,
2/Lieuts. D. S. Boorman, M. C. (at duty), A. J. Angel, W. F. Vines and A. C.
Knight, wounded ; and 60 N.C.O.'s and men killed, 176 wounded and 29 missing.
As in the September action, particular preparation was made for the assault of
all known pillboxes by special parties, and the system of posts to be
established by each company was carefully and definitely decided beforehand. The
whole strength of the Battalion was necessary to cover the wide frontage
allotted to it, the order of battle from the right being D Company (C. A.
Clarke), C Company (Boorman), B Company (Hetley) and A Company (Dickins). In
addition to the stipulated frontage the Battalion was also held responsible for
some 200 yards of waterlogged ground near the Lekkerbotebeek on its right, over
which touch with the 63rd Division could not be actively maintained.
#
The 26th October must be regarded as one of the most unfortunate days ever
experienced by the 2/4th Londons. The gallantry of officers, N.C.O.'s and men
alike left nothing to be desired, and their defeat was at the hands of the
elements far more than of the Germans. So bad indeed was the state of the ground
that not a few men becoming stuck in the mud and exhausted by their efforts to
extricate themselves, met their death by drowning in the flooded shell holes.
The casualties sustained in this unfortunate affair were in officers : 2/Lieuts.
F. J. Jones, H. G. Langton and J. R. Naylor, killed ; 2/Lieut. R. J. Richards,
died of wounds ; Capts. R. C. Dickins and D. S. Boorman, M.C, 2/Lieuts. G. E.
Lester, R. Michell, H. A. Snell and A. W. Dodds, wounded ; and in N.C.O.'s and
men 25 killed, 214 wounded and 109 missing — a total of 359 all ranks. This was
the most costly single day in the history of the 2/4th Battalion.
#
On the afternoon of the 14th October the Battalion marched to Marquion to
entrain for a rest at Arras.
During this rest at Arras the Battalion was joined by Capts. H. W. Spiers and D.
S. Boorman, M.C. (to command B and C Companies respectively), and by Lieuts. E.
G. Dew and H. D. Rees, the latter being appointed Assistant-Adjutant. Regimental
Sergt. -Major Jacques, who was returning to England in training for
Quartermaster, was replaced by Sergt. -Major Wilson, who had been wounded at
Ypres in 1917. The strength of the Battalion was now 38 officers and 721 other
ranks.