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Mjr. Frank "Bill" Bailey DCM.
British Army 1st Battalion Essex Regiment
from:Mauritius
My grandad, Frank Bailey, joined up in 1901 and immediately after basic training was dispatched to South Africa in Mounted Infantry Unit (formed to play those Boers at their own mobile guerilla game). He was a representative of Essex Regiment at Edward VII's coronation in Aug 1902, and posted to India (1902-06), Burma (1906-08) Ireland (1908-09), India (1909-13), Mauritius (1913-14) returning to Warley in Dec 1914.
As Sergeant, he was on 'W' Beach at Gallipoli (Cape Helles) on 25/4/1915, Beaumont Hamel (Somme) as RSM on 1/7/1916, aided defence of Monchy-le-Preux on 14/4/1917, was mentioned in Haig's dispatches on 25/5/1917, awarded Serbian Cross of Kara George, with Swords, 1st Class on 23/7/1917, gassed at Langemarck (Belgium) on 26/9/1917, and awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal at Battle of Cambrai and took part in the final push in 1918.
After WW1 he was posted Cork (1920-22) during the Irish "war of independence" along with Major Percival (Battalion Intel Officer and later Lieutenant General who surrendered at Singapore in 1941), went with the League of Nations Peace Keeping force to supervise the Saarbrucken Plebiscite (98% voted to go back to Nazi Germany and there was typical trouble during it!) in Jan 1935. He retired in 1937 as Major, re-engaged briefly in 1941 as a trainer for North London and Essex 'ack ack' units. His long and distinguished career with the regiment is recorded along with some history in my book A Major Soldier
