Major, Duncan Donald Heron CAMPBELL M.C.[MiD]
Aged 33
Military Cross and India General Service medal 1908
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Duncan Donald Heron Campbell was born in Camberley in 4th January 1884 (Farnham Q1-1884 2A:98), baptised St Michael's Camberley on 7th March 1884, son of Lt.Col.
Donald Archibald and Charlotte CAMPBELL(née ROBERTS).
1891 census...Aged 7, he was at The Village, Stonham Aspal with his father Donald A CAMPBELL [40] (Lt Colonel, Infantry, born East Indies; his mother Charlotte [35]born Norwich; sisters Augusta C.L. [9] born Ireland and Victoria D.C. [4] born Padiham, Lancashire; brother Colin A H [11] born Portsmouth Educated Cheltenham College and commemorated there. 1901 census...Aged 17, he was at Woolwich, a gentleman cadet in the Royal Artillery. 1911 census...Aged 27, single a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, he was stationed in India but was absent from there for the census, being in England at Gothic House, Clare with his parents At probate his will has his address as Gothic House, Clare,Suffolk. From the medal index card is appears his father, by 1923, had moved to Wickham Hall, Eye. His brother Colin was killed serving in Belgium with the Royal Field Artillery in 1917. see here |
On the family memorial plaque above (Ipswich, Holy Trinity) is inscribed, on the right hand panel:-
DUNCAN DONALD HERON CAMPBELL
BORN 4.1.'84."KILLED IN ACTION" AT MESSINES 7 JUNE 1917.(CORPUS CHRISTI.)
LIES IN ST QUENTIN CABARET MILITARY CEMETERY, WULVERGHAM.
PASSED FROM WOOLWICH TO ROYAL ARTILLERY DEC.1900
SERVED
MOHMAND CAMPAIGN 1908, N.W.FRONTIER INDIA, MOUNTAIN ARTILLERY MEDAL
1914 BURMA MILITARY POLICE; INSPECTOR B.M.P. ARTILLERY.(RECEIVED THANKS
OF BURMA GOVT FOR A FORCED MARCH WITH 40 SOWARS.)
WORLD WAR
COMMANDED AS CAPTAIN AND MAJOR FOR 2 1/2 YEARS, BATTERY a.112 R.F.A.
(MILITARY CROSS FROM KING 7 JUNE 1916 "MENTION IN DESPATCHES FOR THE SOMME 2.1.1917
THE FIRST MAN OF THE XXVTH DIVISION TO BE GIVEN A DECORATION
"HE WENT FORWARD WITH THE INFANTRY ATTACK AT MESSINES...HAD HE SURVIVED HE WOULD HAVE BEEN
AWARDED D.S.O. FOR WORK OF PREPARATION FOR THE ADVANCE"
"HE HAD MORE INFLUENCE IN OUR BRIGADE THAN ANY OFFICER EVER HAD, OR WILL HAVE. HIS NOBILITY OF
CHARACTER AND STERLING SENSE OF DUTY APPEALED TO OFFICERS AND MEN. HOW THEY MISS HIM: YET
CAMPBELL'S SPIRIT WILL ALWAYS REMAIN WITH US"
W.I.MACKAY, MAJOR B 112 R.F.A.
"WE LOVED HIM, WE ADMIRED HIM. HE WAS REALLY SPLENDID"
H.WILLIS, CAPT R.A.M.C.
"HE WAS DELIGHTED THAT HIS BATTERY HAD BEEN THE ONE SELECTED TO ADVANCE FIRST OUT OF ALL THE CONCENTRATED
DIVISION ARTILLERIES ON OUR DIVISION FRONT, AND WENT OFF AS HAPPY AS A KING TO RECONNOITRE MESSINES RIDGE"
A.B.FOREMAN, LT.COL. 112th BRIGADE R.F.C.
"HE WAS ONE OF THE FINEST AND BRAVEST SOLDIERS...I THOUGHT SO MUCH OF HIM I WOULD GLADLY HAVE
FOLLOWED HIM TO HIS DEATH" E.HOWES D.C.M. BATTY SERGT MAJOR 112th BDE R.F.A.
ON 7 JUNE THIS SERGT MAJOR WATCHED HIM CARRY HIS WOUNDED ORDERLY TO SAFETY THROGH AN
8TH GERMAN BARRAGE, IN RETURNING THROUGH IT TO THE RIDGE HE WAS KILLED.
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The centre panel details his father and family ancestry, the LEFT hand panel is for his brother Colin (detailed on his own page on this
site).
His Military Cross was gazetted 15th March 1916. The citation reads: Captain Duncan Donald Heron Campbell, Royal Garrison Artillery (attached 112th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery). "For conspicuous gallantry when directing the fire of his battery. After hos observation post had been destroyed and the infantry near him had withdrawn, he remained for four hours exposed to heavy fire, and successfully cut a wide lane in the enemy's wire." |
The emblem mentioned on the card is the emblem for his Mentioned in Despatches in 1915
The note about the M.M.is an error, as he won the Military Cross
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details