Col B C Freyberg VC DSO.

[Bill Hyde]

I read with interest about 4th Battalion during WW1 in which my grandfather served (I think that Pte Richard Smith 19419 was my grandfather but have no definite evidence) during reading about the 4th Battalion and Col Freyberg and noticed that the photo shows him wearing a navy cap badge. I am a navy man myself and was very surprised. Even if he was in the naval division he wouldn't be wearing a naval cap badge as his rank would have been wrong. The navy do have colonels but only in the Royal Marines and in that case he would have been wear RM badge (world and laurals). Does anyone know the answer? Bill Hyde

[Kevin Lynott]

At the time of his award of the VC Freyberg was Temp Lt-Col commanding the Hood Bn in the Royal Naval Division.
The cap badge is correct and the following may help indicate why:-
The RND had no existence before Aug 1914. The Admiralty realised that on mobilsation there would be 20-80,000 men of the Reserves of the RN for whom there would not be room on any ship of war. The surplus personnel would be sufficient to form two Naval Brigades and a Brig of Marines available either for home defence or for any special purpose.
The two RN Brigs were assembled and formed around cadres consisting of Petty officers of the RN, instructors and Sgts of the RMs and a sprinkling of retired regular army officers. They were formed into eight Bns and khaki clothing could not be provided for the ratings consequently when the deployed for the Antwerp operation the ratings were wearing the RN blue jumpers. De-mobilization began immediately at the end of the war and by February 1919 it had been completely dismantled. During the war the Div lost 47,953 KIA, WIA and MIA. The men and officers of the two RN Brigs wore the RN badge and the officers and men of the RM Brig wore the Globe and Laurel.

[Bill Hyde]

Thanks for the information Kevin. I know the Worcesters and the RND fought side by side at Gallipoli and the Western Front so was he a Worcesters' officer or a RND man I know they swopped about a bit to fill in the gaps for Officers and troops. Did he ever wear a Worcesters' cap badge? I am not certain the your information re the RND fighting in blues is correct. It may be right when they first were formed but I'm certain I have seen photograths of the RND in khaki. They worn their hood division badge on the khaki caps. The Hood Divisions' was a eagle standing before a fouled anchor and the motto Steady on it. I have one and some of the other RN divisions also.

[Kevin Lynott]

Bill,

Because of the massive expansion of the military, there just wasn't enough kit to equip the men so thats why the RND were in their blues when they went to Antwerp. Each unit was gradually equipped as the war-machine got into motion. You often see the men of the New Army drilling and exercising in civvies carrying sticks and ill-equipped for the task, hm sounds like the lads in Iraq and Afghanistan nearly a century later.

Pretty certain Freyberg didn't serve in the Worcs, the only other unit he may have served with were the Royal West Surreys.

He was also awarded four DSOs, pretty much the next one down from a VC, the first one was in April 1915 and the fourth in 1945, a thirty year difference, quite some bloke.

Kevin