GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY C.M.G. London Gazette 2 February 1916.
Thomas Alchin Andrus was born in November 1872, the son of Thomas Alchin Andrus of Scadbury Manor, Southfleet, Kent, who was a Captain in the Militia.
Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the North Staffordshire Regiment direct from the Militia in December 1893, Thomas junior was advanced to Lieutenant in April 1896, and served in the Dongola Expedition (Queen’s Medal; Khedive’s Medal), and with the Malakand Field Force on the North-West Frontier in 1897-97. During the latter operations, he was attached to the Utman Khel Column in the Buner Field Force, and participated in the capture of Tanga Pass (Medal & clasp).
Advanced to Captain in October 1900 and to Major in June 1911, Andrus raised and commanded the 7th Battalion, taking it to Gallipoli in July 1915. Landing at Cape Helles on the 11th, the unit suffered its first casualties during an attack on the 19th. Having then repulsed an enemy counter-attack on the 23rd, it was embarked from ‘V’ Beach for Lemnos, in readiness for the ANZAC landings in August.
After a precarious voyage in an ancient steamer that once plied between Ardrossan and Belfast - the men were told to keep still in case they capsized the vessel - Andrus brought the Battalion ashore at Gaba Tepe on the evening of the 3rd August. An unpleasant advance from White Gully ensued, the whole undertaken over open ground which was subjected to an intense and accurate barrage; Andrus was then ordered to dig his men in on a feature overlooked by the Turks on Sari Bair - any movement was impossible and casualties quickly mounted.
On the 7th, the Battalion assembled at the entrance of Aghyl Dere in readiness for an attack on Hill ‘Q’; the advance was checked by the Turks in ‘one of the fiercest fights of Gallipoli - every inch of ground was disputed with bayonet and bomb’ and the 7th sustained around 270 casualties, among them Andrus, who was severely wounded.
In a letter home from No. 19 General Hospital, Alexandria, on 15 August 1915, Andrus wrote:
‘I am so anxious to know, naturally, how the battle went after I was taken away - it was a most grim and bloody business, probably bloodier than anything yet in this war - our men and officers, as is usual, were heroic, and it was always on - on - on ... I do not think the censor will object to me saying that we made a new landing among other things and that after two days & two nights of continuous fighting and advancing, the whole of my Division took on the main Turkish position on a very high hill, and the fighting in this place was absolutely desperate and bloody on both sides - almost - in fact, all my personal friends were killed here - but on we went.’
He was awarded the C.M.G. and was mentioned in despatches by General Sir Ian Hamilton (London Gazette 28 January 1916, refers).
Having then re-joined his battalion, he commanded it through the severe fighting in Mesopotamia in the relief of Kut-el-Amara, gaining another mention in despatches from General Sir Percy Lake (London Gazette 19 October 1916, refers), in addition to being given the Brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Shortly thereafter he was given command of 39th Infantry Brigade in the ‘Tigris Corps’ and served throughout the campaign which resulted in the capture of Kut-el-Amara; and also in the subsequent fighting in the desert 70 miles north of Bagdad, operations undertaken in co-operation with the Russians. He was again mentioned in despatches - by General Sir Stanley Maude (London Gazette 15 August 1917, refers) - and was awarded the 2nd Class of the Russian Order of St. Anne, with swords. Latterly, from September 1918, he led his Brigade in operations against the Turks in Persia as far as the Caspian Sea.
Post-war, Andrus served as a Colonel Commandant in Ireland 1921-22, acting as Inspector of Internment Camps and Military Prisons, an appointment, according to one report, ‘requiring tact and firmness’ and one in which he did well. As reported by Andrus himself, ‘We pursued a fairly vigourous policy in both counties (Carlow & Wicklow). All the leaders were arrested and interned, all arms in the hands of civilians (with permits) collected, and the curfew was put into force’.
Having been placed on the Retired List in 1923, he lived at his father’s old residence, Scadbury Manor, and died in November 1959.
To be sold with the following archive: Much of the recipient’s Great War career is covered by his correspondence home, some of it held by the Imperial War Museum (IWM Catalogue Ref. Documents.3518; copies included), but to which may now be added the following archive:
The recipient’s C.M.G. warrant and related forwarding letter; his original commission warrants for the ranks of 2nd Lieutenant, Militia Forces, dated 14 March 1890 and 2nd Lieutenant, Land Forces, dated 22 December 1893; several hand written letters home, sent from the Sudan at the time of the Dongola Expedition (July-October 1896); a pair of letters sent to his parents from India in November 1897 and February 1898, describing events on the Punjab Frontier; six Great War letters home, three of them pertinent to his time in Gallipoli (as partly quoted above); documents relating to his time in Ireland 1919-21, including a typescript report - marked ‘Very Secret’ - in which Andrus describes prevailing conditions, dated 25 March 1921, among them the effects of the Sinn Fein Movement on the local populace and ‘our own counter insurgency measures’; a dozen or so career photographs, the majority card mounted and much besides, namely further correspondence, newspapers articles, etc.; together with an imposing portrait of Brigadier-General T. A. Andrus, oil on canvas, framed.
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