Distinguished Service Order : Captain P L Howell-Price, 1 Battalion, AIF

Distinguished Service Order. Unnamed as issued.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) awarded to Captain Philip Llewellyn Howell-Price. Born on 11 September 1894 at Mount Wilson, he had served as a citizen soldier before enlisting in the 1st Battalion, AIF on 14 September 1914. He and his five brothers served during the First World War, with all – except David Clayton Winchcombe Howell-Price – serving overseas with distinction.

Four days after enlistment, Howell-Price was commissioned second lieutenant and embarked for Egypt on 18 October. The battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 August 1915 and he was promoted lieutenant the next day. His work during the Battle of Lone Pine, during which he was severely wounded, earned him a Mention in Despatches. After he returned from three months of hospital care, he was one of the last to evacuate Gallipoli.

On 2 January 1916 he was promoted Captain and awarded the Distinguished Service Order for leading a raiding party near Armentières, France, on 28/29th June. The citation for his DSO reads:

'Near Sailly, France, on the night of 29/30th June 1916 [the date here is incorrect], he led a raiding party, which he had previously trained, through a successful raid on the German trenches, despite the fact that the enemy wire was not cut, and that the enemy replied with very heavy fire directly our guns opened. Captain Howell-Price saw that every officer and man was back in our trenches before he returned, and throughour the raid displayed great gallantry and resourse.
This Officer has performed splendid work throughout the War, having been three times mentioned in Despatches in Gallipoli'.

The Battalion War Diary notes that two German prisoners were taken, and the the raid lasted seven minutes. Howell-Price sounded a klaxton horn to signal an end to the operation. The raiding party consisted of 94 men.

Captain Howell-Price later fought on the Somme in July and at Flers in November.

In March 1917 he was wounded for a second time at Bullecourt. However, General Sir William Birdwood had him appointed to the staff of the 1st Anzac Division. He was promoted Major on 7 June 1917 and attached to the staff of the 2nd Brigade. That month he was awarded the Military Cross.

Upon hearing that his old battalion was going into action he begged to be sent back to it and on 4 October was killed in an artillery barrage at Broodseinde. His body was never recovered.