Military Cross : 2nd Lieutenant R G Howell-Price, 1 Battalion, AIF

Military Cross (Geo V). Engraved reverse with recipient's details.

This Military Cross was awarded to Second Lieutenant Richmond Gordon Howell-Price for actions in 1917. One of four Howell-Price brothers who enlisted during the First World War, and known to his friends and family as 'Gordon', he was 19 and a half when he signed up at Liverpool, NSW on 14 December 1915, with his parents’ written permission.

Howell-Price was assigned to the 16th Reinforcements of the 6th Light Horse under service number 2341, and embarked from Sydney on 3 May 1916 aboard the transport ‘Hymettus’. Once in Egypt he was transferred to the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, and in November embarked for England where he was again transferred, this time to 1 Battalion, and joined them in France.

In mid-December 1916 he was promoted to second lieutenant. During late 1916 and early 1917 he received tactical and Lewis Gun training before rejoining the 1st Battalion in France on 28 March. Two weeks later, his was one of a number of Australian battalions cautiously moving forward in the face of the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. On 9 April, his platoon was part of an attack on the towns of Demicourt and Hermies, known as the 'outpost villages' just to the east of the Hindenburg Line. His successful actions here resulted in a recommendation (dated 13 April 1917) for the Military Cross. The citation reads:

'During the 1st Battalion operation against Demicourt on the 9/4/17, 2/Lt Howell-Price led his platoon with bravery and initiative. On being held up near his first objective by hostile machine gun fire, he placed his Lewis Gun to give covering fire, despatched his rifle bombers to the left flank, and advancing under this covering fire, was able to clear the position and kill the Germans …. Though held up twice thus during the operation by enemy machine guns, his ground tactics adopted throughout, and the determination with which he carried them out, pushing on to the village and establishing touch with another small party of the battalion undoubtedly greatly assisted in the capture of the village of Demicourt.'

During his battalion’s participation in the Second Bullecourt operation on 4 May 1917, he was mortally wounded and died of his wounds later that day. His award of the Military Cross was published on 22 May. Richmond Gordon Howell-Price was buried at Vaux British Cemetery before being re-interred at Vraucourt Copse Cemetery in 1929.