Description
Queen’s South Africa Medal, 5 bars, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902, British War Medal, Trooper Daniel Ellis, 3rd Company Imperial Yeomanry, returned for WW1 with the Machine Gun Cavalry, earned DCM for manning forward machine gun post in November 1918.
Q.S.A. officially impressed: “22762 Tpr: D. Ellis. 3rd Coy Imp: Yeo:”
BWM Officially impressed: “52350 Sjt D. Ellis M.G.C.”
The award was remarkably earned just 1 day before the Armistice and official end of the war, whilst serving with the 3rd Machine Gun Cavalry Squadron on attachment to the 5th Royal Irish Lancers and D Troop R.H.A.
Award of the DCM announced in the London Gazette on 3rd June 1919, 11th March 1920 with citation:
Citation:
“52350 L/Cpl D. Ellis, 3rd Squadron Machine Gun Corps Cavalry (Pontypridd, Wales),
On 10th November 1918, at Harveng, he was sent forward with a Machine Gun and took up a forward position, from which he could enfilade the enemy machine guns holding up the troops on his right in the village.
Under heavy fire, he kept his gun in action for 2 hours, supporting our infantry in their advance s.”
The 3rd Squadron of Machine Gun Cavalry was attached to the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division.
It was formed from the Machine Gun Sections of the 4th Hussars, 5th Royal Irish Lancers and 16th Lancers.
He won his DCM 1 day before the war ended, but there was no sign of peace for him yet, the final advance in Picardy lasted from 17th October to 11th November.
He aided the last advance, the next day his squadron Captured Mons, on attachment to the 5th Royal Lancers and 1st Section “D” Royal Horse Artillery, part of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade.
The village noted in the citation “Harveng” is a small village just south of Mons.
After the war was over he was discharged to the Army Reserve class “Z” on 4th March 1919.
Daniel Ellis, was born in Cradley Heath, Staffordshire, West Midlands during 1881, whilst his Welsh Parents lived there.
At the time Cradley Heath was the centre of Chain Making in Britain, although things were becoming very difficult for the Chain Makers in the 1880s which was around the time they left.
His parents were both Welsh from Glamorganshire, John and Isabella Ellis, his father was a Chain Maker, they lived for a brief time in Staffordshire, Cradley Heath being the home of Chain Making in England when Daniel was born from around 1879-1883, and appeared to have also lived in Germany, as they had another son named Otto Ellis born in Germany during 1887. The family returned to Wales in the 1890s.
He was a 20 year old Iron Worker living in Wales, when he signed up for the Imperial Yeomanry at Cardiff on 30th January 1901.
Listed his next of kin as his father John Ellis, who was living at Pencoed Farm.
He saw the following service:
Home, 30th January 1901, 13th March 1901
Abroad (South Africa), 14th March 1901 – 28th August 1902.
Home, 28th August 1902 – 3rd September 1902.
After the war was over he returned back to Wales and married Katherine Ellis, a welsh girl from Saron in Caernarfon.
Before enlisting circa 1916 he lived at 17 Leyshon Streeet in Pontypridd, Glamorganshire, Wales, where he worked as a Labourer in the Coke Works.
Still alive and living in Ponyypridd in 1939 as a Coke Oven Worker, but had been Widowed.
He died in Pontypridd during 1944.
