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Lieutenant Colonel Charles Doughty-Wylie VC CMG - Sedd el Bahr and Hill 141- 26th April 1915

Above V Beach, lie the Fort and village of Sedd el Bahr. From the narrow confines of the Beach, it takes little more than five minutes to walk up through the village to the water tower at the top of what was known as Hill 141. Beside the water tower, flanked by two trees, can be found the solitary grave of Lt. Col Charles Doughty-Wylie VC CMG .

Doughty-Wylie, the most senior officer to win the VC during the Gallipoli Campaign, together with Captain Garth Walford VC, Royal Field Artillery, who was also killed during the action at Sedd el Bahr, and is buried at V Beach Cemetery, organised and led an attack through and on both sides of the village and on the Old Castle at the top of the hill inland. The Turkish position was very strongly held and entrenched, and defended with concealed machine- guns and pom-poms. In the words of the official citation' It was mainly due to the initiative, skill and great gallantry of these two officers that the attack was a complete success. Both were killed in the moment of victory'

 

  

A French soldier at Doughty-Wylie's grave (IWM: Q13709)

A French soldier at Doughty-Wylie's grave (IWM: Q13709)

 

 

In a tribute to Doughty-Wylie, Sir Ian Hamilton wrote: 
”The death of a hero strips victory of her wings. Alas, for Doughty-Wylie! Alas, for that faithful disciple of Charles Gordon; protector of the poor and of the helpless; noblest of those knights ever ready to lay down their lives to uphold the fair fame of England. Braver soldier never drew sword. He had no hatred of the enemy. His spirit did not need that ugly stimulant. Tenderness and pity filled his heart and yet he had the overflowing enthusiasm and contempt of death which alone can give troops the volition to attack when they have been crouching so long under a pitiless fire. Doughty-Wylie was no flash-in-the-pan VC winner. He was a steadfast hero …… Now as he would have wished to die, so he has died.”

Diana Condell