b. 30/06/1878 Chirbury, Shropshire. d. 26/12/1965 Corndon, Shropshire.
Llewellyn Alberic Emilius Price-Davies (1878-1965) was born on 30th June 1878, the third son of Lewis Richard Price, at Harringdon Hall, Chirbury, Shropshire. He was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He enlisted with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps on 23rd February 1898, and within a year he was posted to South Africa for the outbreak of the Second Boer War.
Llewellyn A E Price-Davies VC CB CMG DSO
He served throughout the duration of the War, being twice mentioned in despatches, receiving the Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps, the King’s South Africa Medal with two clasps, and was awarded the DSO (London Gazette, 19th April 1901). He was later recommended for, and awarded the Victoria Cross (London Gazette, 29th November 1901) for his actions at Blood River Poort two months before.
At Blood River Poort, on the 17th September, 1901, when the Boers had overwhelmed the right of the British Column, and some 400 of them were galloping round the flank and rear of the guns, riding up to the drivers (who were trying to get the guns away) and calling upon them to surrender, Lieutenant Price Davies, hearing an order to fire upon the charging Boers, at once drew his revolver and dashed in among them, firing at them in a most gallant and desperate attempt to rescue the guns. He was immediately shot and knocked off his horse, but was not mortally wounded, although he had ridden to what seemed to be almost certain death without a moment’s hesitation.
Price-Davies received his VC on 8th June 1902 from the Commander in Chief, South Africa, Lord Kitchener in Pretoria. He had also been promoted to Captain at the beginning of the year. In 1906, he married Eileen Geraldine Edith, daughter of James Wilson, Deputy Lieutenant of Currygrane, Edgeeworthstown, Ireland. From March 1906 to July 1906, he was Adjutant and Quartermaster, Mounted Infantry, Irish Command, and from October 1906 to November 1907 was Adjutant for the 5th Battalion, Mounted Infantry, South Africa.
He was a student at the Staff College, Camberley, from 1908 to 1909; and from November 1910, to June 1912, was Brigade Major, 13th Brigade, Irish Command. He was then appointed to the War Office from 1912 to 1914. He was promoted to Major in 1915, and commanded a Brigade in England from the 25th November 1915, before embarking for France and the Western Front. He was see service there until November 1917, before returning to England with the brevet of Lieutenant-Colonel.
He was created a CMG in January 1918, and was given a special deployment in Italy, with the rank of Major-General until December 1918. He would leave the armed forces with this rank. Little is known of his life after the end of the Great War. During the Second World War, he was a Battalion Commander in the Home Guard from 1940 to 1945. He died on Boxing Day 1965 at Corndon, near Sonning, Berkshire, aged 87. He was buried in St Andrew’s Churchyard, Sonning, and the headstone was recently renovated by the Victoria Cross Trust. His medals are held by the Royal Green Jackets Museum, Winchester, Hampshire.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: ROYAL GREEN JACKETS MUSEUM, WINCHESTER, HAMPSHIRE.
BURIAL PLACE: ST ANDREWS CHURCHYARD, SONNING, BERKSHIRE.
Acknowledgements:
Victoria Cross Trust – Image of the renovated Price-Davies VC Grave in 2016.
Thomas Stewart – Marlborough College Memorial.