Old Bedfordian Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Walderne St. Clair Tisdall, V.C.
A MODEST HERO
Foreword Each year we proudly honour all those who have played an important role in defending our freedoms and way of life, coming together, whether in person or online, to remember those who have served and sacrificed to protect us all. This poignant time unites us as a school and a global community, and offers a moment for self-reflection to pay tribute to the fallen. The First World War took the lives of an estimated 16 million soldiers and civilians, and the Second World War a staggering 60 million. This is not to mention the many millions left physically and psychologically wounded, in numbers that are almost incomprehensible. However, every number represents an individual with a unique story, and it is often these stories that resonate with us and provide a pathway to greater understanding. This year we remember Old Bedfordian Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Tisdall, a pupil at Bedford School between 1900 and 1909. On 25 April 1915, amidst the horror of war in Gallipoli, Arthur Tisdall demonstrated remarkable acts of gallantry. This gallantry would later, and sadly posthumously, see him awarded the highest decoration for valour in the British Armed Forces, given for extreme bravery in the face of the enemy – the Victoria Cross. Now, more than ever, it is important to remember the tremendous sacrifices shown by so many and to keep their individual stories alive.
Commemoration of Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Tisdall in the Memorial Hall at Bedford School
A MODEST HERO Old Bedfordian Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Walderne St. Clair Tisdall, V.C. Regiment: Anson Battalion, Royal Naval Division Born: 21 July 1890, Bombay, British India School years: 1900 - 1909 Wounded: By a sniper during the Second Battle of Krithia Died: 6 May 1915, Achi Baba, Gallipoli Buried: No known grave
Arthur Tisdall, the son of a missionary, was born in Bombay, India and raised in Peru. His family moved to Bedford where his uncle owned a dyeing business on St John’s Street. The family lived on the street now known as Waterloo Road. Tisdall joined Bedford School in 1900 aged ten, and was Head of School in his final year. After leaving Bedford, Tisdall attended the University of Cambridge, where he gained a double first and the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for classics. He then went to work in the Foreign Office, where he remained until the outbreak of the First World War.
At the start of the war, Tisdall joined the Volunteer Reserve in the Royal Navy as an able seaman, and was quickly promoted to Officer. He was swiftly called up to serve in Antwerp to help the Belgian Army. The mission failed, and most of the crew were held in Holland. However, Tisdall was one of the few who managed to escape and make it back to England. In October 1914, Tisdall was commissioned and sent to Egypt as a Sub-Lieutenant to prepare for the Gallipoli landings. It was on 25 April 1915, the first day of the Gallipoli landings, that he earned his Victoria Cross.
Tisdall and his crew arrived on ‘V’ Beach aboard the SS River Clyde, a landing ship that featured openings on its sides, allowing its 2,000 troops to emerge from the safety of the interior ready to attack, much like from a Trojan horse. However, as soon as the ship beached, it came under fire from the guns of the entrenched Turkish forces. As its troops hit the beach, they were mown down by heavy machine gun fire. In a diary entry penned by Arthur two days later, he wrote,
“Have been under fire. All day spent burying soldiers. Some of my men killed. Plenty of hard work and enemy shells and a smell of dead men.” No sooner had Tisdall and the crew landed than they heard the cries of gravely wounded men on the beach. It soon became apparent that the men were under fire and were calling for help. Ignoring orders, Tisdall wasted no time jumping into the water, pushing a boat in front of him to go to their rescue.
However, he found that he could not manage alone, and so enlisted the help of four naval personnel. The party of five made five gruelling and exhausting trips from the ship to the shore, bravely rescuing several wounded men whilst under heavy and accurate fire. It was only darkness that forced them to stop.
“He was one of England’s bravest men. All the boys thought the world of him.”
After the offensive, Tisdall’s great bravery was not forgotten. Letters were sent to Churchill and the military leaders by many men in Tisdall’s platoon as well as other witnesses describing his valour. Just a week later, Tisdall was killed by a sniper as his Royal Naval Division platoon took part in a failed attempt to advance along Turkey’s Gallipoli peninsula. He was buried where he fell. In March 1916, Tisdall was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross with the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. One man in his platoon wrote, “He was one of England’s bravest men. All the boys thought the world of him.”
Today the name of Tisdall lives on with one of our buildings named in his honour, along with that of his brother, as well as on our First World War memorial boards close to where his Victoria Cross citation hangs.
Tisdall is also remembered on the war memorial outside St Leonard’s Church on St John’s Street, Bedford, and in Deal, Kent.
