Hubert James Willey, DCM & Bar (11 July 1897 – 6 September 1948) was twice awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, then the second highest British gallantry award, for his service on the Western Front, during the First World War.
Born in Dublin, the second son of James Willey and Emily Maud Bannister, he joined the Rifle Brigade soon after the outbreak of war.
Willey was first awarded the DCM for an action in 1915, just over a month after his eighteenth birthday. He was serving with 9th Battalion The Rifle Brigade (part of 14th (Light) Division) in the Ypres Salient. As part of the British offensive at Loos a number of subsidiary attacks were organised. The 14th and 3rd Divisions were ordered to attack the strong German positions at Bellewaarde Farm, near Hooge, that overlooked the British line. These positions were held by several battalions of the Königlich Wörttembergisches Reserve-Infantrie-Regiment Nr 248. The Rifle Brigade's regimental history describes the attack as a 'costly fiasco'. Some battalions were hardly able to advance at all, others including 9/RB, ended up beyond their objectives. The battalion was then in a highly exposed and unsupported position, taking very heavy casualties, eventually losing all but four officers and one hundred and forty men. In his own account of the action, the commanding officer, Lt Col Villiers-Stuart, gave the number of casualties as 1,116 of all ranks - a casualty rate of in excess of 85%.
Col Villiers-Stuart's diary relates: A very young sergeant of D Coy, Will[e]y by name, had done specially well in the disastrous fight and was the first of the New Army to be made a CSM. I tried to get him and many others DCMs etc but the Corps Staff just crossed out all the 14th Division names as a matter of course. I may some day meet Keir and Lord Loch unless they are dead - I hope I do.
Despite this, 3 DCMs were in fact awarded to 9/RB. The recipients were Willey together with Riflemen H. Hill and C.G. Roberts.
The citation published in the London Gazette of 16 November 1915 reads: B/2391 Serjeant H.J.Willey, 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade.
For conspicuous gallantry and ability on the 25th September, 1915, on Bellewaarde Ridge. During the action Serjeant Willey passed continually backwards and forwards trying to establish communication with the Battalion on his right, and later, when all his Officers had been killed, he rallied and organised the men of his own and other Companies, and captured a position in the German second line trenches, which he held against all counter attacks. During the day he was under incessant machine gun and shell fire. He also took six prisoners, and made them carry back the wounded of his party. He exhibited the greatest bravery and devotion to duty.
Such actions, including Willey's, were widely reported in the British press at the time as examples of how men in junior ranks had exercised initiative and leadership after their units had suffered high casualties amongst their officers - for example an article entitled Gallant Deeds Rewarded - Leaders in the Ranks published by The Buckingham Advertiser and North Bucks Free Press in November 1915.
During the battle of Delville Wood (part of the Battle of the Somme) in the summer of 1916, Willey suffered serious gun-shot wounds and was evacuated to the Huddersfield War Hospital at Royds Hall, Huddersfield. He remained there until at least mid-March 1917, as he was decorated with his D.C.M by the Commanding Officer of the hospital, Lt Col W.L.W. Marshall, R.A.M.C. on 16 March 1917.