Captain Edward Molesworth Walpole Sealy, R.E.

Figure 1. Captain Edward Molesworth Walpole Sealy, R.E.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)

E.M.W. Sealy was a Regular Army officer of the Corps of Royal Engineers who served between 1908 and 1915. Although severely wounded during the Great War, he survived the immediate effects of the wound only to succumb to a dreaded after effect, sepsis. Although he had been evacuated to the U.K. after being wounded, it appears that the treatment that he received during his convalescence may not have been all that it should have been. He was one of those unfortunate individuals to die from an infection that today, on the modern battlefield, rarely if ever occurs.

2. FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Edward Sealy was the son of the Reverend Robert Walpole Sealy Vidal (1853-1914) and Gertrude Sealy, née Molesworth (1862-1953).[1]

Robert Walpole Sealy Vidal, who from 1892 was Robert Walpole Sealy[2], was an English 19^th century footballer who featured in the first three FA Cup Finals for two different clubs. In March 1870 he played in the first ever international football match, which took place at Kennington Oval, London. He represented England again in 1871.

Figure 2. Vidal (standing left) with Oxford University's F.A. Cup Winning Side of 1874.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Vidal studied for the Church of England priesthood at Cuddesdon Theological College near Oxford, becoming ordained in 1877. He was Curate of St Edmund's, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, 1877–1879; Vice-Principal of Ely Theological College 1879–1881; Curate of Holy Trinity, in Ely, Cambridgeshire, 1880–81; and ultimately Vicar of Abbotsham, his native parish, from 1881 until his death. Later in his life he was Rural Dean of Hartland in the area his parish stood, and shortly before his death, which followed major breakdown in health, was made Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral. He was buried in Abbotsham Churchyard.

Edward Molesworth Walpole Sealy was born in Abbotsham, Devon on 3 May 1889 while his family was residing at The Vicarage in Abbotsham.[3]

His primary education was at Fonthill Lodge School on Coombe Hill Road in East Grinstead, Sussex where he was a boarder from about 1899 to 1902. For his secondary education he attended Bradfield College in Berkshire from about 1902 to 1906. He entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in December 1906 and passed out in December 1908, third in the final examination. While at the R.M.A. he took prizes in history and mathematics.[4]

Sealy was commissioned a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers upon leaving the Royal Military Academy on 18 December 1908.[5] Immediately after his commissioning he proceeded to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent where he received additional training as an engineer officer.

Figure 6. 2^nd Lieutenant Edward Molesworth Walpole Sealy, R.E. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

His military training at Chatham included courses in field fortifications, construction, surveying, telegraphy, electric lighting, submarine mining, photography, chemistry, military law and tactics. The Field Fortifications course lasted for 4 months and 23 days. This course consisted of field and siege engineering, field defence, attack of fortresses, mining construction, demolition of railways and water supply. The Construction course was 6 months and covered building materials, engineering construction, hydraulics, construction of barracks, drainage, manufacture of iron and steel, mining, quarrying and machinery. Next came the Surveying course consisting of five months of technical training in geodesy, astronomy, meteorology, trigonometrical chain and road surveys and use of surveying instruments. One to two months of military topography followed, which included military surveying and sketching and elementary reconnaissance. In the School of Telegraphy, Electric Lighting and Submarine Mining he studied the theory of electricity, use of telegraph instruments, bracing and connecting instruments, making of batteries, firing mines and testing tubes. All of this was accomplished in two months with an additional one month devoted to electric lighting, signalling by flag, lamps and heliograph. The School of Chemistry was a short course of varying length that generally covered practical chemistry, especially relating to limes, concrete and other building materials. Finally, the School of Military Law and Tactics, also a course of varying length, consisted of special lectures in law and tactics as dictated by current military situations. This training at the School of Military Engineering lasted for just under 24 months.

Sealy was promoted to Lieutenant on 21 December 1910[6] and was posted to the 23^rd Field Company in the 1^st Division at Aldershot on 24 February 1911.[7] The Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.) of the 1^st Division at the time was Lieutenant Colonel A.L. Schreiber, D.S.O., R.E.[8] The Officer Commanding 23^rd Field Company was Major G.C. Kemp, R.E[9] and other officers in the company included:

By December 1912 a significant change had been made within the Aldershot Command.[15] Sealy still was serving in the 23^rd Field Company, which now was in the North Aldershot District of the Aldershot Command stationed at R.E. Headquarters on Marlborough Lines. It was no longer a part of the 1^st Division. Lieutenant Colonel Schreiber was the District C.R.E and Captain P.K. Betty now commanded the 23^rd Field Company. In addition to Sealey, the company officers consisted of Captain N.W. Webber and 2^nd Lieutenant R.L. Bond, R.E.[16]

Sometime during 1913 it appears that Sealy was selected to serve with the Anglo-Belgian Boundary Commission in Northern Rhodesia.[17] This commission had been formed in 1911 to survey and to demarcate the boundary between the Belgian Congo and British Northern Rhodesia. Why Lieutenant Sealy was selected for this commission is not known, but his stay in Northern Rhodesia was a short one. The outbreak of the Great War in August 1914 surely was the reason for his return to the U.K. to be posted to the 59^th Field Company with the 5^th Division.

Lieutenant Sealy joined the 59^th Field Company in France on 8 October 1914.[18] By the time that he joined the company, the unit had already been engaged in the battles at Mons (23-24 Aug 1914), Le Cateau (26 Aug 1914), the Marne (7-10 Sep 1914) and the Aisne (12-15 Sep 1914).[19] When he joined the company he was just two days away from the start of the Battle of La Bassée. The other engineer units in the division at the time that Sealy joined his company were the 17^th Field Company and the 5^th Divisional Signal Company. As part of the original British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) to go to France, the 5^th Division was woefully understrength in field engineer units. It would not be until early 1915 that Territorial Force companies were assigned to the division. If this were not bad enough, the division did not get a Pioneer Battalion assigned until late in 1915. A Pioneer Battalion would have made up for, at least in the form of labour, the lack of field engineer companies.

Sealy’s first action was at the Battle of La Bassée (10 Oct–2 Nov 1914), followed by the Battle of Nonne Boschen (11 Nov 1914). On 18 December 1914 Sealy was promoted to Captain[20] and on 5 February 1915 the division received much needed additional engineer support when the 1/2^nd (Home Counties) Field Company joined. Then on 24 March the 1/1^st (South Midland) Field Company joined the division. Just when things were starting to look better for the division in terms of field engineering, the 17^th Field Company was pulled from the division to join the 27^th Division. Obviously, the 27^th Division, a Territorial Force division, was in need of a Regular Army field company to bolster its engineer support.

The 59^th Field Company next became engaged in the Battle of Hill 60, and following the battle, on 23 April 1915, the 2/1^st (North Midland) Field Company joined the 5^th Division and then left on 19 June. The 1/1^st (South Midland) Field Company already had left the division on 10 April, therefore the division still had not gained much in the way of additional engineer support..

After the action at Bellewaarde, Captain Sealy’s service becomes somewhat confused. This confusion probably can be eliminated by referring to his service papers, which are available at the National Archives (WO 339/7227). These documents are not digitized, so they were not available to the author during this research.

The Imperial War Museum description of Sealy’s service indicates that “he was invalided back to the UK in January 1914 [sic] after being shot through the arm.” The date obviously is incorrect as the war had not yet started and he did not get to France until October 1914. If it is assumed that the date should be January 1915, then his wound would have occurred some time after the Battle of Nonne Boschen.

His marriage certificate indicates that he married Caroline Balkwill, a 28-year old spinster, in the Parish Church of St. John in Hampstead, London on 6 November 1915. The couple were living at 16 Ellerdale Road in Hampstead at the time. So he was back in the U.K. at this time, either on leave or convalescing from a wound. If he was convalescing from a wound, then he might have been wounded at Bellewaarde at the end of May 1915 rather than at Nonne Boschen at the end of 1914.

One source encountered on the Internet indicates that he died after three days illness at Aldershot Camp from war related septic poisoning. His death occurred on 25 December 1915 at the Mandor Isolation Hospital in Aldershot.[21] He was 27 years of age at the time of his death and he was in the hospital awaiting return to France.[22]

Captain Sealey was buried in Abbotsham Churchyard, Devon. Probate of this Will took place in London on 6 February 1916 with his effects of £549, 19s and 6d (approximately $55,000 US in 2024 currency) going to his widow.

For his service during the war, Captain Sealy was awarded the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. These medals were sent to his widow at Cedar Lawn Hospital, North End Road, Hampstead N.W.3 on 11 November 1921.[24]

Figure 9. (Left to right): The 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
(Image from the author’s collection)

In addition to the medals, his widow would have received the Memorial Plaque to commemorate his death as a result of his service in the war.

Figure 10. Captain Sealy’s Memorial Plaque.
(Image courtesy of proxibid.com)

NOTE: The medals shown in Figure 9 above are not those of Captain Sealy. They are presented here for illustrative purposes only. The Memorial Plaque shown in Figure 10 is the one presented to his widow. It was found to be on auction at proxibid.com, Lot 301 in November 2018.

Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers Journal. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1925-1932.

[1] Sealy family tree.

[2] Robert Walpole Sealy Vidal changed his surname from Vidal to Sealy, his family’s original surname, renouncing the name of Vidal following the succession of his father to ownership of the Cornborough estate.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Imperial War Museum.

[5] London Gazette, 26 January 1909.

[6] London Gazette, 23 December 1910.

[7] The Royal Engineers Monthly List, January 1912.

[8] Later Brigadier General, CB, CMG, DSO, Chief Engineer, III Corps in 1917.

[9] Later Brigadier General.

[10] Later, Lieutenant Colonel, DSO.

[11] Later, Brigadier General Norman William Webber, CMG, DSO.

[12] Later, Lieutenant Colonel, DSO and bar.

[13] Later, Lieutenant Colonel, DSO.

[14] Later, Major General.

[15] The Royal Engineers Monthly List, December 1912.

[16] Later, Major General Richard Lawrence Bond, CB, CBE, DSO, MC., deceased 6 December 1983.

[17] Monthly Army List, April 1914.

[18] Medal Index Card.

[19] Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.

[20] Monthly Army List, February 1915.

[21] 1916 Probate Calendar.

[22] Imperial War Museum web site.

[23] It is not known whether this is “Mandor” Hospital referred to in the 1916 Probate Calendar. A search for Mandor Hospital on the Internet did not find any hospital by this name.

[24] Medal Index Card.