2nd Lieutenant Donald Simpson Bell VC

Second Lieutenant Bell’s company were attacking an enemy position at Horseshoe Trench on the Somme on 5 July 1916. But they were pinned down by a German machine-gun group firing from the flank. Without waiting for orders, Bell made his way up a communication trench, followed by Corporal Colwill and Private Batey, and rushed across open ground under heavy fire to attack the enemy position. He shot the gunner and threw grenades to knock out the large gun team and disable the gun. He fortunately survived this action but repeated the tactic 5 days later when his luck ran out and he was killed at Contalmaison, on 10 July 1916. The posthumous award of the Victoria Cross was gazetted on 9 Sep 1917.
Donald Simpson Bell was born on 3 Dec 1890, the son of Smith and Annie Bell of Queen’s Road, Harrogate. He was educated at Harrogate Grammar School and Westminster College. He was a talented footballer, playing as an amateur for Crystal Palace and Newcastle United. He took up teaching and worked at Starbeck Council School. He also played professional football for Bradford Park Avenue Association Football Club. In 1913 he played full back against Wolves. He was married to Rhoda Bell. He was the first professional footballer to enlist when war broke out. He was at first in the West Yorkshire Regiment as a private but was soon promoted to lance-corporal and offered a commission in the 9th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment in 1915.
He was buried at Gordon Dump Cemetery after his remains were moved in 1920. There is a memorial to Donald Bell placed on the spot where he died at Contalmaison, now known as Bell’s Redoubt. The memorial was unveiled on 9 July 2000 by General Lord Dannatt, Colonel of the Green Howards. Every year since a service is held there with a special celebration of his life in 2016. A book written by Richard Leake, A Breed Apart, published in 2008, tell the stories of 2nd Lt Bell VC and Captain White VC who were school-friends and officers of the Green Howards. Bells medals were displayed at the Regimental Museum, but in Nov 2010 they were sold at Spink for 252,000 pounds and are now displayed at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

Regimental Details | Soldiers