Turnbull D C Lt Royal Army Medical Corps
Source : The Sphere 1st May 1915
Turnbull D C Lt Royal Army Medical Corps
TURNBULL, DERWENT CHRISTOPHER, M.B., Lieut., R.A.M.C., 5th s. of William Peverill Turnbull, of Burway House, Church Stretton, co. Salop, late H.M. Divisional Inspector of Schools, by his wife, Fanny, dau. of the late Edwin John Hayes, Town Clerk of Birmingham; b. Stockwell End, Wolverhampton, 28 Aug. 1890; educ. Private Schools, Sheffield, the Sheffield Royal Grammar School, and King Edward’s VII’s School at Sheffield, Giggleswick School, and the University of Sheffield; volunteered in 1914, obtained a commission as Lieut. in the R.A.M.C. Dec. 1914; was for some weeks a medical officer at King George V’s Hospital, Dublin; went to France 15 Feb. 1915; was attd. to 84th Field Ambulance, 28th Division, but on 9 March was lent as a temporary M.O. to the 1st Battn. Cheshire Regt., and died at St. Eloi, 14 March, 1915, having been wounded on the 10th ; unm. He was buried in a burial ground at Ypres.
On the morning of 10 March, 1915, while Lieut. D. C. Turnbull was in his dressing station, a message came that an officer in a trench was bleeding to death. Lieut. Turnbull, with an orderly, volunteered to go to him, and about 10.30 a.m. crossed the danger zone, and reached the trench, which was about 3 ft. deep and half full of water. Lieut. Turnbull attended to the wounded man but, judging some further operation necessary, determined to remove him to the dressing station. Rifle fire, however, prevented this, and the wounded officer and Lieut. Turnbull and the orderly were unable to get away from the trenches for many hours. About 6 p.m. they made an attempt in the course of which the wounded officer received a further wound and Lieut. Turnbull was shot in the lung. Of this he died four days later notwithstanding the utmost efforts made on his behaf by his colleagues, Capt. Bickerton and Lieut. Haynes. The orderly, Private (now Corpl.) J. Needham (1st Cheshires), afterwards received the D.C.M. for his conduct on this occasion. Lieut.-Col. W. Salisbury Sharpe, R.A.M.C., wrote: “I do not know what form official recognition will take, but I can assure you of my personal appreciation that no greater instance of heroic self-sacrifice will be recorded during the war; ” and Capt. R. E. Bickerton, R.A.M.C., “The stretcher-bearers of my section have spoken very, very kindly of him and admired his pluck, saying that he never let them cross a risky part of the road without being there himself.” Lieut. Turnbull was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 31 May [London Gazette, 22 June], 1915, for gallant and distinguished service in the field.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 1