Legion'd'Honneur

Reading through the list of Legion d'Honneur recipients in the Great War of 1914-1918, I find a name missing, that of Squadron Commander GR Bromet RNAS, first Officer Commanding 8 Squadron RNAS. Bromet was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in May 1917 and was also Mentioned in Dispatches by the French High Command. At the same time, he was also awarded the British DSO.

I also have a question - I have read in many places that a recipient of the Legion d'Honneur was automatically awarded the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Palm to accompany the Legion d'Honneur. Is this correct? I ask because, as Historian of Naval Eight/208 Squadron Association and a Vice-President of the Association, I was honoured to receive from the Bromet estate (he retired as a knighted Air Vice-Marshal and died in 1982) all of the Orders, Decorations and Medals which were awarded to him in his career, but there was no Croix de Guerre among them. I think there should have been - can someone confirm please?
The Bromet medals are now in the safe keeping of the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon.

[Graeme]

The award of the Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur to Bromet was announced in the London Gazette dated 2 June 1917, the citation for his DSO appearing in the same issue.

Every reference book I have read has stated that the award of the Legion d'Honneur for war services was automatically accompanied by the Croix de Guerre avec Palme (the bronze leaf denoting a mention at Army level). I can find no separate award of the Croix de Guerre to Bromet.

Perhaps, for some reason, Bromet received only the higher award or maybe the Croix de Guerre has been lost over the years?

Graeme

This does not answer your question, but does illustrate some curious inconsistencies in respect of awards of the Legion of Honour. Looking at Canadian recipients only, I note the following:

BELL, Captain Gerald Gordon - Legion of Honour, Croix de Chevalier - awarded as per London Gazette dated 10 October 1919. NO CROIX DE GUERRE.

BISHOP, Major William Avery - Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France) PLUS Chevalier, Legion of Honour (France) - both awarded as per London Gazette dated 2 November 1918.

MacKAY, Captain George Chisholm - Chevalier, Legion of Honour (France) - awarded as per London Gazette dated 8 February 1919. NO CROIX DE GUERRE.

MacLAREN, Captain Donald Roderick - Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) PLUS Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France) - both awarded as per London Gazette dated 15 July 1919.

MULOCK, Wing Commander Redford Henry - Chevalier, Legion of Honour (France) - awarded as per London Gazette dated 14 September 1917. NO CROIX DE GUERRE.

SALTER, Captain Ernest James - Chevalier, Legion of Honour (France) - awarded as per London Gazette dated 30 November 1918. FOLLOWED BY: Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France) - awarded as per London Gazette dated 15 July 1919

[Michael]

I've been a medal collector for many years, and while such medals are now well beyond my means, I certainly saw a few of them. Most I saw did not have a Croix de Guerre.

The answer may well lie in the nature of the Croix de Guerre. It is a medal for mention in despatches, with the various palms and stars denoting the level of the mention. If as often happened the French government sent a batch of decorations to the British government for distribution, then there would be no FRENCH "mention" and so no Croix de Guerre. If a French General put a British officer up for the Legion, then there would most likely be a French Mention, and the Croix would doubtless be sent with the Legion as a matter of course.

In 1999 The French government awarded the Legion d'Honneur to all surviving allied veterans of the Great War. Judging by the reports and stories I saw here in Canada, no Croix de Guerres went with them.

Michael

[Graeme]

I've been thinking this one over after having re-read Bromet's DSO citation and cross-checking the conditions under which the Croix de Guerre was awarded vis a vis award of the Legion d'Honneur.

The main stipulation was that the Legion d'Honneur had to have been awarded for valour displayed in the field (or for the person to have received the Medaille Militaire) for the Croix de Guerre to be automatically awarded.

Bromet's DSO was awarded in recognition of his work as a squadron commander rather than for an act of gallantry in the field and presumably, the Legion d'Honneur would have been similarly awarded. That being so, there would not have been a 'mention in despatches' and so no automatic award of the Croix de Guerre.

A tad circumstantial I'll admit, but it's a thought.

Graeme