dso

i think this is Edward Walter Tywell Beck as i have found a mention to him receiving his award - in the Liverpool Echo in 1916. I cannot find anything else about him though!

Deborah CAMERON Nice work - thanks for investigating!

Cdr Cedric Naylor born 12 June 1891, DSO and 2 Bars,DSC. Served in RNR, transferred to RN with seniority as Lieutenant 19 December 1916 and Lieutenant Commander 19 December 1924. retired as Commander 12 June 1936. Recalled for war service in 1939. Retired with War Service rank of Acting Captain in August 1945. Service record available online.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/download.asp?...

Attended Preston Grammar School.
Served on 'Q' Ships on anti submarine operations. An excellent write up of Cedric's very interesting war can be found at
Preston Grammar School Article
and
HMS Penshurst
Forum discussion on Lt Naylor
Additional pictures


DSC gazetted 16/02/1917.
DSO gazetted 28/08/1917 "For services in action with enemy submarines".
Confirmed Lieutenant (from Temporary Lieutenant) 27/09/1917 for distinguished service in action, with seniority from 19/12/1916.
Bar to DSO gazetted 02/12/1917 "For services in action with enemy submarines".
2nd Bar to DSO gazetted 19/02/1918 "For services in action with enemy submarines".

1939 Master of the Fulham Road Institute

Help piece together the Life Stories of more than 8 million men and women who made a contribution during the First World War at www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/

DSO awarded in New Year Honours (Military) 1 January 1917, published in the London Gazette of 29 December 1916. Promoted from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant on 17 November 1897. London Gazette of 18 January 1898. Promoted to Captain on 10 October 1900 and having been Seconded for Service to the Militia Artillery as an Adjutant from 19 September 1903, he was 'restored to the regular establishment of the RGA on 15th February 1909 - London Gazette of 19 March 1909. Freegift W Van der Kiste married (13 Nov 1900) Evelyn Grace Shipley (1876-1939) of Salisbury, Wilts. They had four sons, one of whom, Wg Cdr Robert Edgar Guy Van der Kiste was a distinguished RAF pilot with Coastal Command in the Second World War - DSO, OBE, and twice Mentioned in Despatches. Other sons were William Reginald Robert Van der Kiste, b. 28 Oct. 1901; Edward Conway Van der Kiste, b.19 Ap. 1903; and John Clement Van der Kiste, b. 1907, who was killed in action in Belgium aged 33 when serving as a Captain with the North Staffordshire Regiment on 28 May 1940. A grandson, John Van der Kiste, son of Guy (above), is a noted historian and writer. Freegift W Van der Kiste married again in 1943.

Freegift, an unusual name.

Unusual, but not unique. There may be a family tradition of using this name - there's a glimpse of a Freegift William Vanderkiste, born 1792 in Cork, Ireland, son of Mark Vanderkiste and Mary Anne Osborne. He is listed as a Freeman of the City of Cork 1710-1841 at www.corkarchives.ie/media/freemen1710-1841.pdf There was also a Freegift Chamberlain (1758-1838) who, though born in London, fought as a Private soldier in the General Newell's Pennsylvania infantry in the American Revolutionary War of 1776. Perhaps there is a family connection. There appear to be strong roots of the Vanderkiste family in Pennsylvania, where the origin of their name might be from Sweden - 'Kiszt'.//

I couldn't find the name Van der Kiste in either Holland or Belgium, so a Dutch adaptation of a Swedish name seems plausible. It often happened to non-Dutch settlers in the Dutch colonies of NE America. In 1655 the Dutch overran the colony of New Sweden (modern PA and NJ) which fell under Dutch colonial administration from then on.

Mr John Van der Kiste, the historian grandson of Lieutenant Colonel Freegift William Van der Kiste, has provided the following details. Freegift was always known as "Bill". He possibly had three siblings. Margaret Elizabeth (b.1876); John Edward; and Robert, - but no dates of birth (or death) for the two latter. The surname, Van der Kiste, is Dutch, apparently a group of them arrived from Holland at about the time of the 1688/9 Glorious or 'bloodless' revolution, and settled in Southern Ireland, establishing themselves in or near Limerick. They were staunch Protestants and when the troubles in Ireland became serious, at about the time of the 1916 Easter Rising, the family came over to England, basing themselves in the Winchester area. To which I can add that during the Great War, John Edward Van der Kiste served in the Royal Marine Artillery. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Marine Artillery in 1899, and a Captain in 1910, being relegated to the Royal Marines Reserve in 1917.//