9/523 Sergeant Richard Travis VC, DCM, MM, C de G.(Bel.), 6/4/1882-25/7/1918.

Dick Travis was a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a muddy khaki tunic.  To begin his story, literally, he wasn't born Dick Travis.  His parents named him Dickson Cornelius Savage and he grew up on the family farm at Opotiki.  It was a hard upbringing and a healthy one.  Dick left school after Standard Four.

He worked on the family farm, learning all that there was to learn - but his passion was for horses.  Dick became a champion horsebreaker while in his teenage years.  His father's plans were for him to work the farm and eventually inherit it but Dick had other ideas.  Apparently there was an argument between father and son and Dickson moved away from home.

Dickson Cornelius Savage

Two days ride from Opotiki was Gisborne and there Dick found work on another farm.  Word got around that he was a good trainer of horses and people started bringing them to him - the meaner the better.  He worked in the Gisborne area until 1909.

His reasons for leaving Gisborne are mysterious - at least, they might appear to be in the 1966 biography "Travis VC" by James Gasson.  Defence Department records for Travis contain an interesting confidential minute from 1958 referring to the proposed biography and how much access was to be given to the writer.  There is mention of Dick having "got a young woman into trouble" in Gisborne - not the thing for a hero's biography in the New Zealand of the 1950s.

Confidential minute: 28/12/58
"Briefly, the history of Sgt Travis is that he was born under the name of Savage and as a young man apparently quarreled violently with his father and left home.  He then resided in Gisborne for a period where he is thought to have got a young woman into trouble and because of this he moved to Southland and adopted a new name." - Brigadier Leonard Thornton, Adjutant General.


Confidential minute:  4/12/58
"I can't see any reason why this file should not be handed over to Mr Gasson.  A VC holder is a notable figure in the Commonwealth and it is to be expected that after his death the biographer will want to record for posterity the life story and achievements of the VC winner.  Because of the peculiar domestic and private affairs of Travis, possibly some unsavoury incidents may necessarily be mentioned but I don't think that situation can be avoided." F B Dwyer, Army Secretary.

to Gasson, 15/12/58
"The only other condition it is desired to make as to the use of the file is that you submit your manuscript to Brigadier Fairbrother so that he may ensure that the proper discretion has been exercised in the use of material from this file."  - F B Dwyer, Army Secretary.

Dick Travis arrived in Southland at the beginning of 1910 and quickly gained a reputation as a hard worker and champion horsebreaker.  He was a quiet man but one who could be quietly forceful when necessary.  He made a big impression at the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Show of 1912.  There was a prize offered to anyone who could ride an unbroken horse named Wildfire and Travis sat in the saddle of the bucking horse, to the delight of the crowd, until the saddle girth broke.  There were threats of violence from the crowd when the showman refused to pay up.

Dick was working as a general farmhand for Tom Murray at Ryal Bush when he enlisted in the Army, on August 11, 1914.  He joined the lines of the Otago Mounted Rifles at Tahuna Park, Dunedin, and was assigned to the Transport Section. One of his jobs was to break in and train the Regiment's horses and he was happy to do it.  He quickly gained the reputation of being the best horseman in the Rifles.  He left with them from Port Chalmers on September 22nd.  December 2nd saw them at Alexandria, Egypt.

In April of 1915, the Mounted Rifles packed up and embarked for the beaches of Gallipoli.  Dick Travis was not invited to the party and he wasn't happy about it.  He stowed away but the Army was not impressed by his independent spirit.  He was put on fatigues until he could be sent back to Egypt, where he was punished with 14 days CB (Confined to Barracks).

He returned to Gallipoli in October and it was there that he got his first taste of the work which would make him famous - patrolling in no-man's-land, scouting out enemy positions.  When the decision was made and the time came to evacuate Gallipoli, Dick was one of the last of the OMR to leave.  Just as the last of the men were about to leave the trenches, Dick showed up unexpectedly, a jar of Army issue rum under each arm.  Cases of it were being destroyed on the beach, he told his Sergeant.  Sergeant Tapper filled a couple of water bottles against emergencies, filled Dick's with an order to leave it alone until off the beach and poured out the rest.

Four men sat in the dark trench that night, where there had usually been more than a hundred.  In the small hours Major McKenzie, in charge of the evacuation, arrived and the emergency rum was broached.  They drank a toast to the men they were leaving behind in the Turkish soil, then stole quietly down to the beach to join the other rearguard parties.  The only sound was the occasional crack of rifles left behind, fired by home-made timing devices made of cans of water with small holes in them, dripping water down to lower cans attached to the rifle triggers with string.

Back in Egypt, Dick Travis found a friend in an unusual way.  He happened to encounter a British officer being beaten up by some of the Cairo natives.  Dick waded in and was later presented with a visiting card from his grateful rescuee.  On the back was written "Please supply Trooper Travis, NZ Mtd Rifles, with anything he requires and charge to my account."  On the front was the officer's name, preceded by "Lieutenant The Honourable."  The card was worth many a bottle of good whisky for Dick and his mates.

Travis was drafted into the Otago Infantry Regiment during the reorganisation of NZ forces on their way to France.  When the regiment arrived at the Front, he soon got a reputation for patrolling and scouting out beyond the trenches and bringing in prisoners and information about what was on "the other side."  When the "Big Push" - the Battle of the Somme - opened and the Otagos were sent against German trenches, he was in his element, dealing with snipers and winning the Distinguished Conduct Medal.  The Somme battle then became literally stuck in the mud, as rain turned trenches into muddy ditches.

One of the lessons of the Somme battle for the British forces was that organised scouting parties were needed.  This was, of course, Dick Travis' specialty and he was promoted to Sergeant and put in charge of a Snipers and Observers Section.  Six men were put under Travis and they quickly became known as "Travis' Gang."  But they were no group of reckless ruffians.  Travis was a very careful operator in No Man's Land, studying the terrain and enemy positions, planning for every eventuality while "out there" and always able to think and come up with a revised plan when a situation changed.

On November 26, 1916, immediately after the announcement of the award of the DCM to Travis, his unit came out of the Line for a rest and it was time for celebration.  Dick's friend Sergeant Tapper had a case of Army rum that seemed not to be needed by the Army and they put it to good use.  A recently arrived Major wasn't impressed by the noise of the party and complained - "What's all this terrible noise?  I won't have it."

Tapper replied - "Sir, we have a very distinguished ex-member of the Otago Mounted Rifles present and he has just been presented with the DCM so we thought it fitting that we should drink his health.  I think it would be a fine gesture, sir, if you joined us."

The Major was happy to join them and they poured him a good measure of the rum.  Then another.  By the time the Major left he seemed not to notice the noise of the party any more.  It was a good night for Travis and his mates.  Not, apparently, such a good morning after.

Travis was nicknamed "The King of No Man's Land" for his exploits.  He made an offer to his General, Sir Andrew Russell that "I can find you an identification (prisoner) any day you like."  It was no empty boast.  As such a valuable member of the Otagos, he got away with a laxness of uniform that infuriated some officers who saw him for the first time.  He preferred a balaclava helmet to the regulation steel one.  He carried no rifle or bayonet but instead a couple of "officers only" revolvers stuck in his belt, which replaced the regulation canvas web equipment.  One new officer put him under open arrest, to report to him, fully equipped, in ten minutes' time.  Travis appeared in due course, with a muddy set of web gear, a rusty bayonet, a mud-covered helmet and a rifle - a German one.


The new Lieutenant's reaction was predictable.  He was just getting started with a loud flow of words when the Major arrived, not unamused.  Travis was sent off and the Lieutenant was told about Dick Travis, DCM.  As Lieutenant Thomas settled into his role, he and Travis became friends.

As the war continued Travis wrote to a Mrs Tombs, of the Dunedin Patriotic Society, his hostess of the Tahuna Park days of 1914:

"I have had some rough times since I left NZ but have been very lucky, never been sick or wounded, well just a few scratches and they don't count...How are things in general at the early Settlers Hall.  What times we used to have there, if only they would come again.  It all seems like an empty dream, and seems so long, it is just 3 1/2 years now, and it may be years before I am back in NZ.  Of course I am talking, but a fellow's life is not his own 5 minutes, but if Mr Dick does not get pinked over I am going to have a good time at your house, and Mrs Powell will sing to me, and the nice young ladies you had there will play to me, and if we don't have a rare kick up my name is not Dick Travis..."
3/3/18

Not long after that letter was written the German Army's last chance for victory was taken.  The chaos of German infiltration tactics put Dick in his element.  With the failure of their Spring Offensive, the German Army became desperate to hold off the advancing Allies.  Things were becoming worse in every way for them and the cracks were beginning to show in their morale.  On July 24th, 1918, the Otagos had reached a place named Rossignol Wood.  They had driven the Germans back but driven them back to strong defensive lines.  Ahead of the planned Otago attack on those lines went Dick Travis.  He carried two mortar bombs and his objective was a tangle of wire close to the German positions.  He crawled out at 4.30pm, preparing for the attack at 5.  At 4.59 he set off the bombs, blowing the wire blockage.  NZ artillery opened up and the Otago troops charged.  The German troops had been preparing for relief and wearing their packs.  They were having a last meal before moving out and were caught by surprise.

As the Otagos attacked, Travis observed a couple of machine guns to the right.  He charged the guns, taking on the crews with his revolvers.  The Otagos fought along the trench lines with rifle, pistol and grenade.  The opposing Germans managed to block the advance but the damage was done.  Part of what they captured was the Company HQ and its paperwork was duly sent back.  Fourteen minutes was all it took, then German artillery began shelling their lost positions.  In his written report of the action, Travis stated: "Had our party had enough bombs they could have gone to Berlin."  For his actions at Rossignol Wood, Travis was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Next day, German artillery opened up with a heavy barrage at about 8am.  Travis and a 2nd Lieutenant Kerse toured the trenches to make sure the men were all right.  At a bay in one of the trenches they stopped to talk to the men there and a shrapnel shell exploded in their direction.  All the men in the bay were hit, Travis and Kerse were killed.  At 10.15am Dick's body was carried out of the front line to the Battalion Headquarters.  His funeral took place on July 26.  The men of the Otago Infantry Regiment, preceded by a band playing the "Dead March" and a wagon with the two coffins, passed through the village of Couin, whose church bell tolled as they all passed by.  Soldiers at the roadside stood to attention.  Officers saluted.  Heavy rain poured on the Otagos as the funeral rites were performed, then came the traditional three volleys of rifle fire and the bugle playing the Last Post.  The boom of artillery in the background continued.  The Otagos returned through the village with the band playing a faster, lively number while the other troops lining the road cheered them as they passed.  So was marked the end of the reign of the "King of No Man's Land."

In September of 1918, news came to New Zealand of the award of the Victoria Cross to R C Travis.  Newspapers immediately began to call him "King of No Man's Land," "Prince of Scouts," "The Invincible King of the Raiders" and "Rough-house Dick."  Questions about his identity soon arose - some people referred to him as American, as he'd told some people he was from Seattle.  Questions began to be asked - who was Dick Travis?  A returning soldier from Opotiki said he was sure that Travis was really Dickson Savage.

Dick's ID disc, in the possession of his great-nephew Noel Bocket.

Dick's parents had died unaware of his exploits at the War and his next of kin was his sister, who wrote to the Ministry of Defence in the 1930s asking for his medals.  She was told that, according to his will, Dick's medals were presented to his fiancee, Lettie Murray, daughter of his last employer in Ryal Bush.  The medals were never passed on to the Savage family.  They now reside in the Southland Museum and At Gallery.

Travis/Savage in the Auckland War Memorial Museum national roll of honour.

Dunedin Returned Services Association VC Winners' Memeorial, Queens Gardens.

Dick Travis is still very much the adopted son of Ryal Bush, honoured there every Anzac Day.  He is also commemorated by the Dick Travis Memorial Carpark at Brighton, south of Dunedin.  The Karori Rifle Club compete for the Dick Travis VC Trophy every year, the competition taking place at the Trentham rifle range and restricted to the army rifle calibre of .303.

The Travis Memorial Carpark, Brighton.

Citation for the Victoria Cross

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. During "surprise" operations it was necessary to destroy an impassable wire block. Sergeant Travis, regardless of all personal danger, volunteered for this duty. Before zero hour, in broad daylight, and in close proximity to enemy posts, he crawled out and successfully destroyed the block with bombs, thus enabling the attacking parties to pass through. A few minutes later a bombing party of the right of the attack was held up by two enemy machine guns, and the success of the whole operation was in danger. Perceiving this, Sergeant Travis, with great gallantry and utter disregard of danger, rushed the position, killed the crew and captured the guns. An enemy officer and three men immediately rushed at him from a bend in the trench and attempted to retake the guns. These four he killed single-handed, thus allowing the bombing party, on which much depended, to advance. The success of the operation was almost entirely due to the heroic work of this non-commissioned officer, and to the vigour with which he made and used opportunities for inflicting casualties on the enemy. He was killed twenty-four hours later when, under a most intense bombardment prior to an enemy counterattack, he was going from post to post encouraging the men." 

Citation for the Distinguished Conduct Medal

Distinguished Conduct Medal - London Gazette, 25 November 1916, p11563: "For conspicuous gallantry in action. He went out by himself and accounted for several enemy snipers who were firing at a working party. He has on many previous occasions done very fine work." 

Citation for the Military Medal

Military Medal - London Gazette, 13 September 1918, p10779, Rec No 2169: "Operations: On the British Front east of Hebuterne - 14th May 1918. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This N.C.O. commanded a patrol of four men which went out in broad daylight, and captured an enemy machine gun post; although their Battalion was in support these men volunteered to go out and secure identification, which was urgently required. They left our front line trench at about 7.15pm in broad daylight and by skillful use of ground they crept up to the enemy post unobserved, and, disposing themselves very cleverly completely surprised the enemy post of seven Germans. The Officer of the post showed fight and had to be shot; the connections in the post aroused a neighbouring post post who rushed down the sap to the aid of their comrades, firing at the above patrol who were conducting our prisoners to our lines; two of them being shot by their own comrades. The withdrawal was very cleverly covered by Sergeant Travis who fired his revolver until it was emptied. The above was carried out in a most daring manner, and the men concerned showed courage of a very high order, while the scheme was worked out very cleverly in all details. These men were subjected to heavy machine gun fire on withdrawing from the enemy post and were sniped at from all sides. The whole scheme had to be carried out with the utmost despatch, but nevertheless it was a complete success without casualties on our side. This N.C.O. by his excellent patrol work has obtained much valuable information example of courage and devotion to duty."