Page 167 - They Also Served

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Michael Ansell 1924.
Michael Picton Ansell was born in the
Curragh, County Kildare in 1905.
His father was killed at the Battle of
Néry in September 1914. Educated at
Wellington College, Mike Ansell was
commissioned from Sandhurst into the
5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards
in 1924. Posted firstly to Bangalore with
his regiment, they returned to England
in 1928. Already a skilled horseman and
polo player, he attended a ten-month
equitation course, where he honed his skills before joining his regiment as adjutant in Aldershot. Responsible for all riding in the regiment, he learned the art of organising and managing crowd-pleasing displays. Ansell put together the musical ride, a display of 32 troopers for major events and the smaller trick ride display, including the spectacular feat of ‘tent pegging’. In 1931, a hand injury forced him to temporarily abandon polo, so Ansell took to showjumping. Quickly adapting to the sport, he was part of the team which won the Nations Cup in America. Posted to the Equitation Centre as an instructor, he played polo in earnest in the late 1930s, including representing the UK in America and India.
Ansell served with his regiment in France during the ‘Phoney War’ of early 1940 before being selected to command the Lothians and Border Yeomanry, becoming the youngest commanding officer in the army at the time. Attached to the 51st Highland Division, the regiment retreated towards Saint-Valéry as the French line collapsed before being surrounded, unable to be evacuated from the port. The division surrendered, and Ansell, along with several of his command, attempted to make their way through the German lines to avoid capture. Hiding in a hayloft, they were attacked by another party of evading soldiers who mistook them for Germans. In the hail of bullets, Ansell was shot in the head and also lost four fingers. He was taken prisoner and, despite the efforts of the Germans who sent him to several specialists, his sight could not be saved.
Repatriated in 1943 and awarded a DSO for his time in command, he was discharged from the army with a full disability pension, attending training at St Dunstan’s
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