John Ford Elkington

Elkington returned home after his dismissal; he offered to rejoin the British Army in the ranks but was refused.^{[8]: 10 [21]} He decided instead that he would join the French Foreign Legion and did so by the end of September, enlisting at Paris under his real name.^[2][21] Elkington later recalled that "as I could not serve England I would serve France".^[8]: 10 Because his enlistment caused him to disappear from British society some of his acquaintances thought that he had committed suicide.^[8]: 5 Throughout his Foreign Legion service Elkington carried a copy of Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—".^[2]

Elkington underwent basic training in the Rhône valley, before marching to the front as a 2nd class legionnaire in the 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment to take part in the Second Battle of Artois.^{[2][1][20]: 125} Most of the British members of his unit transferred out at this time to join the British Army, but this option was not open to Elkington. He made a point of avoiding British units in the field, in case he was recognised. This happened on just one occasion when "one day someone shouted my name. I remember I was just about to wash in a stream when a staff motor drove by and an officer waved his hand and called out. But I pretended not to hear and turned away".^[8]: 11 En route to Artois Elkington, growing tired of his rations, dined at the Grand Hotel in Lyons. There he came across Dr David Wheeler, an American surgeon with the French Red Cross who had also enlisted in the legion, who mistook Elkington for a tramp. The pair afterwards became close friends.^[20]: 125

At Artois (also called the Battle of Vimy Ridge) Elkington rallied a section of his unit recovering from a failed attack and led them to rescue a detachment trapped in front of them by French shellfire.^[20]: 125 For this action he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.^[2] A week later, at Souchez, Elkington prevented his platoon from assaulting, as ordered, until he had destroyed a German machine gun position that threatened their attack.^[20]: 126 On 14 July 1915 Elkington was transferred to the 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment.^[1]

Elkington's unit took part in the Second Battle of Champagne with an assault on Navarin Farm near Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus on 28 September 1915. Having crossed two lines of wire and empty trenches into Horeshoe Wood Elkington ran ahead of his section in an attack on the last line of trenches before the farm. He routed a detachment of German troops by throwing grenades but was hit by a hidden machine gun, several bullets smashing his right leg. Wheeler was hit in the calf by the same burst of fire but tended to Elkington, bandaging the leg and giving him a shot of morphine. Wheeler thought Elkington would lose the leg.^[20]: 126 After bandaging his own wound Wheeler fainted on Elkington and the two men lay in a rain-filled trench, some 100 yards (91 m) from the German position, for more than 13 hours until rescued by a passing patrol.^{[8]: 13 [20]: 127 [2]}

Elkington was taken to a hospital at Grenoble in south-east France; he remained there for ten months and had to spend the first eight months lying flat on his back.^[1][18] The French commander-in-chief, General Joseph Joffre, ordered that Elkington receive the Médaille militaire and be mentioned in orders (receiving palm leaves for his Croix de Guerre). These decorations were presented at the hospital by a general.^[1][14] Elkington was also promoted to the rank of corporal.^[1] Wheeler also recovered and remained with the legion until 1917 when he joined the newly arrived American forces; he died four months before the end of the war.^[20]: 128

Elkington's injury caused him difficulty walking (he had to use two sticks) and he was discharged from the legion in July 1916.^{[20]: 127 [1][8]: 6} His actions in the legion had been covered by the British press and Hunter-Weston, by now a corps commander, instigated the process the re-appoint him to the British Army.^[18] Upon returning to Britain in September 1916 Elkington received a hero's welcome and a full pardon from George V.^{[2][20]: 128} He twice met with the king, the second time to be invested into the Distinguished Service Order, to which he was appointed on 28 October 1916 (by which time he had been confirmed in his former rank).^[22][1] Elkington's wounds precluded any further active service but he was re-instated as a lieutenant colonel in the Warwickshire Regiment.^[2][21] Elkington stated "It is wonderful to feel, that once again I have the confidence of my King and my country. I am afraid my career in the field is ended, but I must not complain".^[8]: 7 By contrast Mainwaring never recovered his reputation and died, in obscurity, in 1930.^[10]

Shortly after returning to Britain in 1916 Elkington was painted by William Orpen. Orpen told Elkington's wife: "I do not think I have ever painted a man I admired so much as the Colonel" and exhibited the work at the Royal Academy in London in 1917. The Evening Despatch of 7 May 1917 noted that Orpen's portrait represented "a soldier to the tips of his fingers, but a soldier who has suffered, mentally and physically, and whose manly features bear the traces of his suffering". Orpen gifted the work to Elkington in February 1918.^[1]

Elkington was placed on half-pay on 24 February 1918^[23] and retired on 1 July 1919. In retirement Elkington and his family moved to Burghclere in Hampshire, where he served as a justice of the peace.^[1] For his service in the war Elkington was awarded the Mons Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.^[1] He chose not to wear the medals, stating that "I did nothing of particular note. I was with the others in the trenches".^[20]: 128 Elkington remained in the British Army reserves until 3 February 1921, when he reached the age limit.^[24]

Elkington's youngest son served with the 10th battalion of the Rifle Brigade during the Second World War and was killed in action near Bou Arada, Tunisia on 19 January 1943. Elkington bestowed a stained glass window in his son's honour at the Church of the Ascension in Burghclere.^[1] Elkington died on 27 June 1944, before it could be unveiled.^[21][1] The window, with additional plaques honouring Elkington and his son-in-law Sir Richard de Bacquencourt des Voeux (who was killed while commanding the 156th Parachute Battalion at the Battle of Arnhem on 20 September 1944), was unveiled in May 1946 by Montgomery. Mary Elkington died on 26 May 1956.^[1] Elkington's tunic is held in the collection of the Warwickshire Regiment's Museum.^[20]: 128