“An Outstanding Regimental Officer In Every Way” – Nicolas Sinclair Pope
Among the medal collection of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry collection is the medal set of Nicolas Sinclair Pope.
Nicolas served with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) from 1932 and became one of the regiment’s most well-known personalities, described in his obituary as
‘a splendidly idiosyncratic commanding officer for whom the Battalion came first, and the rest nowhere.‘
During the Second World War, Nic saw service with the 1st Battalion in Africa, Sicily and Italy in 1943 and 1944, and France and Germany in 1945. During the battalion’s time in Sicily, Major Pope’s company had secured the village of Camporotundo. The church bells were ringing for Mass, and Major Pope ordered the Roman Catholics in his company to attend the service. This made the locals very happy, but most importantly gave Major Pope a break to have a smoke and a haircut in the local barber’s shop before moving again!
After the Second World War, Nic served on the Staff in Malaya. During a stretch teaching at the School of Infantry, Nic made his command style very clear to his pupils. He said
‘Be aware that one of your prime tasks will be to shelter your Battalion from the onslaughts of the outside world. If you suffer in the process, then this is a price you may have to pay.‘
He served as an instructor at the Amphibious Warfare School 1951-1952 and returned to the 1st Battalion KOYLI in 1952 for a tour of Dortmund, Berlin and Kenya. He then served as Chief Instructor to the Tactical Wing School of Infantry from 1955-1957.
Nic’s exemplary service did not go unnoticed. He was awarded a Distinguished Service Order in 1946, mentioned in despatches in 1949, and then awarded the OBE in 1950.
As well as being a gifted army officer, Nic was a champion athlete, competing in sprinting, hurdling and other sports. This extract from the regimental journal The Bugle shows him dominating in many different athletics competitions.
Nic remained in the army until his retirement in 1962. However, his connection with the regiment didn’t end there, as he became the regimental secretary, serving in that role from 1962 until his retirement in 1977.
Nic died at Catterick Military Hospital in July 1983, and his funeral was attended by many members of the regiment.
After his death, his comrade Peter St. Clair-Ford wrote
‘Nic was a loyal Regimental Officer and I particularly remember his success as Second-in-Command during the Italian Campaign. He was utterly fearless under all conditions, and was always on hand when wanted. Any success the 1st Battalion KOYLI had in this Campaign were largely due to his sound administrative ability and his flair for improvisation. An outstanding Regimental Officer in every way.‘
The medal set of Nic and hundreds of other soldiers of the KOYLI are available to view at our new KOYLI research and collections centre within City of Doncaster Archives.
Upcoming events:
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Research and Collection Centre Open Day
Second Wednesday of every month, 10am – 4pm
King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Medal Room Tours
Fourth Wednesday of every month, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm
(No session in December due to Christmas break)
Open Days and Medal Room tours are FREE to attend. No booking required!
All images of objects from the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Collection are shared under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), credit to Heritage Doncaster.