Sir Brett Mackay Cloutman

The Soldier Who Served Through Two World Wars

Few soldiers served with distinction in both world wars, and fewer still demonstrated such extraordinary courage. Lieutenant-Colonel His Honour Sir Brett Mackay Cloutman, VC, MC, QC, was one of those exceptional British officers whose battlefield bravery and distinguished legal career created a remarkable legacy of military and public service.

Brett Mackay Cloutman was born in Muswell Hill, London, on 7 November 1891. He was educated at Berkhamsted School, Bishop’s Stortford College and the University of London, where he belonged to the Royal Engineers contingent of the Officers’ Training Corps. At the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted as a rifleman in the Rangers, the 12th Battalion, London Regiment. After reaching the rank of lance-corporal, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Kent (Fortress) Engineers, Territorial Force, in March 1915.

Cloutman served on the Western Front and received the British War Medal and Victory Medal. On 30 September 1918, at Banteux, he carried out a personal reconnaissance under heavy machine-gun fire to determine whether the Canal de l’Escaut could be bridged. His conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty earned him the Military Cross.

His most celebrated act of courage occurred on 6 November 1918 at Pont-sur-Sambre. As acting major commanding the 59th Field Company, Royal Engineers, Cloutman reconnoitred the river crossings and discovered that the Quartes Bridge was nearly intact but prepared for demolition. Leaving his party under cover, he advanced alone, swam across the river and cut the leads connecting the German demolition charges. He then returned by the same route while the bridge and its approaches were swept by shells and close-range machine-gun fire.

Although the bridge was subsequently destroyed by other means, its abutments remained intact. Cloutman’s extraordinary action became the last action of the First World War for which the Victoria Cross was awarded. His award was announced in the London Gazette on 31 January 1919.

After the First World War, Cloutman entered the legal profession and was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1926. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to the Royal Engineers and served overseas in Syria, Egypt and Italy. He was Mentioned in Despatches for gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East.

His Second World War entitlement comprised the 1939–1945 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939–1945. His War Medal ribbon carried the bronze oak leaf denoting his Mention in Despatches. He also received the King George VI Coronation Medal in 1937 and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal in 1953.

Cloutman became King’s Counsel in 1946 and was appointed Senior Chairman of the War Pensions tribunals in 1947. He became an Official Referee of the Supreme Court of Judicature in 1948 and served as Senior Official Referee from 1954 until his retirement in 1963. He was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1957 for his judicial service. London Gazette, 1957 Birthday Honours

He also served two terms as Master of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, first in 1939–40 and again in 1965–66.

Sir Brett Cloutman died at his home in Highgate, London, on 15 August 1971, aged 79. After cremation at Golders Green Crematorium, his ashes were interred in the grave of his elder brother, Lieutenant Wolfred Reeve Cloutman, at Norfolk Cemetery, Bécordel-Bécourt, in the Somme.

Sir Brett Cloutman’s life united courage in battle with distinguished service to the law. From the bridges and battlefields of the Western Front to the courts of post-war Britain, he remained defined by duty, determination and public service. His Victoria Cross, Military Cross and extensive campaign-medal group preserve the legacy of a soldier, engineer and judge who served his country across two world wars.