Victoria Crosses on the Western Front August 1914 - April 1915 Mons to Hill 60

840 Pages·2014·50.68 MB·English

by  Paul Oldfield

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by
Pen & Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright © Paul Oldfield 2014
ISBN 978 1 78303 043 9
eISBN 9781473838390
The right of Paul Oldfield to be identified as the Author of this Work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
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Contents
Master Maps
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Retreat from Mons
Battle of Mons (Master Maps 1 and 4)
1. Lt Maurice Dease, 4 Royal Fusiliers, 23 August 1914, Nimy, Mons, Belgium
2. Pte Sidney Godley, 4 Royal Fusiliers, 23 August 1914, Nimy, Mons, Belgium
3. Cpl Charles Garforth, 15 Hussars, 23 August 1914, Harmignies, Belgium
4. Capt Theodore Wright, 57 Field Company RE, 23 August 1914, Mariette, Belgium
5. LCpl Charles Jarvis, 57 Field Company RE, 23 August 1914, Jemappes, Belgium
Action of Elouges (Master Map 1)
6. Capt Francis Grenfell, 9 Lancers, 24 August 1914, Audregnies, Belgium
7. Maj Ernest Alexander, 119 Battery RFA, 24 August 1914, Elouges, Belgium
Affair of Landrecies (Master Maps 2 and 3)
8. LCpl George Wyatt, 3 Coldstream Guards, 25 August & 1 September 1914, Landrecies & Villers
Cotterets, France Battle of Le Cateau (Master Map 2)
9. Capt Douglas Reynolds, 37 (Howitzer) Battery RFA, 26 August & 9 September 1914, Le Cateau and
Pisserloup, France 10. Dvr Job Drain, 37 (Howitzer) Battery RFA, 26 August 1914, Le Cateau, France
11. Dvr Frederick Luke, 37 (Howitzer) Battery RFA, 26 August 1914, Le Cateau, France
12. Maj Charles Yate, 2 King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 26 August 1914, Le Cateau, France 13. LCpl
Frederick Holmes, 2 King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 26 August 1914, Le Cateau, France Affair
of Néry (Master Map 3)
14. Capt Edward Bradbury, L Battery RHA, 1 September 1914, Néry, France
15. BSM George Dorrell, L Battery RHA, 1 September 1914, Néry, France
16. Sgt David Nelson, L Battery RHA, 1 September 1914, Néry, France
Chapter 2: Battle of the Aisne 1914
Capture of the Aisne Heights (Master Map 4)
17. Pte Ross Tollerton, 1 Cameron Highlanders, 14 September 1914, Chivy, France
17. Pte Ross Tollerton, 1 Cameron Highlanders, 14 September 1914, Chivy, France
18. LCpl William C Fuller, 2 Welsh, 14 September 1914, Chivy, France
19. Bdr Ernest Horlock, 113 Battery RFA, 15 September 1914, Vendresse, France
20. Pte George Wilson, 2 Highland Light Infantry, 14 September 1914, Verneuil, France 21. Capt William
Johnston, 59 Field Company RE, 14 September 1914, Missy-sur-Aisne, France Actions on the Aisne
Heights (Master Map 4)
22. Capt Harry Ranken, RAMC, att’d 1 King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 19-20 September 1914, Bois de la
Bouvette, Soupir, France 23. LCpl Frederick Dobson, 2 Coldstream Guards, 28 September 1914,
Chavonne, Aisne, France Chapter 3: Operations in Flanders 1914
Battle of Armentieres (Master Maps 5 and 6)
24. Pte Henry May, 1 Cameronians, 22 October 1914, La Boutillerie, France
31. Dmr Spencer Bent, 1 East Lancashire, 1-2 November 1914, Near Le Gheer, Belgium
Battle of La Bassee
26. 2Lt James Leach, 2 Manchester, 29 October 1914, La Quinque Rue, near Festubert, France 27. Sgt John
Hogan, 2 Manchester, 29 October 1914, La Quinque Rue, near Festubert, France Chapter 4: First
Battle of Ypres 1914 (Master Map 6)
25. Dmr William Kenny, 2 Gordon Highlanders, 23 October 1914, Near Kruiseke and Zandvoorde,
Belgium 28. Lt James Brooke, 2 Gordon Highlanders, 29 October 1914, Near Gheluvelt, Belgium
29. Lt Arthur Martin-Leake, 5 Field Ambulance RAMC, 29 October – 8 November 1914, Near Zonnebeke,
Belgium 30. Sepoy Khudadad Khan, 129 Baluchis, 31 October 1914, Hollebeke, Belgium
32. Capt John Vallentin, 1 South Staffordshire, 7 November 1914, Zillebeke, Belgium
33. Capt Walter Brodie, 2 Highland Light Infantry, 7 November 1914, Near Becelaere, Belgium 34. Lt John
Dimmer, 2 King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 12 November 1914, Klein Zillebeke, Belgium 35. Bdsm Thomas
Rendle, 1 Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, 20 November 1914, Wulverghem, Belgium Chapter 5:
Winter Operations 1914-1915
Defence of Festubert (Master Map 5)
36. Naik Darwan Singh Negi, 1/39 Garwhal Rifles, 23-24 November 1914, Festubert, France 37. Lt Frank
de Pass, 34 Poona Horse, 24 November 1914, Festubert, France
Attack on Wytschaete (Master Map 6)
38. Pte Henry Robson, 2 Royal Scots, 14 December 1914, Near Wytschaete, Belgium
Operations in Support of the French (Master Map 5)
39. Lt Philip Neame, 15 Field Company RE, 19 December 1914, Near Neuve Chapelle, France 40. Pte
James Mackenzie, 2 Scots Guards, 19 December 1914, Rouges Bancs, France
41. Pte James Smith, 2 Border, 21 December 1914, Rouges Bancs, France
42. Pte Abraham Acton, 2 Border, 21 December 1914, Rouges Bancs, France
43. Lt William Bruce, 59 Scinde Rifles, 19 December 1914, Givenchy, France
Affairs of Cuinchy (Master Map 5)
44. LCpl Michael O’Leary, 1 Irish Guards, 1 February 1915, Cuinchy, France
Chapter 6: Summer Operations 1915
Battle of Neuve Chapelle (Master Map 7)
45. Rfn Gobar Singh Negi, 2/39 Garwhal Rifles, 10 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
46. Pte William Buckingham, 2 Leicestershire, 10-12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France 47. CSM Harry
Daniels, 2 Rifle Brigade, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
48. Cpl Cecil Noble, 2 Rifle Brigade, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
49. Pte Jacob Rivers, 1 Sherwood Foresters, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
50. LCpl Wilfred D Fuller, 1 Grenadier Guards, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
51. Pte Edward Barber, 1 Grenadier Guards, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
52. Cpl William Anderson, 2 Green Howards, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
53. Capt Charles Foss, 2 Bedfordshire, 12 March 1915, Neuve Chapelle, France
Spanbroekmolen (Master Map 6)
54. Lt Cyril Martin, 56 Field Company RE, 12 March 1915, Spanbroekmolen, Belgium
Messines (Master Map 6)
55. Pte Robert Morrow, 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers, 12 April 1915, Near Messines, Belgium Capture of Hill 60
(Master Map 6)
56. Pte Edward Dwyer, 1 East Surrey, 20-21 April 1915, Hill 60, near Ypres, Belgium
57. Lt George Roupell, 1 East Surrey, 20-21 April 1915, Hill 60, near Ypres, Belgium
58. 2Lt Benjamin Geary, 1 East Surrey, 20-21 April 1915, Hill 60, near Ypres, Belgium 59. 2Lt Geoffrey
Woolley, 9 London (Queen Victoria’s Rifles)), 20-21 April 1915, Hill 60, near Ypres, Belgium
Biographies
Sources
Useful Information