“THE VALIANT ONES OF NORFOLK”
COMMEMORATING EDITH CAVELL
AND THOSE AWARDED THE VICTORIA CROSS IN THE GREAT WAR FROM NORFOLK
THE VICTORIA CROSS
The Victoria Cross was introduced as the premier award for gallantry, available for all ranks, to cover actions since the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854; it was allegedly created on the suggestion of Prince Albert, the Prince Consort. The Naval version originally had a navy blue ribbon which continued until the end of the Great War when the same purple ribbon was adopted by all Services. Of the 1354 awards since 1856, 832 have gone to the Army, 107 to the Navy, 31 to the RAF, 10 to the Royal Marines and 4 to civilians. Second bars have been awarded three times. The facility for posthumous awards, made retrospective to 1856, began in 1902 and was confirmed in 1907, while the early practice of forfeitures (eight between 1863 and 1908) was discontinued after the First World War. Each VC is still made by the same London jewellers, Messrs Hancocks (now of Burlington Gardens, London, W1 from the bronze of Chinese cannons captured from the Russians at the siege of Sebastopol (large ingots of which are stored at the Army's Central Ordnance Depot at Donnington). Recommendation for the VC is normally issued by an officer at regimental level, or equivalent, and has to be supported by three witnesses, although this has been waived on occasion. The recommendation is then passed up the military hierarchy until it reaches the Secretary of State for Defence. The recommendation is then laid before the monarch who approves the award with his or her signature. Victoria Cross awards are always promulgated in the London Gazette with the single exception of the award to the American Unknown Soldier in 1921 In the case of a gallant and daring act being performed by a squadron, ship's company or a detached body of men (such as Royal Marines) in which all men are deemed equally brave and deserving of the Victoria Cross then a ballot is drawn. The officers select one officer, the NCOs select one individual and the private soldiers or seamen select two individuals. In all 46 awards have been awarded by ballot with 29 of the awards during the Indian Mutiny. Four further awards were granted to Q Battery, Royal Horse Artillery at Korn Spruit on 31 March 1900 during the Second Boer War. The final ballot awards for the army were the six awards to the Lancashire Fusiliers at W Beach during the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 although three of the awards were not gazetted until 1917. The final seven ballot awards were the only naval ballot awards with three awards to two QShips in 1917 and four awards for the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918. The provision for awards by ballot is still included in the Victoria Cross warrant but there have been no further such awards since 1918
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PREFACE This book is published in the Centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War 1914 – 1918. It is intended as a tribute to all those who endured the horrors of that war and to honour the memory of those awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. While hile the bulk of the book tells the stories of the men, who were awarded the Victoria Cross the story of a very special lady is included. The name of Edith Cavell reverberated around the World. She saved over 200 Allied servicemen from captivity and dilige diligently ntly tended the sick of both sides. She was executed by firing squad on the charge of treason to the German State even though she was English. The previous Christmas there had been a truce in No No-man’s man’s Land with Carols, lighted Christmas trees and Christmas fare shared between Germans, French and British. The murder of Edith was one of the events that ended any chance of that spirit leading to an early end to conflict. Instead the recruiting offices were swamped with potential recruits. Hardly the response Edith would have wanted. Her last recorded words were: were:-This This I would say, standing as I do in view of God and eternity: “I realise that patrioti patriotism sm is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards any one." The nine men represented epresented here, who were awarded the VC, are associated with Norfolk as encompassed by the county boundaries of that time. Not only included are those born in Norfolk but those living there, attending a Norfolk school or who served in the County’s Regiment. Regiment Of the nine recipients two lost their lives in the conflict. Of those returning home more than one had physical and mental scars. Some had difficulty finding work and were traumatized by their experiences. Sadly it is a problem that can still affect those who put their lives on the line. So this book concentrates on the events where they displayed extreme courage rather than the aftermath. AT THE END OF THEIR LIFE THEY SAY OF FIGHTING MEN: THAT OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE THEY JUST FADE AWAY AND THE ROYAL MARINES ARE SAID TO CROSS THE HARBOUR BAR. THEY ONLY DIE IF THEY ARE FORGOTTEN. SO PLEASE READ THEIR STORIES THAT THEY MAY REMEMBERED AND SO LIVE ON IN PEOPLE’S MEMOR MEMORIES.
Compiled by Ted Sparrow
July 2014 “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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CONTENTS ADDISON, William Robert Fountaine VC
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He was Rector of Coltishall with Great He Hautbois in Norfolk from 1938 to 1958.
BURMAN, Wilfred Francis VC
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He moved in 1971 into a Royal British Legion Home in Cromer, Norfolk,
CATOR, Harry VC
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Harry Cator was born at Drayton, Norwich
CAVELL,, Edith Louise
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Born at Swardeston ston and buried at Norwich Cathedral
CROSS, Arthur VC
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He was born in Shipdham, Norfolk
DANIELS, Harry VC
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He was born in Wymondham
DAY, Sidney James VC
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He was born at St. Anne’s Lane, King Street, in the Conesford District of Norwich
EDWARDS, Wilfred VC
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Edwards was born on 16 February 1893 at Norwich.
FLOWERDEW Gordon VC
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He was born in Billingford, Norfolk
SHERWOOD KELLY, John ("Jack") VC CMG DSO
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On the he Staff at Langley School Loddo Loddon pre-war
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ADDISON, William Robert Fountaine VC Rev. William Robert Fountaine Addison VC came from Odiham, Hants. He was educated at Robert May's Grammar School, Odiham, and Salisbury Theological College, and spent some time working in a Canadian logging camp. He was ordained in 19 1913 13 and was appointed curate of St. Edmunds Church, Salisbury. He was Rector of Coltishall with Great Hautbois in Norfolk from 1938 to 1958. On the outbreak of war he volunteered for the Army Chaplain's Department, and was posted to the 13th Division in Mesopotamia (Iraq). Serving as Chaplain of the Forces, 4th Class, he was awarded the VC for his action at Sanna Sanna-i-Yat, Yat, Mesopotamia, on 9 April 1916
MEDALS William Addison was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 3rd August 1917. Medal entitlement of The Reverend William Addison - Army Chaplain's Department
Victoria Cross: 1914-15 15 Star: British War Medal (1914 (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19) 19) + MiD Oakleaf: War Medal (1939-45): King George orge VI Coronation Medal (1937): Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953): Order er of St George (4th Class) ((Russia)
CITATION
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London Gazette, 26 September 1916], Sannaiyat, Mesopotamia (Iraq),, 6 April 1916, 1916 the Reverend (Temporary Chaplain of the Forces, 4th Class), William Robert Fountaine Addison, Army Chaplain's Department. For most conspicuous bravery (Sannaiyat, Mesopotamia).. He carried a wounded man to the “For cover of a trench, and assisted several others to the same cover, after binding up their wounds under heavy rifle and machine gun fire. In addition to these unaided efforts, by his splendid example and utter disregard of personal danger, he encouraged the stretcher stretcher-bearers bearers to go forward under heavy fire and collect the wounded.” POST WAR Following the end of the First World War William Addison remained in the Army Chaplain's Department, serving in several posts in England, in Khartoum, Malta, and with the Shanghai Defence Force. In August 1938 Addison retired from Army service as a chaplain, after serving for more than twenty years, and having lived in twenty twenty-one one different houses. During the Second World War Addison was re-appointed appointed chaplain to the forces in 1939 and deputy assistant chaplain-general chaplain in South Wales. COMMEMORATION William Addison died in St Leonards Leonards-on-Sea, ea, Sussex, on 7 January 1962. On 11 January his funeral took place at St Barnabas's Church, Bexhill Bexhill-on-Sea, Sea, and was buried in Brookwood Cemetery on the same day.
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BURMAN, Wilfred Francis VC William Francis Burman was born at 5 Baker Street in the Stepney district of London on 30th August 1897. He was the son of George & Agnes E. Burman. He attended the Stepney Red Coat School.
Lieutenant General Sir Christopher Wallace in ‘Focus on Courage’ states Burman was: ‘Born in Stepney, while at school he became a Cadet in what is now the City of London and North East Sector Army Cadet Force, affiliated to the Royal Green Jackets. He left school at 14 and enlisted in the Rifle Brigade on 23 March 1915. Posted to the 16th Rifle Brigade. The 16th (Service) Battalion (St Pancras) of the Rifle Brigade was formed in the Borough of St. Pancras on 2 April 1915 by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee. In August 1915 the battalion moved to Hursley Park and came under orders of 117th Brigade in 39th Division. The battalion subsequently moved to Aldershot in November 1915 and on to Witley in same month. On the 8 March 1916 the unit landed at Le Havre.
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William was promoted to sergeant before he was 19. The promotion was made in the field on the 20th April 1916. He was awarded the VC for action at a position called Bulgar Wood during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). Following the German Kaiserschlact Offensive in the spring of 1918 the battalion on the 16 May 1918 was reduced to cadre. 16 August 1918: moved to Abancourt and transferred to 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. 20 September 1918: attached to 197th Brigade in the same Division and on to Lines of Communication. MEDALS
Victoria Cross: 1914 - 15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19): King George VI: Coronation Medal (1937): Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953 CITATION {London Gazette 26 November 1917}. From his citation: "On 20th September, 1917 south-east of Ypres, Belgium, when the advance of his company was held up by machine-gun on at point-blank range, Sergeant Burman shouted to the man next to him to wait a few minutes and going forward to what seems certain death killed the enemy gunner and carried a gun to the company's objective where he used it with great effect. 15 minutes later it was seen that about 40 of the enemy were enfilading the Battalion on the right. Sergeant Burman and two others ran and got behind them, killing six and capturing two officers and 29 other ranks." Burman’s Commanding Officer., in recommending him for the VC, said, "Sergeant Burman is the finest fellow that ever lived, standing only 5 ft 4 in, but with the heart of a lion . . . his courage and fortitude throughout were amazing to see." POST WAR After the war Burman became a chauffeur for the managing director of the Daily Mirror newspaper, holding the job for thirty years, then started his own car-rental business. He retired in 1964 and in 1971 moved into a Royal British Legion Home in Cromer, Norfolk, where he passed away at the age of 77, on the 23rd October 1974. His medals are on display at the Imperial War Museum, London. COMMEMORATED “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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St Faith Crematorium Horsham St Faith Broadland District Norfolk, Norfolk
.
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CATOR, Harry VC Harry Cator was born at Drayton, Norwich, on 24th January 1894 and educated at Drayton School. He was married on 2nd September 1914 and enlisted the following day, going to France on 23rd June 1915. He joined the British Army in September 1914 and arrived on the Western Front in June 1915 already a sergeant in the 7th Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment. In 1916 at the time of the Somme Offensive, He was awarded the Military Medal for bringing back 36 wounded men from no-man’s-land at Hangest Trench near Arras on 9th April 1917. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre (France) on 14th July 1917. Date of Act of Bravery was the 4th October 1917 at Ypres He was wounded on 12th April 1917, both jaws being broken by shrapnel.
MEDALS His Victoria Cross was presented by King George V outside Buckingham Palace on 21st July 1917. His VC medal is in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum Victoria Cross: Military Medal (MM): 1914 - 15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19) + MiD Oakleaf: Defence Medal (193945): War Medal (1939-45): King George VI Coronation Medal (1937): Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953): Croix de Guerre (France)
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CITATION London Gazette 18th December 1917 “For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Whilst consolidating the first line captured system his platoon suffered severe casualties from hostile machine machine-gun gun and rifle fire. In full view of the enemy and under heavy fire Sergeant Cator, with one man, advanced to cross the open to attack the hostile machine gun. The man accompanying him was killed after going a short distance, but Sergeant Cator continued on and picking up a Lewis gun and some drums on his way succeeded in reaching the northern end of the hostile trench. Meanwhile, one of our bombing parties was seen to be held up by a machine gun. Sergeant Cator took up a position from which he sighted this gun and killed the entire team and the officer whose papers he brought in. He continued to hold that end of the trench with the Lewis gun and with such effect that the bombing squad was enabled to work along, the result being that one hundred prisoners and five machine guns were captured”. captured POST WAR After the war he worked as a postman and as a civil servant. WORLD WAR 2 In the Second World War he was commissioned, becoming a Temporary Captain in the 6th Norfolk Battalion Home Guard and was at one time Commandant of a POW camp near Cranwick. He last appears in the Army List in December 1947 1947. COMMEMORATION He died at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on 7th April 1966, being buried at Sprowston Churchyard. A fitting tribute to a real Norfolk hero. Members of Sprowston branch of the Royal British Legion gather around the gravestone of Captain Harry Cator.
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CAVELL, Edith Louise Edith Cavell was born on 4 December 1865[2] in Swardeston, a village near Norwich, where her father was vicar for 45 years. She was the eldest of the four children of the Reverend Frederick and Louisa Sophia Cavell and was taught to always share with the less fortunate, despite her family’s meagre income. She attended the Norwich High School for Girls. After a period as a governess, including for a family in Brussels 1890–1895, she trained as a nurse at the London Hospital under Matron Eva Luckes and worked in various hospitals in England, including Shoreditch Infirmary. In 1907, Cavell was recruited by Dr Antoine Depage to be matron of a newly established nursing school, L'École Belge d’Infirmières Diplômées, (or The Berkendael Medical Institute) on the Rue de la Culture (now Rue Franz Merjay), Ixelles in Brussels. By 1910, "Miss Cavell "felt that the profession of nursing had gained sufficient foothold in Belgium to warrant the publishing of a professional journal," and therefore launched the nursing journal, L'infirmière". A year later, she was a training nurse for three hospitals, 24 schools, and 13 kindergartens in Belgium. When World War I broke out, she was visiting her widowed mother in Norfolk in the East of England. She returned to Brussels where her clinic and nursing school were taken over by the Red Cross.
Nurse Edith Cavell 1865-1915; Brussels (C) IWMQ70204 In the autumn of 1914, after the German occupation of Brussels, Cavell began sheltering British soldiers and funnelling them out of occupied Belgium to neutral Holland. In the following months, an underground organisation developed, allowing her to guide some 200 Allied soldiers to safety, which placed Cavell in violation of German military law. German authorities became “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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increasingly suspicious of the nurse’s actions, which were reinforced by Cavell’s own disregard and outspokenness. She was arrested on 3 August, 1915 and charged with harbouring Allied soldiers. She was held in St Gilles prison for 10 weeks, the last two in solitary confinement, and court-martialled. The British government said they could do nothing to help her. Sir Horace Rowland of the Foreign Office said, “I am afraid that it is likely to go hard with Miss Cavell; I am afraid we are powerless.” The sentiment was echoed by Lord Robert Cecil, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. “Any representation by us”, he advised, “will do her more harm than good.” The United States, which had not yet joined the war, did not agree. Hugh S. Gibson, First Secretary of the American legation at Brussels, made clear to the German government that executing Cavell would further harm their nation’s already damaged reputation. Later, he wrote: “We reminded him (Baron von der Lancken) of the burning of Louvain and the sinking of the Lusitania, and told him that this murder would stir all civilized countries with horror and disgust. Count Harrach broke in at this with the remark that he would rather see Miss Cavell shot than have harm come to one of the humblest German soldiers, and his only regret was that they had not ‘three or four English old women to shoot.’” The German civil governor, Baron von der Lancken, is known to have stated that Cavell should be pardoned because of her complete honesty and because she had helped save so many lives, German as well as Allied soldiers. However, the German military acted quickly to execute Cavell to deny higher authorities the opportunity to consider clemency. She was not arrested for espionage as many were led to believe, but for treason. Of the 27 put on trial, Cavell and four others were condemned to death, among them Philippe Baucq, an architect in his thirties who was also instrumental in the escapes. When in custody, Cavell was asked questions in French, with transcripts made in German. This process gave the inquisitor the opportunity to misinterpret her answers. Although she may have been misrepresented, she made no attempt to defend herself. Cavell was provided with a defender approved by the German military governor. A previous defender, who was chosen for Cavell by her assistant, Elizabeth Wilkins, was ultimately denied by the governor. The night before her execution, she told Reverend H. Stirling Gahan, the Anglican chaplain who had been allowed to see her and to give her Holy Communion, “Patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.”These words are inscribed on her statue in St Martin’s Place, near Trafalgar Square in London. Her final words to the German prison chaplain, Le Seur, were recorded as, “Ask Father Gahan to tell my loved ones later on that my soul, as I believe, is safe, and that I am glad to die for my country.” A recruiting meeting where Edith Cavell’s image is prominently displayed Recruiting offices were swamped with outraged men seeking to enlist. Despite efforts by American minister Brand Whitlock and the Marquis de Villalobar, the “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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Spanish minister to Belgium, on Cavell’s behalf, on 11 October, Baron Von Der Lancken allowed the execution to proceed. Sixteen men, composed of two firing squads, carried out her sentence along with four Belgian men at Tir National shooting range in Schaerbeek, at 6 am on 12 October, 1915. There are conflicting reports of the details of Cavell’s execution. However, according to the eyewitness account of Reverend Le Seur, who attended Cavell in her final hours, eight soldiers fired at Cavell while the other eight executed Philippe Baucq. There is also a dispute over the sentencing imposed under German Military Code. Supposedly, the death penalty equivalent to the offence committed by Cavell was not officially declared until a few hours after her death. With instructions from the Spanish minister, Belgian women immediately buried her body next to St. Gilles Prison. After the war, her body was taken to England for a memorial service at Westminster Abbey and again transferred to Norwich, to finally be laid to rest at Life’s Green.
Picture shows exhumation of Miss Cavell.
The cortege May 1919
Edith Cavell's remains were returned to Britain after the war and a state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey. On 19 May 1919, her body was reburied at the east side of Norwich Cathedral; a graveside service is still held each October. The railway van that conveyed her remains from Dover to London is kept as a memorial on the Kent and East Sussex Railway and is usually open to view at Bodiam railway station. The Cavell Van was used to bring the Unknown Warrior home: it is so-named because it had previously also carried the remains of war heroine Edith Cavell, who had been executed by Germany in 1
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Edith Cavell's funeral in London 1919.The crowds for Miss Cavell's funeral brought parts of London and her home town to a standstill. On the right Edith Cavell's grave · Norwich Cathedral
Schaerbeek Rue Colonel Bourg Enclos des fusillés. Edith Cavell monument at Norwich Cathedral Note There is no evidence that the Red Cross directly employed Edith Cavell. The Clinique, of which she was matron, was a private training school for nurses. However, the Clinique flew Red Cross banners at the outbreak of the War and its founder and employer of Edith Cavell, Dr Depage, was also Director of the Belgian Red Cross. Many of the nurses trained by Edith worked their probationary years in Red Cross ho hospitals. spitals. So Edith was very close to the organisation and will have been aware of its principle of neutrality. While she nursed both German and Allied soldiers, she assisted Allied soldiers to escape on patriotic as well as humanitarian grounds. She has be been en accused of jeopardising the neutral status of the Red Cross by doing this.
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CROSS, Arthur VC, 1884 to1965 He was born in Shipdham, Norfolk, one of five children. He moved to London when aged 15. He was married at 17 and a father by 19. Arthur rthur Cross lived in the Borough of Southwark, outhwark, latterly in Marshalsea Road. He was born in Norfolk. Cross enlisted in the 21st st Battalion (First Surrey Rifles), The London Regiment on 30 May 1916. In 1917, he transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. He was 33 years old, and a lance corporal in the 40th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps, British Army during the First World War when the following ollowing deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 25 March 1918 at Ervillers, France, Lance-Corporal Lance Cross volunteered to make a reconnaissance of the position of two machine machine-guns guns which had been captured by the enemy. With the agreem agreement ent of his sergeant he crept back alone with only a service revolver to what had been his section's trench and was now the enemy's. He surprised seven soldiers who responded by throwing down their rifles. He then marched them carrying the machine guns comp complete lete with the tripods and ammunition to the British lines. He then handed over the prisoners and collected teams for his guns which he brought into action immediately, annihilating a very heavy attack by the enemy. He won his V.C. while serving in the Mach Machine Gun Corps in 1918 MEDALS
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Victoria Cross: Military Medal: British War Medal (1914 (1914-20): 20): Victory Medal (1914-19): (1914 King George VI
Coronation Medal (1937): Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953) Arthur Cross was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 4th September 1918. CITATION London Gazette, 4 June 1918. Ervillers, France, 25 March 1918, Private (A / Lance Corporal) Arthur Henry Cross, 40th Battalion, Machine Gun Corps. "For most conspicuous bravery and in initiative, itiative, Lance Corporal Cross volunteered to make a reconnaissance of the position of two machine guns which had been captured by the enemy. He advanced single handed to the enemy trench and with his revolver forced seven of the enemy to surrender and carry ry the machine guns with their tripods and ammunition to our lines. He then handed over his prisoners, collected items for his guns, which he brought into action with exceptional dash and skill, annihilating a very heavy attack by the enemy. It is impossible le to speak too highly of the extreme gallantry and dash displayed by this NCO who showed throughout four days of operations, supreme devotion to duty” For the award of the Military Medal London Gazette, 29 August 1918. Ervillers, France, Private (Acting Lance ance Corporal) Arthur Henry Cross, 40th Battalion, n, Machine Gun Corps. No citation given WORLD WAR 2 During the war he resided at Shipdham in Norfolk. The Second World War brought Arthur Cross great personal tragedy and sadness as, widowed earlier, he was widowed a second time when his wife and two children were killed during the Blitz in 1941. A service was held on n Thursday, 27th September 2001 to dedicate a special headstone e provided by the MGC Old Comrades Comr Association and friends. The material carefullyy chosen for the headstone comprised green granite with silver lettering. His grave is in Streatham Vale Cemetery n his home village was named after him A road in
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DANIELS, Harry VC MC Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Daniels VC MC (13 December 1884 – 13 December 1953) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces
Harry was the 13th of 16 children born in Wymondham on 13 December 1885, the son of William and Elizabeth Daniels. His mother died when he was just four and shortly after so did his father. Harry along with a brother was placed into care at the Norwich Board of Governors and put into the Boys Home in St Frith's Lane. Nicknamed 'Spitfire', he was somewhat rebellious, running away twice and on the first occasion living off turnips for two days and on the second working as a cabin boy on a fishing smack for two months. He became a carpenter and joiner apprentice but learning that his eldest brother, William, serving in the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards had been killed in South Africa, decided at age 18 to enlist on the 31 January 1903 into the Rifle Brigade. After training he joined the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade and moved with it to India in 1905. Harry spent some time with the band but following a PT course in Lucknow went to duty. He was promoted to Corporal in 1909, Sergeant in 1910 and Colour Sergeant in 1914. He married Kathleen Perry in Calcutta on the 21st January 1914. He won the regimental lightweight and welterweight boxing championships and was considered a star of the battalion’s dramatic club.
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A fellow officer described him thus: 'Looking back forty years I can still remember his cheerful grin on all occasions, however horrible. He was a fine athlete, and in a fight he was everything a young officer could want'. So began the sequence of events that brought Cpl Cecil 'Tommy' Noble and his great friend CSM Harry Daniels to their date with destiny 12 March 1915. OUT BREAK OF WAR August 1914, Stationed in India on the 25 August orders were received to standby for a move back to England. The battalion finally sailed for England on the 20 September. The Battalion war diary records passing through the Suez Canal and finally arriving at Liverpool 23 October 1914 moving by train the same day to Winchester. Here they were met by the Depot staff who gave them refreshments before setting off on the 5 mile march to Hursley Park Camp where they joined the 25th Brigade, part of the 8th Division. On the 5 November only 46 days after leaving India the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade numbering 29 Officers and 983 ORs departed Southampton on board the SS Victoria for France. BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPPELLE General Joffre considered it vital that the Allied Forces should take advantage of their growing strength on the Western Front to relieve German pressure on Russia and if possible to break through in France. Sir John French agreed and pressed the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to adopt an offensive posture after months of defence in sodden trenches. Joffre's plan was to attack the Germans at the extreme points of the bulge they had created into France. BUILD UP TO BATTLE 11th March 1915 - The following extract from the war diary gives some insight as the men prepared for the battle 6 Mar. Coy parades-Rained all morning-Orders given to dispose of surplus kit, move into close billets. 1pm 550 men for a working party on B Lines Casualties: 1 wounded. 7 Mar. Battalion bath day allocated by Division. Fatigue party of 250 men on B Lines Casualties: 1 Killed. Z/1542 Rifleman William Turland. 8 Mar. Before dinner parades under OCs. 2.30 Battalion parade-Attack formations, small working party on assembly trench B Lines laying out tools-ammunition-wire and making bridges. 9 Mar. Parade under OCs. Confidential instructions for attack on Neuve Chapelle issued to Commanding Officers. Battalion paraded 1030pm and marched with Brigade to assembly trenches. A hot meal was provided en route at Croix Barbe. NEUVE CHAPELLE - Landscape of the Battle Neuve Chapelle village lies on the road between Bethune, Fleurbaix and Armentieres, near its junction with the Estaires-La Bassee road. The front lines ran parallel with the BethuneArmentieres road, a little way to the east of the village. Behind the German lines is the Bois de Biez.
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The ground here is flat and cut by many small drainage ditches. A mile ahead of the British was a long ridge-the Aubers Ridge-barely 20 feet higher than the surrounding area but giving the benefit of excellent observation over the area. Some 25 Kms to the south, this flat area is overlooked by the heights of Vimy Ridge. The German lines in the immediate vicinity of the village were very lightly defended. The weather the night before the attack was wet, with light snow, which turned to damp mist on the 10 March. THE BATTLE On the 10th March at 7.30am, 480 guns opened the bombardment which fell on the German trenches and by midmorning the village of Neuve Chapelle had fallen. The Rifle Brigade had set off behind the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshires in four lines of small columns each of ½ platoon strength at 8.35am. By 8.50 had reached the village street and the old, abandoned water-logged trench named Smith-Dorrien was reached by scouts and bombers. The War Diary goes on: "Contact was made with the Indians on the right and the Royal Irish Rifles slightly behind on the left. Orders were given to entrench as the Battalion was on its objectives. A message was sent (by the CO Lt Col Stephens) during the morning to say that very few of the enemy seemed to be to the front and asked for permission to advance. This was denied as the left of the attack was held up (Partly due to insufficient artillery and uncut wire). During the remainder of the day the Battalion suffered casualties to a good number of men from two field guns and a machine gun in front of the wood". On the second day of the battle poor communications, misconceptions and misunderstandings between IV Corps and the Indian Corps as well as the Divisional HQs and units prevented local initiatives for getting into Bois de Biez or onto Aubers Ridge. It also allowed the Germans to reinforce their defences. The Rifle Brigade was due to be relieved by the West York's but this did not happen and casualties mounted. On the third day, 12th March the Germans mounted counter attacks at 5am and again at 9am but these were beaten off. The battalion received orders from Brigade to carry out an attack at midday. The war diary states: 'At 1230pm our leading line advance was immediately met by crossfire of machine guns and rifles from the high wood and from the new enemy trench parallel to the R Des Layes. These trenches are some 400-500 yards from our position. The ground being open plough intersected by dykes. Only a small percentage of our leading line reached the Smith-Dorrien trench, the remainder of the men all killed or wounded. The CO ordered the attack to stop. At 445 PM orders were received to attack again and to rush these trenches regardless of cost. The guns were to bombard until 5.15pm. This did not lessen in any way the amount of rifle and machine gun fire from the enemy'. The D Company assault was impeded by uncut wire and this had to be cut. Harry Daniels and Tom Noble actions are described in VC's of World War One - The Western Front 1915: “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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"The wire had to be cut and instead of picking a number of men for the 'suicidal task' No 9665 CSM Harry Daniels asked his friend No 3697 A/Cpl Reginald 'Tom' Noble, to accompany him as he had on many dangerous night patrols in the past. The two friends, now armed with wire cutters, shook hands before setting out; they managed to cover the few yards to the wire unhurt and, lying on their backs, began to cut the lower wire. This done they raised themselves to sever higher wire and finally to a kneeling position to reach the highest wire. It was then that Daniels was hit in the left thigh and dropped to the ground; after a few minutes he heard Noble gasp. Daniels asked, 'What's up Tom?' to which Noble replied, 'I am hit in the chest, old man'. Daniels managed to roll into a shell hole and applied rudimentary first-aid to his wound; he remained there for four hours before trying to return to the Battalion's trenches after dark when he was seen and picked up by his comrades." Harry was subsequently transferred to Hammersmith Infirmary. Tom was put onto an ambulance train and taken to St Omer but sadly died of his wounds 13 March 1915. He is buried in Longuenesse (St 0mer) Souvenir Cemetery, France, Plot 1 Row A Grave 57. In addition to Tommy's details and the Victoria Cross engraved on the headstone are the words 'In God's keeping, We leave thee dear, Until we meet again'. The Battle of Neuve Chapelle ended on 13 March. The British losses in the four attacking Divisions were 544 Officers and 11108 Other Ranks killed, wounded and missing. The 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade lost 12 Officers and 365 Other Ranks. The Germans losses are estimated at approximately 12000. For further activities on the Western Front he was awarded the Military Cross .MEDALS
Victoria Cross: Military Cross: 1914 - 15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19): His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Green Jackets Museum at Winchester, England. Mess jacket owned by Colonel Harry Daniels VC., MC. Including the original miniature medal set. The jacket with original makers tag and inscribed Captain H. DANIELS CITATION The London Gazette 28th April 1915 "For most conspicuous bravery on the 12th March 1915, at Neuve Chapelle. When their Battalion was impeded in the advance to the attack by wire entanglements, and subjected to a very “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk�
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severe machine gun fire, CSM Daniels and Corporal Noble voluntarily rushed in front and succeeded in cutting the wires. They were both wounded at once, and Corporal Noble has since died of his wounds." POST WAR He remained in the army until 1930 retiring as a Brevet Major only to re re--join in December 1933 to become the Chief Recruiting Officer NW Division (Newcastle) until finally retiring in 1942 as Lt Col. He boxed in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp and after the army became the resident manager of Leeds Grand Theatre. He attended several fun functions ctions for VC winners including the Cenotaph 11 November 1920. Sadly it was at the Queen's Coronation in 1953 that he suffered a heart attack and died on his 69th birthday 13 December 1953. The author of his regimental obituary said 'Daniel's was my CSM in the early part of the FFirst World War Perhaps it would be better to say that I was the subaltern of the Coy of which he was CSM'! 'He was a born leader, gay, light light-hearted hearted and very brave, and terrified me out of my life. At Neuve Chapelle he was iin n his element. Three more unhappy and miserable days I cannot imagine. But Daniels never lost his smile, never down hearted, and the whole time on his toes'. MEMORIALS Various memorials can be found In Norfolk A road is named for him in his home town, Wymondham In Bournemouth In the school hall at St Clements, the boys funded a plaque unveiled by Alderman Druitt on 1 Nov 1915 and to this day the school Remembrance Service centres on it along with the placing of a poppy cross. The RBL Housing Associat Association built a block of flats for use by ex-servicemen servicemen and was opened in June 1979 and names Reginald Noble Court. Tom's name is commemorated in the Towns' Book of Remembrance, the War Memorial in St Clements Church, and a blue plaque is on the house where he lived in Capstone Road. His name is also inscribed on a statue outside the BIC which a former Mayor Cllr Rawlings had commissioned at the end of his year in office during the 1990s and finally a road called Noble Close is situated in Bournemouth.
He was cremated at Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds and his ashes were strewn at Aldershot Officers' Cricket Club.
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DAY, Sidney James VC No 15092 Corporal Sidney James Day, 11th (Service) Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment having previously enlisted in the 9th Sussex Regiment. On recovery from severe wounds, he returned to duty as a corporal with the 11th Battalion (Cambridge Suffolks), The Suffolk Regiment Sidney James Day VC (3 July 1891 – 17 July 1959) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was at St. Anne’s Lane, King Street, in the Conesford District of Norwich on 3 July 1891, youngest of nine boys and one girl: the family
WORLD WAR 1 At the outbreak of war Day originally enlisted in the 9th Sussex Regiment. 9th (Service) Battalion The 9th were a Kitchener Battalion formed at Chichester in September 1914 as part of K3 and came under command of 73rd Brigade in 24th Division. The Battalion moved to South Downs and went into billets in Portslade in December 1914. It moved to Shoreham in April 1915 and on to Woking in June. It landed at Boulogne 1 September 1915. However, after being seriously wounded in four places during the Battle of the Somme, he was invalided back to England, spending several months in hospital near his home. Upon discharge, he returned to duty as a corporal with the 11th Battalion (Cambridge Suffolks), The Suffolk Regiment. The action for which he received the VC was at Malakhoff Farm, Hargicourt on the 24th August 1917. CITATION London Gazette 17 October 1917
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He was awarded the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery, on 26 August 1917. “Corporal Day successfully commanded a bombing section detailed to clear enemy trenches, killing two and taking four prisoners. Where the trench was levelled, he went on alone to contact flanking troops. On his return, a stick-bomb fell into the trench where there were five wounded. He seized the bomb and threw it out, where it exploded harmlessly, saving the lives of the wounded. He completed the clearing of the trench and remained in an advanced position for sixty-four hours under constant fire. His conduct throughout was an inspiration to all” MEDALS
Victoria Cross: 1914-15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19)
Day being presented with his VC
POST WAR Although employed as a butcher in pre-war civilian life, from 1932 Sidney Day is known to have run his own Tea Rooms called the "Sidney James VC Tea Rooms" at 12 The Arcade, Landport which was off Edinburgh Road. The tearooms were opposite the Arcade Picture House. The building was lost to the bombing on January 10th, 1941. After that Day became a messenger in Portsmouth Dockyard but had to retire in 1948 because he developed TB. He was living at 182 Kirby Road, North End at the time but by 1956 he was living in a prefab at 37 Penhale Road, Landport. A year later records show him living at 18 Fraser Road, Bedhampton and from there he was taken to Queen Alexandra's Hospital where he died on 17th July 1959. His wife, Doris, survived him, living until 1982 when on 18th June she died, also in Queen Alexandra Hospital, aged 76. At the time of her death she was living at 43 Thrush Walk, Wecock Farm. She was buried in the same grave as her husband in Milton Cemetery.
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He died in Queen Alexandra's Hospital on 17 July 1959 and is buried in Milton Cemetery, Portsmouth. Location of Grave: Plot R. Row 11: Grave 6. His head stone is shown above.
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EDWARDS, Wilfred VC Edwards was born on 16 February 1893 at Norwich. He moved North at an early age as the 1901 census shows Wilfred C. Edwards born in Norwich but residing in the civil parish of Leeds. It is known he grew up in Leeds. He started out as a tailor's apprentice, but when business fell off he took a job in a colliery. In September 1914 he enlisted, along with ten others from the colliery, in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He was wounded twice, both times recuperating at hospitals in England, before the action that garnered him the VC He was 24 years old, and a private in the 7th Battalion, The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, British Army during the First World War, and was awarded the VC for his actions on 16 August 1917 at Langemarck, Belgium: during the Battle of 3rd Ypres. On that day the 7th KOYLI advanced to capture enemy positions to their front, unfortunately for them, besides trenches, they also contained concrete blockhouses from which the battalion came under heavy machine gun fire. This caused the death or injury of all his company's officers, thereby creating confusion and halting the advance. At this time Private Edwards performed the actions described in the citation below:CITATION London Gaz. 14 September 1917 "when all the company officers were lost, Private Edwards, without hesitation and under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from a strong concrete fort, dashed forward at great personal risk, bombed through the loopholes, surmounted the fort and waved to his company to advance. Three officers and 30 other ranks were taken prisoner by him in the fort. Later he did most valuable work as a runner and eventually guided most of the battalion out through very difficult ground. Throughout he set a splendid example and was utterly regardless of danger." Edwards was commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1917 and was demobilised in June 1919. WORLD WAR 2 He re-enlisted in the army when World War II broke out and rose to the rank of major. “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk�
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MEDALS
Victoria Cross: 1914 - 15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19): King George VI Coronation Medal (1937): Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953)
King George V awarding the Victoria Cross to Private Wilfred Edwards, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. His medals are currently displayed in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum, Doncaster, England.
A view of the bunker near Langemarck similar to the one he attacked COMMEMORATED
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Memorial to 20th Light Division, close to Delville Wood
He died 4th January 1972 at Leeds, West Yorkshire and was buried at Cemetery, Leeds
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FLOWERDEW Gordon VC When the war broke out in September 1914, he enlisted as a private in Lord Strathcona's Horse. He rose quickly through the ranks and was commissioned as an officer in 1916. In January 1918 Flowerdew was given command of C Squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse He was born in Billingford, Norfolk, England and educated at Framlingham College in Suffolk. He migrated to British Columbia, where he took up ranching. He was homesteaded briefly in Queens Bay. MILITARY EXPERIENCE For most of the war, the Canadian Cavalry Brigade was not involved in much direct fighting, because of the static nature of the warfare. However, when the Germans launched Operation Michael and began a rapid advance in the spring of 1918, cavalry again became an important factor. In late March, as the Germans approached Moreuil and threatened to cross the L'Avre River, the last natural barrier before Amiens, the Canadian Cavalry Corps was assigned the task of stopping them. As the Germans began to enter Moreuil Wood from the east, Lieutenant Flowerdew's squadron rode around the wood and approached the Germans' flank from the north. Flowerdew ordered a cavalry charge. Riding into the fire of five infantry companies and an artillery battery, the squadron suffered atrocious casualties (more than half of the men in C Squadron were killed), and Flowerdew himself was fatally wounded. However, the cavalry charge so unnerved the Germans that they were never able to capture Moreuil Wood, and their advance turned into a retreat in early April. His actions in "The Last Great Cavalry Charge" led to the award of the Victoria Cross. MEDALS His posthumously awarded Victoria Cross was donated by his mother to Framlingham College in England. It had been on loan to, and displayed by, the Strathcona Museum from 1990 to 2002. The medal was returned to the college in 2002.
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Victoria Cross: 1914-15 15 Star: British War Medal (1914 (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19) 19) COMMEMORATION
Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron, 1918 by Alfred Munnings It is now in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa
Bois de Mureuil, France, 30 March 1918 1918, Lord Strathcona's Horse, Canadian Expeditionary Force. CITATION
London Gazette, 24 April 1918 Lieutenant Gordon Muriel Flowerdew
“For most conspicuous bravery and dash when in command of a squadron detailed for special services of a very important nature. On reaching his first objective, Lieutenant Flowerdew saw two lines of enemy, each about sixty strong, with machine gun gunss in the centre and flanks; one line being about two hundred yards behind the other. Realizing the critical nature of the operation and how much depended on it, Lieut. Flowerdew ordered a troop under Lieut. Harvey, VC, to dismount and carry out a special movement, ovement, while he led the remaining three troops to the charge. The squadron (less one troop) passed over lines lines,, killing many of the enemy with the sword; and wheeling about galloping on them again. Although the squadron had then lost about 70 per cent of its members, killed and wounded from rifle and machine gun fire directed on it from the front and both flanks, the enemy broke and retired. The survivors of the squadron then established themselves in a position where they were joined, after much hand hand-to-hand and fighting, by Lieut. Harvey's part. Lieut. Flowerdew was dangerously wounded through both thighs during the operation, but continued to cheer his men. There can be no doubt that this officer's great valour was the prime factor in the capture of the position.” Grave He is buried at Namps-au au-Val Cemetery in France located 11 miles south--east of Amiens (plot I, row H. grave 1). “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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In Framlingham College Chapel is the wooden cross from Flowerdew's original grave in France and citations of the three men from Framlingham who were awarded the Victoria Cross: Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew, Major William Hewitt and Captain Augustus Agar.
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SHERWOOD KELLY, John ("Jack") VC CMG DSO
(c) IWMQ 68324 He was born on the 13 January 1880 at Lady Frere, Eastern Cape His mother died when he was 12 and his twin brother was killed falling from a horse when he was 13. His father subsequently married their governess giving him three half-siblings. He was educated in Grahamstown (St. Andrew's College and St Aidan's), King Williamstown (Dale College) and Queenstown Queen's College. At 16 he fought in Matabeleland. In March 1896 when the Ndebele revolted against the authority of the British South Africa Company in what is now Zimbabwe. The Ndebele spiritual leader is credited with fomenting much of the anger that led to this confrontation. He convinced the Ndebele and the Shona that the settlers (almost 4,000 strong by then) were responsible for the drought, locust plagues and the cattle disease rinderpest ravaging the country at the time. The Shona stayed mostly on the defensive. The British immediately sent troops to suppress the Ndebele and the Shona, only it took many months and cost hundreds of lives before the territory would be once again be at peace. Ultimately, Cecil Rhodes showed great courage when he boldly walked unarmed into the Ndebele stronghold in the Matobo Hills and persuaded the impi to lay down their arms, thus bringing the war to a close in October 1896. “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk�
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SECOND BOER WAR
Mafeking relieved 18th May 1900 He joined the Cape Mounted Police and was present at the Relief of Mafeking. He was also serving with the Cape Mounted Police in action in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. SOMALILAND 1902-1903 He joined the Somaliland Burgher Corps fighting the "Mad Mullah" in Somaliland. The Burgher Contingent, consisted of an Afrikaans and English Boer Mounted Infantry Company, (100 men) commanded by Captain W. Bonham DSO. The men brought their own horses and 50% spares for remounts. They were accompanied by a further 400 ponies and 400 mules with saddlery. ZULU INSURRECTION -BAMBATHA REBELLION 1906 In 1906 he took part in the suppression of the Zulu Rebellion
Following the Zulu War friction had grown between the races. The Zulus found more lucrative work in the mines while the Boer farmers were dependent on the Zulu labour to work their farms. By 1905 the situation was becoming serious for both sides of the labour problem. To increase the number of Zulus in the work force the Natal government instituted a £1 poll tax on each male in Zululand. This step increased the financial burden on Black families and thus forced them to earn additional funds When many Zulu chiefs refused to pay the Natal authorities sent out the police to collect the tax. In February 1906 two white police officers were killed in the Richmond district of Natal by armed Zulus -- martial law was proclaimed and the Natal militia was mobilized, from amongst those
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arrested 12 men were executed. At this point Bambatha kaMancinza, one of the chiefs of the Zondi clan emerged as a leader of the rebels. On the night of 4 April Bambatha gathered together his warriors and attacked a police patrol, killing four white men. In Natal a state of emergency was declared and the militia called out again. A force was put together under the command of Colonel Duncan McKenzie On 10 June a final battle was held at Mome George. Bambatha and Sigananda, the leader of the other clan involved, led two separate divisions, and caught too far apart were easily defeated. Bambatha was killed in the battle, Sigananda and his forces surrendered, only to die whilst held for execution. Between 3000 and 4000 Zulus were killed during the rebellion (some fighting on the British side), in addition over 7000 were gaoled and 4000 sentenced to a flogging. The rebellion was only truly put down when Dinuzulu was arrested and sentenced by a specially convened court to four years imprisonment. Amongst the colonial troops only 25 whites were killed during the entire conflict PREWAR Prior to the outbreak of the First World War he was a member of the Territorial Force the fore runner of the TA. There were 2 battalions of the Norfolk Regiment TF local to Norwich: the 1/4th Battalion based in Norwich itself & 1/5th Battalion August 1914: in East Dereham. GALLIPOLI
Both battalions were part of Norfolk and Suffolk Brigade, East Anglian Division at the outbreak of war. May 1915: the formation was re-titled as 163rd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division. 29 July 1915: embarked at Liverpool and moved to Gallipoli via Mudros and landed at Suvla Bay on 10 August 1915. Meanwhile the 1st Battalion Kings Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) had sailed from Avonmouth on 18 March 1915 and landed at Cape Helles on Gallipoli 25 April 1915. The landings had caused very heavy casualties particularly amongst the officers so SHERWOOD-KELLY was re-assigned as a Major (Acting Lieutenant Colonel) with the 1st Battalion The battalion was evacuated to Alexandria on the 8th of January 1916 CITATION DSO He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his exploits in Gallipoli.
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“To be Companion of the Distinguished Service Order: Temporary Major John Sherwood-Kelly, Norfolk Regiment (Service Battalion)” INTERLUDE At this point he appears to have taken leave and married Nellie in April 1916. After 4 days honeymoon he had to return to France and she resumed her women's emergency canteen work. The four-times-wounded Kelly was not a Regular officer but a formidable and experienced commander with a combat record going back to the 1896 Matabele Revolt and on 1 January 1917 was awarded the Companion of St Michael and St George (CMG). SOMME 1916 On the 1st July 1916 the 1st Battalion in 29th Division had as their objective was Y Ravine The 87TH Brigade of the 29th Division in 1916 was involved in the following battle on the Somme: The Battle of Albert, 1 - 13 July 1916 In this opening phase, the British assault broke into and gradually moved beyond the first of the German defensive complexes on the Somme. Success on the first day in the area between Montauban and Mametz led to a redirection of effort to that area, for the initial attack was defeated with huge losses north of Mametz. There was a stiff fight for Trones Wood and costly, hastily planned and piecemeal attacks that eventually took La Boisselle, Contalmaison and Mametz Wood. By the end of the Somme and believing it could not face another sustained assault such as this; the German Army was preparing to make a strategic withdrawal to the prepared Hindenburg Line many miles east.
The memorial to the 29th Division in Newfoundland Park near Beaumont-Hamel, a reminder of the costly attack on this ground on 1 July 1916. 1917 Battles involving the 29th Division In March 1917, the German armies on the Somme carried out a strategic withdrawal known as Operation Alberich. They destroyed everything on the ground that they left: flattening villages, poisoning wells, cutting down trees, blowing craters on roads and crossroads, booby-trapping ruins and dugouts. The withdrawal was to an immensely powerful and shorter line, positioned to take every tactical advantage of ground. The construction of this line - or rather, series of lines - had been spotted by British and French aviators in late 1916. British patrols began to detect the withdrawal of “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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German infantry from the Somme in mid February 1917 and a cautious pursuit began, halted only as the Hindenburg Line itself was approached. CAMBRAI During the summer and autumn of 1917 he commanded 1st Battalion, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was instrumental in the early success achieved during the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November for which he received the Victoria Cross from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 23 January 1918. Kelly was gassed and wounded at various times. The battle involving the 29th Division: the attack was launched at 6.20am on the 20th November. The British Divisions in the front line were, from right to left, the 12th (Eastern), 20th (Light), 6th, 51st (Highland), 62nd (West Riding) and 36th (Ulster). In immediate support was the 29th, and ready to exploit the anticipated breakthrough and sweep round Cambrai were the 1st, 2nd and 5th Cavalry Divisions. The Tank Corps deployed its entire strength of 476 machines, of which more than 350 were armed fighting tanks. They were led by the Tank Corps GOC, Hugh Elles, in a Mk IV tank called 'Hilda'. The attack opened with an intensive predicted-fire barrage on the Hindenburg Line and key points to the rear, which caught the Germans by surprise. Initially, this was followed by the curtain of a creeping barrage behind which the tanks and infantry followed. On the right, the 12th (Eastern) Division moved forward through Bonavis and Lateau Wood, and dug in a defensive flank to allow the cavalry to pass unrestricted, as ordered. On the extreme right of the attack, the 7th Royal Sussex got into Banteux, which had been subjected to gas attack from Livens projectors. "In mid-morning, when it was still misty, the division moved forward and the 87th Brigade in the centre moved northwards towards Marcoing. On reaching Marcoing copse the 2nd SWB had the task of clearing several snipers. The Escaut River was then crossed by a light railway bridge, but when they reached the canal and lock (Ecluse de Bracheux) they came under heavy machine-gun fire from the eastern edge of Masnieres)" “The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers soon arrived at the canal crossing and although the lock bridge crossing had been captured by the SWB, who had then formed up on the opposite side, the enemy now had a machine-gun post set up in a building on the opposite side of the canal, with a clear view of the bridge and prevented them making the crossing. Undeterred, Lt Col J.Sherwood -Kelly, in command of the 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, ran under fire to a tank, which he ordered to fire against the enemy-held building. He then stormed across the lock bridge and captured the enemy position." CASUALTIES The British reported losses of dead, wounded and missing of 44,207 between 20 November and 8 December. Of these, some 6,000 were taken prisoner in the enemy counterstroke on 30 November. Enemy casualties are estimated by the British Official History at approximately 45,000
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RUSSIAN INTERVENTION
The second battalion of the Hampshire Regiment on 19 June 1919 under Kelly's command was part of the North Russia Campaign at Troitsa, a village encampment on the River Dvina and about 180 miles south-east from Archangel as the crow flies. According to the Brigade Operation Report, Kelly's column at Troitsa was successful at first but then withdrew as he considered the position insecure and was having difficulty obtaining ammunition supplies; when ordered to resume the attack, Kelly declined to do so. According to Kelly's account given shortly after to his brigadier, a series of factors accounted for his withdrawal: slow and difficult approach through marshy woods, lack of information about the progress of other columns, stiff resistance by the enemy Bolsheviks, and the danger of encirclement and lack of ammunition. Kelly had a further brush with the Authorities which resulted in his dismissal from the Army for political views expressed by him stemming from the events regarding the failure to carry out a raid involving the use of new variants of gas against the Bolsheviks in the North Russian theatre. As a trial of the new weapon Kelly, who was now in command of a very mixed outfit on the railway front as part of the Vologda Force, was ordered to carry out a raid on the Bolsheviks under cover of a large ground discharge of gas. Kelly objected less to the gas as against the raid itself whose purposes in his view could be achieved by other methods. The gas raid, due on 17 August 1919, never took place. Kelly was then replaced as commanding officer of his unit and sent back to Britain. RETURN TO UK On his arrival back in Britain, Kelly wrote a series of letters to the Daily Express and Sunday Express, both published by Lord Beaverbrook and both opposed to the North Russia Campaign. The first letter appeared on 6 September 1919 in the Daily Express... In response the Government decided to prosecute Kelly; an unusual disciplinary procedure for an officer, rare for one of Kelly's rank, unprecedented for one so well decorated, four times wounded (twice gassed) and nine times mentioned in despatches." Kelly was arrested on 13 October 1919; his court martial took place on 28 October 1919 in Westminster Guildhall on the charge of having written three letters to the press on 5 September, 12 “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk�
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September and 6 October 1919 after his return from Russia. Kelly pleaded guilty to contravention of the King's Regulations which provided that an officer was, "Forbidden to publish in any form whatsoever or communicate, either directly or indirectly, to the Press any military information or his views on any military subject without special authority." Kelly presented a plea in mitigation and various documents to support his case. He concluded, "I plead with you to believe that the action I took was to protect my men's lives against needless sacrifice and to save the country from squandering wealth it could ill afford." POST WAR During the political instability of 1923-24, Jack Kelly stood for the Conservative Party at two general elections for the constituency of Clay Cross in Derbyshire. His controversial and outspoken style struck a chord even among hardened socialist supporters in this largely mining seat. He was defeated in the December 1923 elections by 6,000 votes but had reduced this by half a year later in the election of October 1924. During the election rallies, Kelly again hit the national headlines having thrashed some hecklers at Langwith. His marriage fell apart as he was unable to settle back to a normal life and he was divorced in 1920. In later years, Kelly worked for Bolivia Concessions Limited building roads and railways across Bolivia and went big game hunting in Africa where he contracted malaria. MEDALS
Victoria Cross: Companion, Order of St Michael & St George (CMG) : Distinguished Service Order (DSO) : British South Africa Company Medal (1896) 1 clasp: "Matabeleland 1893": Queen's South Africa Medal (1899-1902): 4 clasps: "Rhodesia" - "Relief of Mafeking": Orange Free State" "Transvaal": King's South Africa Medal (1901-02) 2 clasps: "South Africa 1901" - "South Africa 1902": Africa General Service Medal ( 1902-56) 1 clasp: "Somaliland 1902-04": 1914 - 15 Star: British War Medal (1914-20): Victory Medal (1914-19) + MiD Oak leaf. COMMEMORATION He died on the 18 August 1931 (aged 51) in London
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He was granted a full military funeral and buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England
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SOURCES 1. “THE V.C. AND D.S.O. BOOK: THE VICTORIA CROSS 1856 -1920” 1920” Naval & Military Press 2. The London Gazette 3. Imperial War Museum collection of pictures 4. Commonwealth War Graves Data Bank. 5. 1911 Census, 1901 census 6. The War Graves Photographic Project 7. The Victoria Cross Organization 8. Find a grave memorials 9. The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War Website. 10. Battle of Omdurman - Kitchener's Victory by Kennedy Hickman 11. The Scouting Pages web site 12. Local Newspapers 13. The “HELL FIRE CORNER” website 14. The “Long Long Trail” website 15. The 13 volumes entitled the “Great War” publisher/ authors not given but believed possibly issued by the Daily Mail in the 1920s 16. Library and Archives Ca Canada nada under the reproduction reference number PA-002364 PA 17. In a number of cases the pictures o off medals are not the recipients but of replicas. 18. Memorials and Monuments: PORTSMOUTH 19. African History website 20. Lt Gen Sir Christopher Wallace, published ‘Focus on Cour Courage’ age’ covering the 59 Green Jacket Victorian Cross ‘Winners’
21. A large portion of Harry Daniels VC derives from the Wessex Branch of the WFA article on http://www.wessexwfa.org.uk/articles/localheroes03.htm 22. The divorce proceedings of the Sherwood-Kellys are covered in the Western Argus (Kalgoorlie, WA) TUESDAY 6TH January 1920 page 2 23. The description of the events surrounding Edith Cavell’ Cavell’s trial were provided vided by David Smart http://parachuteregiment http://parachuteregiment-hsf.org/The%20Unknown%20Warrior.htm
PLEASE NOTE that we obtained special dispensation from a number of agencies including the CWGC and the War Graves photographic project regarding copyright on their material used in this book. The IWM have granted a non commercial licence for their material used in this book. This was granted in view of the nature of the book being commemorative rat rather her than published for commercial reasons. (C) NOTE THEIR COPYRIGHT STILL REMAINS ON THIS MATERIAL USED ELSEWHERE. ELSEWHERE “The Valiant Ones of Norfolk”
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