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Post by groundhog on Sept 3, 2011 9:11:42 GMT
Guillemont, France
3rd September 1916 The village of Guillemont was captured by 47th Bde of the 16th (Irish) Division, during the Battle of the Somme. The Bde was attached as Divisional reserve to the 20th Division. The previous day it was surmised that the Brigade intended to take Guillemont was too weak to do so and the 47th got the job. Guillemont was of course, a pile of rubble at this stage with German positions dug into the cellars and tunnels connecting them. The approach route to the start line was through Bernafay and Trones woods, the scenes of fierce fighting since July. The bombardment commenced at 8.15 am. The German artillery replied in kind and between this and their own artillery falling short the Irish suffered casualties as they waited to commence the battle. The 6th Bn Connaught Rangers lost 200 men in their own trenches. At noon the bombardment intensified until Zero Hour at 1203. The Rangers quickly took all objectives in the North side of the village, losing their CO, Lt-Col Lenox-Conyngham, in the process. North of the village 7th Bn The Leinster Regt attacked from Guillemont Railway station to the sunken lane east of Guillemont, where they consolidated, in preparation for a German counter-attack. At 1250 the 8th Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers and 6th Bn Royal Irish Regt began their advance, leapfrogging the forward battalions and taking the remainder of the village. The Brigade advanced 2 hours later, to the sound of their pipers, as far as the Ginchy road and Wedge wood. Here they beat off three German attacks that night. Two men of the 47th Brigade, 16th Division won VCs at Guillemont, the first in the division. John Holland John Holland was born in Athy, Co. Kildare on July 19th 1889. On September 3rd 1916 Lt John Holland was a member of 7th Bn Leinster Regiment in the attack on Guillemont on the Somme. Holland commanded a platoon of twenty-six bombers which he led through their own barrage before working their way along the length of the German trench, destroying many enemy positions. They captured over 50 prisoners. Only Holland and 5 of his men survived the assault. Holland was actually ill at the time and was hospitalized shortly after. He survived the war and died in Tasmania on February 27th 1975. Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes was born near Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan on May 30th 1885. On September 3rd 1916 he was a Private in 6th Bn Connaught Rangers in the attack on Guillemont on the Somme. Hughes was wounded in the assault on the village but returned to the line after having his wounds dressed. When his unit came under fire from a German machine gun, Hughes attacked it single-handed, killing the gunner and capturing the crew. He was wounded a second time in this action and was awarde a Victoria Cross. Thomas Hughes died in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan on January 8th 1942. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 8, 2011 16:29:12 GMT
Frederick Maude
Sebastopol, Crimea
5th September 1855 Frederick Maude was born on Lisnadill, Co. Armagh on 20 Dec 1821. On September 5th 1855 he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 3rd Foot and in charge of the covering and ladder party of the 2nd Division in the final assault on the Redan at Sebastopol in the Crimea. His group successfully got into the fortress where they held their position until reduced by casualties to only nine or ten men. Only then, with all hope of support ended, and he himself dangerously wounded did Maude order a withdrawal. He was awarded a Victoria Cross for this action. Maude went on to achieve General rank and a Knighthood. He served in the Second Afghan War and died on 20th June 1897. He is buried in London. A cousin, Col. Francis Maude earned a VC in the Indian Mutiny. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 8, 2011 16:43:27 GMT
John Ryan
Cameron Town, New Zealand
7th September 1863 John Ryan was born in Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary in 1839. On 7th Sept 1863 he was a L/Cpl in the 65th Foot during the Maori Wars. Near Cameron Town he led two privates in rescuing Capt Swift who had been wounded and brought him to cover. Unfortunately Capt Swift's wounds proved fatal and he quickly died. The three men remained hiding in the bush all night surrounded by the Maoris. John Ryan died on 29th December the same year at Tuakau while attempting to rescue a comrade from drowning in the Waikato River. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Alexandra Redoubt Cemetery, Auckland. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 8, 2011 17:07:36 GMT
The Battle of the Redan
8th September 1855 During the Crimean War Sebastapol was besieged by the British and French from October 1854 to 9th September 1855. The city was ringed by a number of fortifications of which No 3 Bastion or The Great Redan was in the centre of the area being attacked by the British on the southern side of the city. In military terminology a redan is a fortification of two parapets at a salient angle. The British made several attempts to capture The Great Redan. The final assault on 8th September 1855 was as unsuccessful as the rest but the French under Gen. MacMahon, succeeded in capturing the Petit Redan and made the defences untenable for the Russians. Three Irishmen won VCs in the final attack on The Great Redan. Daniel Cambridge Daniel Cambridge was born in Carrickfergus on 27 June 1820. He joined the army in Lisburn on 20 June 1839. He was posted as a Driver and Gunner to 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Artillery with whom he served in Malta from 1841 to 1847. He was posted to to Canada in 1848. In June 1854 he was sent to the Crimea. On Sept 8th 1855 Cambridge volunteered to take part in an assault on the Redan during the siege of Sebastopol. As an artilleryman his job would be to spike any captured Russian guns. The assault was unsuccessful and many men were wounded in the attack, including Cambridge. Despite a leg injury he stayed with the assault party and helped in rescuing wounded men from the field. While bringing in an injured comrade, Cambridge was again wounded, this time being shot in the jaw. For hs courage Daniel Cambridge was awarded the Victoria Cross and was one of the men at the inaugural investiture in Hyde Park on 26 June 1857. Cambridge went on to a successful military career, serving for 32 years and rising to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant. He served many years in Athlone and Tarbert before retirement. After his military service he was appointed as a Yeoman of the Guard, one of the British Monarch's ceremonial bodyguards. He died in London on 4 June 1882 and is buried in St Nicholas's Churchyard, Plumstead. John Connors John Connors was born in Listowel, Co. Kerry in October 1830. On Sept 8th 1855 he was a Private in the 3rd Foot during the assault on the Redan, Sebastopol. During the attack he rescued an officer of the 30th Foot from attack by a group of Russians. He was subsequently awarded a Victoria Cross. Cpl John Connors died in Corfu on 29th January 1857. Andrew Moynihan Andrew Moynihan was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire on 1st January 1830, the son of a family from Templemore, Co. Tipperary, On Sept 8th 1855 he was a Sergeant in the 90th Foot during the assault on Sebastopol. He killed five Russians single-handed and rescued a wounded Officer for which he received the Victoria Cross. In 1856 Moynihan was commissioned into the 8th Foot and served in India, rising to the rank of Captain. He died of illness in Malta on May 18th 1867 and is buried in La Braxia Cemetery on the island. His son Berkeley was only two at the time but he went on to study medicine, became a Major General in the army during WW1 and was created Baron Moynihan in 1929. Andrew Moynihan's great great grandson, Lord Moynihan, is currently Chairman of the British Olympic Committee. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 13, 2011 21:30:12 GMT
John Divane
Delhi, India
10th September 1857 John Divane was born in Co. Galway in November 1823. He joined the army in April 1854 and had a less than glorious career, being constantly in trouble with the military authorities. On September 10th 1857 he was serving as a Rifleman with the 60th Rifles at Delhi which was under siege by Indian mutineers. Divane led a charge of loyal Baluchi and Sikh troops on the enemy trenches and was badly wounded in the process. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action. His award was slightly unusual in that he was elected by his comrades to receive it. His wounds brought Divane's military career to an end and he was invalided home in April 1858. His award was Gazetted in January 1860, following which Divane wrote to the War Office wanting to know when he would receive his medal. This letter led to some confusion because while the army called him John Divane, the man himself used the name Duane. It all came good in the end and John received his medal from a grateful Sovereign in Hyde Park on 9th November 1860. Divane died in Penzance, Cornwall on 1st December 1888 and was buried in St Clare's Churchyard. His resting place remained unmarked until 1995 when the Royal Greenjackets erected a headstone over the grave. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 13, 2011 21:47:15 GMT
Patrick Green
Delhi, India
11th September 1857 Patrick Green was born in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway in 1824. On September 11th 1857 he was a Private in the 75th Foot during the Siege of Delhi. He and his comrades were on picquet duty at the Koodsia Bagh when they came under heavy attack from the enemy. In the melee, Green rescued a wounded comrade from the midst of the enemy. He was awarded the Victoria Cross by Gen Colin Campbell in India. Green later rose to the rank of Colour Sergeant. He died in Cork on July 19th 1889 and is buried in Aghada Cemetery. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 14, 2011 9:05:15 GMT
John Moyney
Broembeek, Belgium
12th September 1917 John Moyney was born on the 8th January 1895, in Rathdowney, County Laois. He enlisted in the Leinster Regiment but transferred to the Irish Guards. On the 12th September 1917 he was a Lance-Sergeant in 2nd Bn, Irish Guards in command of 15 men in an outpost in Ney Copse north of Broembeek, Belgium. A German attack drove back neighbouring outposts and Moyney found his position surrounded by the enemy. The Germans were unsure of the Guards position for some time so they held their position for 96 hours, having no water and very little food. By the fifth day they had been spotted and a German company attacked Moyney and his men. As the Germans closed in Moyney fired on them from the flank with a Lewis gun while his men bombarded the Germans with grenades, halting their advance. Moyney then led a charge through the German lines across the Broembeek back to his own lines. Moyney received his VC from King George at Buckingham Palace on March 9th 1918. After the war Moyney went to work for the Great Southern Railway. He died in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary on 10th November 1980, the last of Ireland's Great War VC winners. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 14, 2011 9:07:47 GMT
Richard Kelliher
Lae, New Guinea
13th September 1943 Richard Kelliher was born in Tralee, Co. Kerry on 1st September 1910. He emigrated to Australia in the 1930s and joined the Australian Army on 21st February 1941. He was posted to the Middle East until the entry of the Japanese into the war caused the withdrawal of all Australian troops back to Australia. Kelliher's battalion was sent to New Guinea where they were part of the attack on Japanese troops at Lae in September 1943. On the morning of 13th September Kelliher's section came under fire from a Japanese machine gun positioned on a small rise 50 yards away. Five men were killed immediately and three wounded one of whom was Kelliher's section commander. Kelliher said he was going to help the corporal into cover but instead rushed the machine gun position and silenced it with two grenades. He then went back and got a Bren gun, returned to the Japanese position and finished off the survivors. On the way back the second time he got the corporal back to cover and helped his section retrieve the other wounded. His award of the Victoria Cross was Gazetted in December 1943. Richard Kelliher survived the war and died of a stroke in January 1963 in Melbourne. He is buried in Springvale Cemetery. His Battalion Association purchased his medal in 1966 and presented to the Australian War Memorial. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 14, 2011 9:40:47 GMT
Delhi, India
14th September 1857
Robert Hawthorne Hawthorne was born in Maghera, Co. Derry in 1822. On the 14th September 1857 he was a Bugler in the 52nd Foot and part of a small storming party attacking the Kashmir Gate in the west wall of Delhi. During the attack Lt Salkeld, who was leading the storming party, was badly wounded. Hawthorne came to his rescue under fire and was awarded a Victoria Cross. Robert Hawthorne died in Manchester on 2nd February 1879. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Ardwick Cemetery. His medal is in the Royal Greenjackets Museum in Winchester. James McGuire James McGuire was born in Enniskillen in 1827. On the 14th September 1857 he was a Sergeant in the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers, the antecedent of the Munster Fusiliers. The Fusiliers were part of the assault on the Kabul Gate in Delhi that day. As the battalion was waiting to go forward a pile of ammunition boxes caught fire and some exploded. McGuire, assisted in throwing the blazing boxes into a water filled ditch saving many men from death or serious injury. He was awarded a Victoria Cross. McGuire left the army and returned to Ireland where in 1862 he was convicted of stealing a cow and thus became one of the eight men who forfeited their Victoria Cross and more importantly, the £10 a year pension that came with it. There is some confusion about when and where James McGuire died. Some believe him to be buried in Donagh Cemetery in Derry under the name Donnelly but nobody is quite sure. His VC is on display in the National Army Museum in London. Miles Ryan Miles Ryan was born in Derry around 1827. On the 14th September 1857 he was a Drummer in the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers. He assisted James McGuire in throwing the blazing ammunition boxes into the ditch and was also awarded a Victoria Cross. Ryan stayed in India and died in Bengal in January 1887. His burial site and the location of his VC are unknown. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 23, 2011 9:25:31 GMT
David Lord
Arnhem, Netherlands
19th September 1944 [/b] David Lord was born in Cork on 18th October 1913 the son of Samuel Lord, an NCO in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and his wife Mary. After the Great War the family was posted to India and returned to live in Wrexham in the 1920s. Lord joined the RAF in 1936 and by 1939 was a Sergeant-Pilot. He spent most of the war flying supply missions in India and the Middle East. He was commissioned in 1942 and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943. In 1944 he was posted to 271 Squadron in England training for the D Day landings. In September 1944 he was flying re-supply missins over Arnhem. On the afternoon he was dropping supplies to the 1st Airborne Div at Arnhem. His Dakota was hit twice but, with one engine on fire, Lord completed his drop. Finding two containers still aboard, he returned to drop them and then ordered his crew to bale out while he kept his plane on course. Only the Navigator, Flt/Lt Harold King, managed to bale out before the plane crashed, killing Lord and six others. King became a POW and it was only after the war that his report of Lord's courage led to the award of a Victoria Cross in November 1945. Flt/Lt David Lord and his crew are buried in Osterbeek Cemetery, Holland. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 23, 2011 10:39:02 GMT
The Battle of the Alma
Crimean War
20th September 1854  The Alma Battlefield MemorialA week after the Allied landings in the Crimea they fought their first battle with the Russians on 20th September 1854 in order to force a crossing of the River Alma and continue the advance on Sebastopol. The French and British advanced south to the river which flowed between two ranges of hills. On the southern bank the Russians occupied heights 350 ft high and had placed artillery on two hills, Telegraph Hill and Kourgane Hill overlooking the road to Sebastopol. On Kourgane Hill they had built two redoubts and it was on this hill that the heaviest fighting took place. While the French made a feint attack on th right the British attacked with five infantry divisions in two lines. The Light and 2nd Divisions were in the first line, the 1st and 3rd divisions in the second line while the 4th Division and the Cavalry were in reserve. The attack began with the first line simply advancing up Kourgane Hill and bayonet charging into the Great Redoubt, pushing the Russians back. The Russians immediately counter attacked and forced the British troops out of the redoubt. British artillery halted the Russian counter attack temporarily allowing the Royal Welch Fusiliers to stand and fire back while the 1st Division struggled across the river. As the Scots Guards of the 1st Division advanced on the redoubt the Russians renewed their couter attack, the RWF fled and ran into the Scots Guards. A Russian bayonet charge sent the whole line tumbling back down the hill. Two Russian battalions then advanced through a gap in the British line between the Scots and Grenadier Guards. The Grenadiers changed direction and fired into the flank of the advancing Russians decimating their attack and saving the day for the Allies. The British advanced back up the hill and occupied the Great Redoubt. With the left of the Russian line now broken, the Highland Brigade pushed up the hill on the left of the British line and quickly pushed the Russians off the hills there. They were soon in full retreat and Lord Raglan attempted to order a general advance to rout the enemy. The French commander however refuesd to advance without his men’s packs which they had left behind them and the Russian Army escaped to fight another day. Three Irishmen won Victoria Crosses at The Battle of The Alma. Edward Bell [/b] Edward Bell makes it onto the list of Irish VCs through his Irish mother Mary Anne Chapman who was also a great-aunt of Lawrence of Arabia. Bell was born in England on 18th May 1824. On 20th September 1854 he was a Captain in the 23rd Foot at the Battle of the Alma during the Crimean War when he captured a Russian gun as it was being towed away. He then took command of his battalion, all the senior officers having become casualties. For his bravery he was awarded a Victoria Cross. Bell rose to the rank of Major General and died in Belfast on 10th November 1879 where he was GOC. He is buried in the family vault in St Mary's Churchyard, Kempsey, Worcestershire. His VC is on display in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers Museum in Wales. Luke O'Connor Another RWF VC Winner at the Alma was Sgt Luke O'Connor. He was born in Elphin, Co. Roscommon on 20th January 1831. On 20th September 1854 he was a Sergeant in the 23rd Foot at the Battle of the Alma. As his battalion was advancing the Officer carrying the Regimental Colour was killed and O'Connor, though wounded himself, picked it up and carried it through the battle. Sgt O'Connor was wounded again a year later at the end of the siege of Sebastapol. When the Victoria Cross was instituted in 1856 Sgt Luke O'Connor was one of the 62 inaugural recipients and was in fact the first member of the army to be decorated with it. He was also rewarded with a commission and went on to serve in the Indian Mutiny and the Third Ashanti War. Luke O'Connor rose to the rank of Maj-General and was also Knighted . He died in London on 1st February 1915 and is buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, Kensal Rise, London. His VC is in the RWF Museum in Wales. John Park John Park was born in Derry in 1835. During the Crimean War he was a Sergeant in the 77th Foot. He was awarded a Victoria Cross for a series of courageous acts beginning at the Battle of the Alma on 20th September 1854 and later at Inkerman and Sebastapol. John Park died of sunstroke at Allahabad, India on May 16th 1863. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Allahabad Cemetery. His VC is on display at Newarke Houses Museum, Leicester. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 23, 2011 11:36:53 GMT
Hugh Colvin
Battle of Paschendaele
20th September 1917 Hugh Colvin was born in Burnley to Irish parents on 1st February 1887. He served in the ranks of the 8th Hussars before being commissioned in the 9th Bn, Cheshire Regt in March 1917. On 20th September 1917 during the Battle of Paschendaele he was a 2nd Lt. During an attack all but he and one other officer became casualties. Lt Colvin took command of both companies and led them forward under heavy fire with great success. He single-handedly captured 14 prisoners as well as clearing dug-outs, alone or with only one man, capturing machine-guns, killing some of the enemy and taking a large number of prisoners. For all this he was awarded a Victoria Cross. Hugh Colvin rose to the rank of Major and survived the war. He died in Bangor, Co. Down on 16th September 1962 and is buried in Carnmoney Cemetery, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim. His VC is on display at the Cheshire Regt Museum in Chester. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 24, 2011 19:28:22 GMT
Patrick Mahoney
Mungalwar, India
21st September 1857 [/b] Patrick Mahoney was born in Waterford in 1827. On 21st September 1857 he was a Sergeant in the 1st Madras ( European ) Fusiliers, at Mungalwar during the Indian Mutiny. Attached to the Volunteer Cavalry he distinguished himself in capturing the Regimental Colour of the 1st Regiment Native Infantry and was awarded a Victoria Cross. Sgt Mahoney was killed at Lucknow on 30th October 1857. His burial site is unknown. His VC is on display in the British Library in London. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 24, 2011 19:29:07 GMT
Lucknow, India
25th September 1857 [/b] For a short account of what happened at Lucknow see stmhs.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2&page=5#ixzz24CVhpM1LWilliam Olpherts William Olpherts was born in Dartrey, Co. Armagh on 8th March 1822. On 25th September 1857 he was a Captain in the Bengal Artillery supporting the advance of the 90th Foot into Lucknow. He captured two guns under heavy fire, driving off their crews and then went for the horses and men to tow them away. He was awarded a Victoria Cross. William Olpherts rose to the rank of General and was also Knighted. In addition to his service in the Mutiny he had earlier served in Gwalior, the First Sikh War and the Crimea and afterwards served on the North West Frontier. William Olpherts died in England on 30th April 1902 and he is buried in Richmond Cemetery, Surrey. His VC is on display at the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich. Valentine McMaster [/b] Valentine McMaster was born in Trichinopoly (Tiruchirappalli in modern usage), India on 16th May 1834. His father was from Belfast and his mother from Derry. On 25th September 1857 he was Assistant Surgeon in the 78th Foot during the Relief of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny. On the day in question he rescued several men under enemy fire and was elected by the Regiment to receive the Victoria Cross. McMaster rose to the rank of Surgeon in the 78th. By 1872 he was stationed with them in North Queen Street Barracks in Belfast. He died on 22nd January 1872 and is buried in Belfast City Cemetery. His VC is on display at the War Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle. |
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Post by groundhog on Sept 24, 2011 19:36:57 GMT
Henry Kenny
Loos, France
25th September 1915 [/b] Henry Kenny was born in Hackney, London on 27th July 1888. His parents were from Limerick. He joined the Loyal North Lancashire Regt in 1906 and served for five years. In 1914 he was recalled to the colours on the outbreak of war. On 25th September 1915 during the Battle of Loos Pte Henry Kenny was serving with the 1st Bn The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment at Hulluch. He went out into No Man's Land on six occasions under very heavy fire to rescue wounded men. He was wounded himself bringing in the last wounded soldier. He was presented with his Victoria Cross by King George V on 20th May 1916. Kenny later rose to the rank of Sergeant and lived to the age of 90, dying in Chertsey, Surrey on 6th May 1979. He is buried either in St. John's Cemetery, Woking or at Woking Crematorium. His VC is part of the Ashcroft Collection in the National Army Museum. |
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