ceegee Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 The following is taken primarily from Wikipedia James Welch VC (7 July 1889 – 28 June 1978) was born at Stratfield Saye. He was 27 years old, and a Lance-Corporal in the 1st Battalion, The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 29 April 1917 near Oppy, France, Lance-Corporal Welch entered an enemy trench and killed one man after a severe hand-to-hand struggle. Then, armed only with an empty revolver, he chased four of the enemy across the open and captured them single-handed. He handled his machine-gun with the utmost fearlessness, and more than once went into the open, exposed to heavy fire, to search for and collect ammunition and spare parts in order to keep his guns in action, which he succeeded in doing for over five hours, until wounded by a shell. He later achieved the rank of Sergeant. He died on 28 June 1978 at Bournemouth and was cremated. His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (Salisbury) Museum, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. I believe he was "presented" to the King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth when they visited Sheffield circa 1937. Does anyone know if he had a connection with Sheffield eg lived or worked here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trefcon Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Hi ceegee, he appears on the St Timothy's Roll of Honour, why i dont know. Possibly married a Sheffield lass maybe? Anyone else care for a guess! Dean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceegee Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 With a big thanks to deansgirl and the Great War Forum the following can be added "VCs of the First World War : Arras and Messines 1917 (Gerald Gliddon) says that he lived in Sheffield after the war and worked for a cardboard box company. He moved from Sheffield to Bournemouth in 1960. He served in the RAF Auxiliary Reserve in WW2. So about 40 years living in Sheffield....." Any other information on James would be welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceegee Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 Attachment is from The Times dated 22 October 1937 and refers to the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Sheffield the previous day. The visit was part of their Coronation Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now