William John English was an Irish 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.

Details

He was 18 years old, and a Lieutenant in the 2nd Scottish Horse during the South African War (Boer War) when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 3 July 1901 at Vlakfontein , South Africa, Lieutenant English was holding a position under attack by the enemy. Two of his men were killed and two wounded, but the position was still held, largely owing to the lieutenant's personal pluck. When the ammunition ran short, he went over to the next party to get more, over 15 yards of open ground, under very heavy fire at a range of 20 to 30 yards.

Further information

He later achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

William John English VC received the Victoria Cross in person from King Edward VII in July 1901. Served in World War I and died on active service in 1941.

The medal

His medal group (including the VC) was bequeathed to Campbell College, Belfast. This was his former school. The medal is not publicly displayed

Reference

• Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
• Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)
• Neil Hutton
• Gavin Bamford (related through marriage)
• Barbara McAnuff (daughter)

See also

The following website has greater detail about ENGLISH VC:

http://www.gavinbamford.utvinternet.com/EnglishVC.htm

External links

This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.