Oliver Brooks Tales of the V.C.
Article with annotations.
Oliver Brooks VC (31 May 1889 – 25 October 1940) 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.
Born in Paulton, Somerset, he was 26 years old, and a Lance-Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 8 October 1915 near Loos, France, Lance-Sergeant Brooks led a counterattack comprising a party of 'bombers' (Grenade armed soldiers - especially trained and skilled in their use) against German Infantry who had recently captured 200 yards of British trenches. They ejected the enemy so regaining of this lost ground; this was entirely due to the bravery and presence of mind of this NCO who accomplished his task in the midst of a hail of grenade and small arms fire from the enemy.
He later achieved the rank of sergeant.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ), Wellington Barracks, London. The attached account of his actions was written by James Price Lloyd of the Welsh Regiment, who served with Military Intelligence. After the war, the government to destroyed all the archives relating to this propaganda (section MI 7b (1)). They were regarded as being too sensitive to risk being made public. Remarkably these documents have survived in the personal records of Captain Lloyd. Many of these papers are officially stamped, and one can trace the development of many individual articles from the notes based on an idea, to the pencil draft which is then followed by the hand-written submission and the typescript. The archive Tales of the VC comprises 94 individual accounts of the heroism that earned the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. These are recounted deferentially and economically, yet they still manage to move the reader.
Date stamp: 18 February 1918.
CONTRIBUTOR
Jeremy Arter
DATE
1915-09-27
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
2
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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