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Oscar Cyril Spencer Watson Tales of the V.C.

Lieutenant Colonel O. Watson D.S.O. of the Yorkshire Regiment attached as commanding officer to Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), was awarded the V.C. for bravery on 28th March 1918 near the villages of Bucquoy and Hebuterne at Rossignol Wood. During this act he was killed. During the March 1918 offensives of the German Army the enemy captured a trench of the 2/5th Battalion KOYLI. The unit then counter-attacked against a now strongly held German position which at first achieved its objective; but after coming themselves under an enemy counter-attack they were forced to hold on in two improvised strong-points. Lieutenant Colonel Watson saw that immediate action was necessary in an attempt to hold them, consequently he led his remaining small reserve in an assault, organising bombing parties and leading attacks under intense fire. They were then outnumbered and in danger of being overwhelmed he finally ordered his men to withdraw, remaining himself in a communication trench to cover the retirement. The assault he led was at a critical moment and without doubt kept the Germans from the British reserve trenches. Unfortunately the C.O. was was killed as he covered his men's withdrawal. This account of Watson's 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: 2 October 1918.
Article with annotations.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Jeremy Arter

DATE

1918-03-28

LANGUAGE

eng

ITEMS

5

INSTITUTION

Europeana 1914-1918

PROGRESS

START DATE
TRANSCRIBERS
CHARACTERS
LOCATIONS
ENRICHMENTS

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METADATA

Source

UGC

Contributor

europeana19141918:agent/8d1d6eb94c917dceb7e8391761cbf75b

Date

1918-03-28

Type

Story

Language

eng
English

Country

Europe

DataProvider

Europeana 1914-1918

Provider

Europeana 1914-1918

DatasetName

2020601_Ag_ErsterWeltkrieg_EU

Begin

1918-03-28

End

1918-03-28

Language

mul

Agent

James Price Lloyd | europeana19141918:agent/7a708291a3d2b453d7457d4b0191f092
Oscar Cyril Spencer Watson | europeana19141918:agent/82e80a1a06ad73f938c86938e3c20849
Jeremy Arter | europeana19141918:agent/8d1d6eb94c917dceb7e8391761cbf75b

Created

2019-09-11T08:33:17.581Z
2020-02-25T08:34:59.092Z
2020-02-25T08:34:59.093Z
2013-05-07 21:08:21 UTC
2013-05-08 14:58:15 UTC
2013-05-08 14:58:32 UTC
2013-05-08 14:58:43 UTC
2013-05-08 14:58:52 UTC
2013-05-08 14:59:04 UTC

Provenance

INTERNET

Record ID

/2020601/https___1914_1918_europeana_eu_contributions_5461

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John Spencer Dunville Tales of the V.C.

4 Items

Article with annotations. || 2nd Lieut. J. Dunville, Royal Dragoons, was awarded the V.C. for bravery. He was aged 21 and a Second Lieutenant in the 1st Royal Dragoons, British Army during the First World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 24/25 June 1917 near Epehy, France. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery. When in charge of a party consisting of Scouts and Royal Engineers engaged in the demolition of the enemy's wire, this officer displayed great gallantry and disregard of all personal danger. In order to ensure the absolute success of the work entrusted to him, 2nd Lt. Dunville placed himself between the N.C.O. of the Royal Engineers and the enemy's fire, and thus protected, this N.C.O. was enabled to complete a work of great importance. 2nd Lt. Dunville, although severely wounded, continued to direct his men in the wire-cutting and general operations until the raid was successfully completed, thereby setting a magnificent example of courage, determination and devotion to duty, to all ranks under his command. This gallant officer has since succumbed to his wounds.Second Lieutenant John Spencer Dunville died of wounds on 26 June 1917, the day after performing the deed, and is interred at the Villiers-Faucon Communal Cemetery, Somme, France, (Plot No. A21). 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: 12 January 1918.

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Bernard Cyril Freyberg Tales of the V.C.

17 Items

Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg VC GCMG KCB KBE DSO*** KStJ (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963), , Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, was awarded the V.C. for bravery at the village of Beaucourt, during the Battle of the Somme. Freyberg, a New Zealander, was in command of Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Division. Previously he had fought in the Mexican civil war, and earlier in the First World War he had been wounded at Antwerp, Belgium, and swum ashore during landing at Gallipoli when he was awarded the D.S.O.was a British-born New Zealand Victoria Cross recipient and soldier who later served as the seventh Governor-General of New Zealand. A veteran of the Mexican Revolution, he became an officer in the British Army during the First World War. Freyberg took part in the beach landings during the Gallipoli Campaign and was the youngest general in the British Army during the First World War, later serving on the Western Front where he was decorated with the Victoria Cross and three DSOs, making him one of the most highly decorated British Empire officers of the First World War. He liked to be in the thick of action — Churchill called him he Salamander due to his ability to pass through fire unharmed. 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: 28 March 1918 and URGENT. || Article with annotations.

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Colin Barron Tales of the V.C.

5 Items

Article with annotations. || Colin Fraser Barron VC (20 September 1893 – 15 August 1958) was a Canadian 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. Although was born in Baldavie, Boyndie, Banffshire, Scotland,he immigrated to Canada in 1910 and then enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. Barron was 24 years old, and a Corporal in the 3rd (Toronto) Battalion, CEF during the First World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 6 November 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele, Belgium, when his unit was held up by three machine-guns, Corporal Barron opened fire on them at point-blank range, rushed the guns, killed four of the crew and captured the remainder. He then turned one of the captured guns on the retiring enemy, causing severe casualties. This action produced far-reaching results and enabled the advance to continue. 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: 31 January 1918.

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