John Hogan (8^th April 1884 to 6^th October 1943)

John was born in Royton which is near this grave. Though awarded the Victoria Cross medal his start in the army wasn’t auspicious. Aged 18 he joined the South Lancashire Regiment but was discharged five weeks after a report said “Not likely to become an efficient soldier.’ Months later he joined the Manchester Regiment and served in South Africa and India. Returning home he became a postman for two years. However when World War One broke out he re-joined the army.

His act of bravery came on Thursday 29^th October 1914 while fighting near Festubert in France. That day the British trench received a surprised stampede by Germans soldiers who took it over. Two British soldiers were taken prisoner. Somehow the 30-year-old John escaped unhurt but didn’t flee. When backup arrived he volunteered to re-take the trench. The likelihood of dying was high but they did it, shooting ten German soldiers (eight died) and making sixteen prisoners surrender. Later that year he was wounded in the face by shrapnel and almost lost an eye. He was evacuated to England three days later to recover in hospital. While on the ward he heard he'd be awarded a Victoria Cross from the matron while he was helping to put up Christmas decorations.

The following January John married a widow Margret Taylor and then the following month a Victoria Cross medal was presented to him by King George V at Buckingham Palace (now on display in Oldham Civic Centre. ) He died at home in Oldham aged 59 and here I am where he was buried. I've visited this grave a few times and sometimes there's nothing on it and other times it's well decorated. There're some other names on the headstone as he was buried in the same grave as his wife and her previous husband.

You don’t see many war graves with “VC” on them. Regarding the medal itself it’s thought John was broke about a year before he died and sold his full medal collection for just £60. However his family said the medals were stolen from his bedside after he died in hospital. Whether sold legitimately or stolen a collector bought the medals in the 1980 for £9,750 and presented them to the Oldham Civic Centre. I did a salute and left.