John
Ormsby (10th January 1881 to 20th
July 1952)
On a run up to
Scarborough for a long weekend I veered off the motorway to find Dewsbury Cemetery
and hover over the brave bones of John Orsmby. He was
a seasoned soldier by the age of 36 when he was fighting in Fayet
in France in the First World War. On 14th April 1917 his troop were trying to clear
a village to capture an important strategic position. Bullets poured in on them
from a hidden machine gun and some of the troop were shot dead before they hit
the soil. By sheer luck John survived and continued to eliminate some snipers. When
he saw the only surviving officer was wounded he took command of the troop and
led them safely across 400 yards of heavy gunfire to a new position (which they
held until help arrived.) Many were prevented from being shot to death.
He was
invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the
30th June 1917. He died at his home in Dewsbury in July 1952 aged 71. At his
funeral the Requiem Mass was held at St Paulinus
Church. Army trucks escorted the coffin to the grave when I’m stood. He’d been
a well-respected citizen around the town and about six hundred people lined the
route to see his last journey. He was given a full military funeral with the
King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry firing three volleys over the grave before
the Last Post and Reveille were played.
There was
nobody in the cemetery (alive anyway) except one man. All those thousands of graves
and he just happened to be tending to a grave nearby. While he was bending over
weeding I took a few photos. The man turned round three times to catch me doing
a few hearty salutes and his brow wrinkled a little. If you can’t do a salute
over a person who’s been awarded a Victoria Cross when can you? Back at the car
I saw the man walk over to read the gravestone. I hope he tells his family
about the brave dude lying there and they go to see him (and do a heart
salute.)
Think I’ll grow a moustache like
that…
Here he is…