On 30th
November 1917 the 31-year-old John was fighting at Fontaine in France. The
troop had attacked Germans soldiers but, from his position, John saw they were
preparing to counter-attack. With another soldier and on their own initiative
they decided to take a closer look.
In full view
of the enemy and under heavy fire they made their way unscathed to a building
used by the enemy as a night post. From here they could see German troops were
assembling for the attack. Over an hour they watched, sniping the enemy then
returning with information so vital it meant they were fully prepared when the
Germans attacked. King George V presented him with a Victoria Cross in March
1918 at Buckingham Palace.
Recently a five-page
letter John had written in the trenches was found. He told how he thought about
deserting from the army. He was sick of the hell and horror of the Western
Front and he considered walking off towards the German lines to be taken
prisoner so he would not witness any more carnage. Later he told his siblings
they had little idea of the sickening sights soldiers endured in the trenches.
He was lucky to be alive as he penned the letter after a battle in which only 35
soldiers had survived out of 950. He survived the war and died in Stockport in
1954 aged 67.
I had a wander
around the cemetery looking for other wars graves. I read the names and age
(not always there) then do a hatless salute. I’ve been doing this for a few
years and for the second time ever occasioned upon the grave of a female
soldier (died aged 22.)
Recently I
passed this cemetery and went to do a salute for John. I had a stroll around the
cemetery as it was a sunny day and found the headstone of Private Mark Fletcher
who died aged 21 in the Falklands War. This war was the first Britain had been
involved with in my lifetime and I can still remember my mum coming into my
bedroom one morning (to wake me up for college) saying, “they’ve started!”
(meaning the bombing.) Mark was killed during the night advance of Darwin Hill
whilst attending to a Corporal’s wounds. He was found lying beside the Corporal
with a shell dressing open in his hand.
Not by
accident his headstone is back to back with another solider Lance Corporal Clinton
Collins who died in a blast in the conflict in Northern Ireland aged 20. Poor
kids. I wonder what would have become of them had they lived.
About to search for John…
Found him…
Touching the “VC” and there it is on
John’s chest…
Again in 2020...
In the same cemetery lies Private
Mark Fletcher who died in the Falklands conflict…
…and (heads almost touching) the
grave of Clinton Collins who died in Northern Ireland from a blast…
With more war graves…