George Stringer
53°29′20.5″N 2°11′59″W / 53.489028°N 2.19972°W / 53.489028; -2.19972
Mentioned in Despatches
Gold Medal for Bravery (Serbia)
George Stringer VC (24 July 1889 – 22 November 1957) from Miles Platting, Manchester 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.
Early life
Upon leaving school, Stringer worked for a local cloth dyer and bleacher. In 1905, he joined the Lancashire Fusilier Volunteers, a militia unit, and just before the outbreak of World War I he joined a territorial unit of the Manchester Regiment, then went on active duty with the 1st Battalion.[citation needed]
Military career
His unit fought in France until December 1915, then was posted to Mesopotamia in January 1916. He was awarded the VC for heroic actions during the Battle of Es Sinn on 8 March 1916. During the effort to relieve the besieged garrison of British and Indian Army troops at Kut-el-Amara.
His citation in the London Gazette read:
For most conspicuous bravery and determination. After the capture of an enemy position, he was posted on the extreme right of the Battalion in order to guard against any hostile attack. His battalion was subsequently forced back by an enemy counter-attack, but Private Stringer held his ground single-handed and kept back the enemy till all his hand-grenades were expended. His very gallant stand saved the flank of his battalion and rendered a steady withdrawal possible.[1]
Stringer was subsequently Mentioned in Despatches and also awarded the Gold Medal for Bravery by the Kingdom of Serbia.[2][3] He was later wounded, developed enteric fever and jaundice, and was returned to the UK in June 1917.[citation needed]
As a result of his wounds, Stringer was given a disability pension and a job as a doorkeeper with the Manchester Assistance Board which he kept until he retired aged 62, with time out during World War II for a stint as a munitions worker. He died six years later in the town of Oldham and was buried in Philips Park Cemetery, close to William Jones VC.[citation needed]
Stringer's medals are in the collection of the Museum of The Manchester Regiment, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.[4]
See also
- Mesopotamian campaign
- Battle of Ctesiphon
References
- ^ "No. 29695". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 1916. p. 7744.
- ^ "No. 29789". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 October 1916. p. 10052.
- ^ "No. 29945". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 February 1917. p. 1618.
- ^ The Manchester Regiment
Bibliography
- Gliddon, Gerald (2005). The Sideshows. VCs of the First World War. Gloucestershire, England: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-2084-1.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal
- Manchester Regiment Museum
- Jullundur Association
- v
- t
- e
1st generation |
|
---|---|
2nd generation |
|
- Thomas Grady
- Harry Christian
- James Miller
- Jack White
- Tom Fletcher Mayson
- Albert Halton
- Joseph Henry Collin
- James Hewitson
- Thomas Neely
- William Robert Fontaine Addison
- Harry Hampton
- Henry James Knight
- William Edward Heaton
- Joseph Harcourt Tombs
- Edward Felix Baxter
- Arthur Herbert Procter
- David Jones
- Oswald Reid
- Jack Thomas Counter
- James Pitts
- Robert Scott
- James Leach
- John Hogan
- Issy Smith
- William Forshaw
- George Stringer
- George Evans
- Charles Harry Coverdale
- Walter Mills
- Wilfrith Elstob
- Alfred Robert Wilkinson
- James Kirk
- George Stuart Henderson
- John McDermond
- Mark Walker
- John Lucas
- Euston Sartorius
- Spencer Bent
- Henry Edward Kenny
- William Young
- Alfred Victor Smith
- Richard Basil Brandram Jones
- Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson
- Gabriel Coury
- John Readitt
- William Ratcliffe
- John Thomas Davies
- Basil Horsfall
- Marcus Ervine-Andrews
- Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke