Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke
Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke | |
---|---|
Born | 8 June 1919 Southport, Lancashire, England |
Died | 23 April 1943 (aged 23) Guiriat El Atach, French Tunisia |
Buried | Massicault War Cemetery |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1941–1943 |
Rank | Lieutenant |
Service number | 86517 |
Unit | Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) |
Battles/wars | World War II † |
Awards | Victoria Cross |
Relations | Peter Sandys-Clarke (grandson) |
Lieutenant Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke VC (8 June 1919 – 23 April 1943) was a British Army officer and 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.
Background
He was born in Southport,[1] and was educated at Uppingham School. He married Dorothy Irene Deakin at the United Reformed Church in Belmont, Lancashire in 1941,[2] and they lived in Egerton, near Bolton.
Details
Sandys-Clarke was a 23-year-old lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), British Army during the Second World War when he was awarded the VC.
On 23 April 1943 at Guiriat El Atach, Tunisia, Lieutenant Clarke's company was counter-attacked and almost wiped out, he being the sole remaining officer. Although wounded in the head, he gathered a composite platoon together and advancing to attack the position again met heavy fire from a machine-gun post. He manoeuvred his men to give covering fire and then tackled the post single-handed, killing or capturing the crew and knocking out the gun. He dealt similarly with two other posts and then led his platoon to the objective, but was killed when he later went forward to tackle two sniper posts single-handed.[3]
Further information
Sandys-Clarke was related to four other recipients of the award:
- Gen. Walter Congreve (Colenso)
- Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (Khudaganj)
- Lt. Frederick Roberts (Colenso)
- Maj. William Congreve (Somme)
The medal is retained by his family and is not on public display.
References
- ^ "Birth Index entry: Clarke, Wilward A. S." FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 April 2011..
- ^ Lancashire BMD. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- ^ "No. 36071". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 June 1943. p. 2937.
Bibliography
- John, Laffin (1997). British VCs of World War 2: A Study in Heroism. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-1026-7.
External links
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission for Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke
- Willward Alexander Sandys-Clarke at Find a Grave
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1st generation |
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2nd generation |
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- 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