Arthur Frederick Saunders
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Arthur Frederick Saunders (1878-1947) 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.
He was 36 years old, and a sergeant in the 9th (S) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 26 September 1915 near Loos, France, when his officer had been wounded during the attack, Sergeant Saunders took charge of two machine-guns and a few men and, although severely wounded in the thigh, closely followed the last four charges of another battalion, giving them all possible support. Later, when the remains of the battalion which he had been supporting was forced to retire, he stuck to one of his guns and in spite of his wound, continued to give clear orders. By keeping his gun in action he helped to cover the retirement.
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)
[edit] External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Suffolk)
This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.
