William Henry Johnson
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William Henry Johnson (15 October 1890 - 25 April 1945) 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.
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[edit] Details
He was 27 years old, and a sergeant in the 1/5th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 3 October 1918 at Ramicourt, France, when the platoon was held up by a nest of machine-guns at very close range, Sergeant Johnson worked his way forward under heavy fire and single-handed charged the post, bayoneting several gunners and capturing two machine-guns. During the attack he was severely wounded by a bomb, but continued to lead his men forward. Shortly afterwards the line was again held up by machine-guns and again single-handed the sergeant attacked the post, bombing the garrison, putting the guns out of action and capturing the teams.
[edit] The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum (The Castle, Nottingham, England).
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)
[edit] External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Nottinghamshire)
- The Victoria Cross Awards to the Sherwood Foresters (photos, site includes other articles on SF)
- William Henry Johnson on Find-A-Grave
