Richard Annesley West

Richard Annesley West
Born	26 September 1878 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Died	2 September 1918 (aged 39) Courcelles, France
Buried at	Morey Abbey Military Cemetery, Mory
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	Imperial Yeomanry North Irish Horse
Commands held	6th Battalion, Tank Corps
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I
Awards	Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order & bar Military Cross

Richard Annesley West VC DSO & Bar MC (26 September 1878 – 2 September 1918) 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.

Details

He was 39 years old, and an Acting Lieutenant-Colonel in the North Irish Horse, seconded to 6th Battalion, Tank Corps during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 21 August 1918 at Courcelles, France, during an attack, the infantry lost their bearings in dense fog and Lieutenant Colonel West at once collected any men he could find and led them to their objective, in face of heavy machine-gun fire. On 2 September at Vaulx-Vraucourt, he arrived at the front line when the enemy were delivering a local counter-attack. The infantry battalion had suffered heavy officer casualties and realizing the danger if they gave way, and despite the enemy being almost upon them, Colonel West rode up and down in face of certain death, encouraging the men. He fell riddled with bullets. His magnificent bravery at a critical moment so inspired the infantry that the hostile attack was defeated. One of the infantrymen he inspired may have been Roland Shaw.

He is buried at the Morey Abbey Military Cemetery, Mory.^[1]

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Tank Museum, Dorset, England.

References

• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)