Frank de Pass
| Frank Alexander De Pass | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
26 April 1887 Kensington, Middlesex, England |
| Died |
25 November 1914 (aged 27) Festubert, France |
| Buried | Bethune Town Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1906 - 1914 † |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
Royal Horse Artillery 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Frank Alexander de Pass VC (26 April 1887 – 25 November 1914) 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 the first person of the Jewish faith and the first officer of the Indian Army to receive the VC during World War I.
De Pass was born on 26 April 1887 to Eliot and Beatrice of Kensington, London. He attended Rugby School.[1] He was 27 years old, and a Lieutenant in the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 24 November 1914 near Festubert, France. He was killed in battle the next day, 25 November.
Lieutenant de Pass entered a German sap and destroyed a traverse in the face of the enemy's bombs. Subsequently, he rescued, under heavy fire, a wounded man who was lying exposed to enemy bullets in the open. Lieutenant de Pass lost his life in a second attempt to capture the sap, which the enemy had reoccupied.[2] His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.[3]
See also
References
- National Army Museum
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
- ↑ De Pass, Frank Alexander, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- ↑ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1916. p. 1700.
- ↑ National Army Museum
