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Revision as of 06:01, 4 March 2009 by Ohconfucius (talk | contribs) (reworked lead)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)James Johnson VC (31 December 1889 – 23 March 1943) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was 28 years old, and on 14 October 1918 south west of Wez Macquart, France, performed the act for which he was awarded the VC.
Biography
He was a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers, British Army, attached to 36th Battalion during the First World War
During operations by strong patrols, Second Lieutenant Johnson repelled frequent counter-attacks and for six hours, under heavy fire, he held back the enemy. When at length he was ordered to retire he was the last to leave the advanced position carrying a wounded man. Three times subsequently this officer returned and brought in badly wounded men under intense enemy machine-gun fire.
After World War I, Johnson served in the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland (Alnwick, Northumberland, England).
References
- A D Harvey, "Who Were the Auxiliaries?" Historical Journal 35, no. 3 (1992): 665-69.
- 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)