Irish VC Recipients

[jembo]

James William AdamsBorn 24 November 1839
Cork, Ireland
Died 24 October 1903 (aged 63)
Ashwell, Rutland
Buried at Ashwell Churchyard, Rutland
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Bengal Ecclesiastical Department
Rank Chaplain
Battles/wars Second Anglo-Afghan War
Awards Victoria Cross
Other work Honorary Chaplain to King Edward VII

James William Adams VC (24 November 1839 – 24 October 1903) was born in Cork and was an Irish 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 clergyman to be awarded the VC and one of only five civilians.

DetailsReverend James William Adams was 40 years old, and a chaplain in the Bengal Ecclesiastical Department (serving as chaplain to the Kabul Field Force), British Indian Army during the Second Afghan War when on 11 December 1879 he carried out the actions for which he was awarded the VC. The citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette of 24 August 1881 (dated 26 August 1881) and read:

War Office, August 24, 1881.
THE Queen having been graciously pleased, by Warrant under Her Royal Sign Manual, bearing date the 6th of August, 1881, to direct that the decoration of the Victoria Cross shall be conferred on Members of the Indian Ecclesiastical Establishments who may be qualified to receive the same, in accordance with the rules and ordinances made and ordained for the government thereof, provided that it be established in any case that the person was serving under the orders of a General or other Officer in command of Troops in the Field when he performed the act of bravery for which it is proposed to confer the decoration :—

Her Majesty has accordingly been pleased to signify Her intention to confer this high distinction on the undermentioned gentleman, whose claim to the same has been submitted for Her Majesty's approval on account of his conspicuous bravery in Afghanistan as recorded against his name, Bengal Ecclesiastical Establishment, late Chaplain to the Kabul Field Force, The Reverend J. W. Adams

During the action at Killa Kazi, on the 11th December, 1879, some men of the 9th Lancers having fallen, with their horses, into a wide and deep "nullah" or ditch, and the enemy being close upon them, the Reverend J. W. Adams rushed into the water (which filled the ditch), dragged the horses from off the men upon whom they were lying, and extricated them, he being at the time under a heavy fire, and up to his waist in water.

At this time the Afghans were pressing on very rapidly, the leading men getting within a few yards of Mr. Adams, who having let go his horse in order to render more effectual assistance, had eventually to escape on foot.For the above actions the Adams was recommended for the VC by Lord Roberts. Along with the Presbyterian and Roman Catholic chaplains who also accompanied the force, Adams was three times Mentioned in Despatches during the campaign. He received his medal from Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace on 1 December 1881 Adams was appointed an honorary chaplain to the Prince of Wales on 7 May 1900, and following the Prince's accession as King Edward VII he was confirmed in the post of Honorary chaplain to the King on 23 July 1901.
Adams died on 24 October 1903 and is buried at Ashwell Churchyard, Rutland, England where he was Rector. He had previously been the Rector of Postwick and Vicar of Stow Bardolph, Norfolk. His memorial was restored in 2007.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_William_Adams
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=10445153
Attached Images VCJamesWilliamAdams.jpg (10.1 KB, 0 views)
Victoria Cross.jpg (38.5 KB, 0 views)

[jembo]

Colonel Patrick Roddy VC (17 March 1827 – 21 November 1895) was an Irish 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 31 years old, and an ensign in the Bengal Army during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

Ensign (now Lieutenant) Patrick Roddy
Date of Act of Bravery, 27th September, 1858

Major-General Sir James Hope Grant, K.C.B., Commanding Oudh Force, bears testimony to the gallant conduct of Lieutenant Roddy, on several occasions. One instance is particularly mentioned.

On the return from Kuthirga of the Kuppurthulla Contingent, on the 27th of September, 1858, this officer, when engaged with the enemy, charged a Rebel (armed with a percussion musket), whom the Cavalry were afraid to approach, as each time they attempted
to do so, the Rebel knelt and covered his assailant; this, however, did not deter Lieutenant Roddy, who went boldly in, and when within six yards, the Rebel fired, killing Lieutenant Roddy's horse, and before he could get disengaged from the horse, the Rebel attempted to cut him down. Lieutenant Roddy seized the Rebel until he could get at his sword, when he ran the man through the body. The Rebel turned put to be a subadar of the late 8th Native Infantry,—a powerful man, and a most determined character.

He served in the Abyssinian War and the Second Anglo-Afghan War. He later achieved the rank of colonel. He died at Jersey, Channel Islands on 21 November 1895.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Roddy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Army
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=11792309
http://www.armynavyairforce.co.uk/indian_army.htm

[jembo]

James Joseph Magennis VC (surname originally McGinnes) (27 October 1919 – 12 February 1986) was a Belfast-born 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 only native of Northern Ireland to receive the Victoria Cross for Second World War service. Magennis was part of several operations involving X-Craft midget submarines in attacks on Axis ships. In July 1945 Magennis was serving on HMS XE3 during Operation Struggle. During an attack on the Japanese cruiser Takao in Singapore, Magennis showed extraordinary valour and bravery by leaving the submarine for a second time in order to free some explosive charges that had got caught. His commanding officer Lieutenant Ian Fraser was also awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 31 July 1945 during the Operation.

James McGinnes was born on 27 October 1919 at Majorca Street, West Belfast, Ireland. He was from a working class Roman Catholic family and attended St Finian's Primary School on the Falls Road, Belfast until 3 June 1935 when enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy seaman (adopting the surname Magennis). He served on several different warships between 1935 and 1942, when he joined the submarine branch. Before joining the submarine branch, Magennis served on the destroyer Kandahar which was mined off Tripoli, Libya, in December 1941 whilst Magennis was on board. The ship was irreparably damaged and was scuttled the following day. In December 1942, Magennis was drafted into the Submarine service and in March 1943 he volunteered for "special and Hazardous duties" — which meant Midget submarines, or X-craft. He trained as a diver, and in September 1943 took part in the first major use of the X-craft during Operation Source. Two submarines, HMS X7 and HMS X6, penetrated Kåfjord, Norway, and disabled the German battleship Tirpitz. For his part in the attack Magennis was mentioned in dispatches "[f]or bravery and devotion to duty" in 1943.]

Operation Struggle

In July 1945 Acting Leading Seaman Magennis was serving as the diver on the midget submarine HMS XE3 under the command of Lieutenant Ian Fraser. They were tasked with sinking the 10,000 ton Japanese cruiser Takao, the first of the Takao Class. She was berthed in the Straits of Johor, Singapore acting as an Anti-aircraft battery. The codename for the operation was Operation Struggle.

On 30 July 1945 the XE3 was towed to the area by the submarine Stygian. She slipped her tow at 23:00 for the forty-mile journey through hazardous wrecks, minefields and listening posts to reach the Takao. After arriving at the Takao at 13:00 on 31 July 1945. Magennis slipped out of the wet-and-dry chamber and he attached limpet mines to the Japanese cruiser Takao under particularly difficult circumstances. He had to chip away at barnacles on the bottom of the cruiser for 30 minutes before being able to attach the limpets. During this time his breathing apparatus was leaking and he returned to the submarine after completion of his task very exhausted. On withdrawing, Lieutenant Ian Fraser found that one of the limpet carriers which was being jettisoned would not release itself. Magennis immediately volunteered to free it commenting: "I'll be all right as soon as I've got my wind, Sir". This he did, after seven minutes of nerve-racking work with a heavy spanner. On completion Magennis returned to XE3 for the second time, allowing the four man midget submarine to make its escape out to open sea to meet the waiting Stygian.

The citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette of 9 November 1945 (dated 13 November 1945) and read:

The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the VICTORIA CROSS for valour to: —

Temporary Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph MAGENNIS, D/JX. 144907.

Leading Seaman Magennis served as Diver in His Majesty's Midget Submarine XE-3 for her attack on 31 July 1945, on a Japanese cruiser of the Atago class. The diver's hatch could not be fully opened because XE-3 was tightly jammed under the target, and Magennis had to squeeze himself through the narrow space available.
He experienced great difficulty in placing his limpets on the bottom of the cruiser owing both to the foul state of the bottom and to the pronounced slope upon which the limpets would not hold. Before a limpet could be placed therefore Magennis had thoroughly to scrape the area clear of barnacles, and in order to secure the limpets he had to tie them in pairs by a line passing under the cruiser keel. This was very tiring work for a diver, and he was moreover handicapped by a steady leakage of oxygen which was ascending in bubbles to the surface. A lesser man would have been content to place a few limpets and then to return to the craft. Magennis, however, persisted until he had placed his full outfit before returning to the craft in an exhausted condition. Shortly after withdrawing Lieutenant Fraser endeavoured to jettison his limpet carriers, but one of these would not release itself and fall clear of the craft. Despite his exhaustion, his oxygen leak and the fact that there was every probability of -his being sighted, Magennis at once volunteered to leave the craft and free the carrier rather than allow a less experienced diver to undertake the job. After seven minutes of nerve-racking work he succeeded in releasing the carrier. Magennis displayed very great courage and devotion to duty and complete disregard for his own safety.
Lieutenant Fraser was also awarded the VC for his part in the attack; whilst Sub-Lieutenant William James Lanyon Smith, RNZNVR, who was at the controls of XE3 during the attack, received the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC); Engine Room Artificer Third Class Charles Alfred Reed, who was at the wheel, received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM). HMS XE1 was supposed to be attacking another Japanese vessel as part of the same operation, but actually ended up also placing its explosives under the same target. XE1's C/O, Lieutenant John Elliott Smart RNVR, and Sub-Lieutenant Harold Edwin Harper, RNVR received the DSC; and ERA Fourth Class Henry James Fishleigh and Leading Seaman Walter Henry Arthur Pomeroy received the Distinguished Service Medal. ERA Fourth Class Albert Nairn, Acting Leading Stoker Jack Gordan Robinson, and Able Seaman Ernest Raymond Dee were Mentioned in Despatches for their part in bringing the two midget submarines from harbour to the point where the crews that took part in the attack took over.

He worked as an electrician. For the last years of his life, he suffered from chronic ill health, before dying on 11 February 1986 of lung cancer hours before his heroism was honoured by the Royal Navy Philatelic Office with a first-day cover.

Memorials

Magennis has had several memorials erected in his honour. When Magennis first won the VC, he was treated rather shabbily by the Unionist-dominated Belfast City Council because he was from a working class Roman Catholic family. Although the public collected £3,600 in appreciation of his heroism, the council refused to give him the freedom of the city. The only official recognition was a small photograph tucked away in the robing room of the council chamber. The first memorial was only erected in 1999 after a long campaign by his biographer George Fleming and Major S.H. Pollock CD (Canada). The memorial, a bronze and stone statue, was officially unveiled in Belfast on 8 October 1999. The ceremony was conducted in the grounds of Belfast City Hall in the presence of Magennis's son Paul, by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Bob Stoker. Magennis's former commanding officer, Ian Fraser, was reported as saying: "Jim gave me bother from time to time. He liked his tot of rum, but he was a lovely man and a fine diver. I have never met a braver man. It was a privilege to know him and it's wonderful to see Belfast honour him at last." A wall mural commemorating James Magennis on the 60th anniversary of VJ day was unveiled on 16 September 2005 by Peter Robinson, the Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament representing East Belfast, including Tullycarnet.


In 1998 a memorial plaque was installed by Castlereagh Borough Council on the wall of Magennis's former home at 32 Carncaver Road, Castlereagh, East Belfast. A memorial blue plaque sponsored by Belfast City Council was installed on the outer wall of the Royal Naval Association building at Great Victoria Street, Belfast by the Ulster History Circle.

Ashcroft collection

In 1986, there was some publicity in the newspapers that his VC would be up at auction. This attracted the interest of Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft who bought the VC for £29,000 (plus fees) amidst strong competition from dealers and private collectors. This was the first Victoria Cross bought by Lord Ashcroft, who, as of 2006, owned 142 medals.[10] In July 2008 Lord Ashcroft announced a donation of £5 million for a permanent gallery at the Imperial War Museum, where Victoria Crosses already held by the museum will be put on display alongside his own.[11] The Lord Ashcroft Gallery opened in 2010.

In the media

Magennis was profiled in the 2006 television docudrama Victoria Cross Heroes, which included archive footage, dramatisations of his actions and an interview with his Lord Ashcroft about his VC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joseph_Magennis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Kandahar_(F28)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-craft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanes...er_Takao_(1930)


Magannis was the last Irishman to receive the victoria cross.

[ebro]

Edmund De Wind, VC (11 December 1883 – 21 March 1918) was a British Army officer during the First World War, and posthumous 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.

Both his native Northern Ireland and his adopted home of Canada count De Wind amongst the men of their militaries who have earned the VC

Eddie

[jembo]

Heres a little more about the man:-

Edmund De Wind, VC (11 December 1883 – 21 March 1918) was a British Army officer during the First World War, and posthumous 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.

Both his native Northern Ireland and his adopted home of Canada count De Wind amongst the men of their militaries who have earned the VC

De Wind was born in Comber, County Down, Ireland on 11 December 1883 to Arthur Hughes De Wind, C.E., and Margaret Jane De Wind. He was educated at Campbell College and then went to work for the Bank of Ireland, Clones branch.

De Wind was living in Canada in 1914 and working for the CIBC when World War I broke out. He served with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada for a period of six months prior to his enlistment as a private on 16 November 1914 in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He arrived in France with 2nd Division of C.E.F. in September 1915. He saw action in the Battle of the Somme (1916) and at Vimy Ridge (1917). He earned a commission in September 1917 in the British Army.

As a 34 year-old Second Lieutenant in the 15th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles, he was awarded the VC for deeds committed during the Second Battle of the Somme on 21 March 1918. He died on that day.

For most conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice on the 21st March, 1918, at the Race Course Redoubt, near Grugies. For seven hours he held this most important post, and though twice wounded and practically single-handed, he maintained his position until another section could be got to his help. On two occasions, with two N.C.O.'s only, he got out on top under heavy machine gun and rifle fire, and cleared the enemy out of the trench, killing many. He continued to repel attack after attack until he was mortally wounded and collapsed. His valour, self-sacrifice and example were of the highest order.''
—The London Gazette, 13 May 1919
Named on Poziers Monument. Mount De Wind, Alberta, Canada named after this VC recipient. A housing estate in his home town of Comber, Northern Ireland, is also named in his honour. A plaque memorial was erected in his old school, Campbell College, Belfast. Edmund was officially remembered in Comber on Friday 14 September 2007 through the unveiling of an Ulster History Circle "Blue Plaque" in his honour. The first memorial to de Wind is a pillar his mother caused to be carved at the main entrance on the west front of St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast. The pillar bears his name and the date of his death. The west front was dedicated to the men from Northern Ireland who died in the Great War. It was dedicated in 1927.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_De_Wind
Attached Images VCEdmundDeWind.jpg (12.7 KB, 0 views)
Edmund_de_wind_Blue_Plaque.jpg (45.9 KB, 0 views)
Victoria Cross.jpg (38.5 KB, 0 views)

[jembo]

Edward Corringham "Mick" Mannock VC, DSO and Two Bars, MC & Bar (24 May 1887 – 26 July 1918) was a British First World War flying ace. Mannock was probably born in Ireland, but of English and Scottish parentage.

Mannock went into combat on the Western Front on three separate combat tours. Although initially a social misfit suspected of cowardice in his first assignment to 40 Squadron, he began to accumulate victories. He took on the highly hazardous task of balloon busting for his first aerial victory, and by dogged concentration on his gunnery skills, tallied 15 victories by the end of his first combat tour.

After two months back in England, he returned to France as a Flight Commander in the fledgling 74 Squadron. He amassed 36 more victories between 12 April and 17 June 1918. He also gained a reputation for ruthless hatred of his German adversaries, delighting in burning them to death. He became phobic about burning to death in midair. The stresses of combat began to tell on him. He also became ill with a lingering case of influenza. When ordered home on leave in June, he wept.

He returned as Officer Commanding of 85 Squadron in July 1918; he would score nine more victories that month. By now, his phobias had spread to include excessive tidiness. He also had presentiments of his coming end. Just days after warning fellow ace George McElroy about the deadly hazards of flying low into ground fire, Mannock did just that on 26 July 1918. His fighter plane was set on fire, and he was killed in action.

He was one of the world's first theorists of aviation tactics, and was renowned for his prudent but aggressive leadership in the air. By the time he rose to command of 85 Squadron, his subordinates boasted that he never lost a wingman.

Mannock won the Military Cross twice, was one of the rare three-time winners of the Distinguished Service Order, and would be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. He is regarded as one of the greatest fighter pilots of the war.

Please read attached for more of this fascinating story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Mannock
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.ph...ash_Sites.html
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...r&GRid=9351062
Attached Images Victoria Cross.jpg (38.5 KB, 0 views)
th.jpg (13.6 KB, 0 views)
9351062_129821195554.jpg (32.0 KB, 0 views)

__________________