One hundred years ago tomorrow - A Reminder

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One hundred years ago tomorrow - A Reminder
IP: 86.166.184.39
Posted on 22/8/2014 at 17:15:43 by David Prince

One hundred years ago tomorrow morning, between 08.00 � 11.00hrs, Lt. Maurice Dease and Pte Sidney Godley, both of the 4th Bn Royal Fusiliers (one of the four regiments that were disbanded in 1968 when the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were formed and came into being) were involved in the defence of Nimy bridge, a canal bridge a couple of thousand meters, or so, to the north of the town of Mons. During the action that morning both were awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of conspicuous gallantry in preventing the Germans from capturing the canal bridge. Both were wounded multiple times, Lt. Dease subsequently dying of his wounds later that morning, while Pte. Godley, who�d lost consciousness, was captured and spent the remainder of the war as a POW.

Although there were 5 Victoria Cross�s awarded for extreme gallantry on the 23rd August 1914, the first of the war, those awarded to Lt. Dease and Pte Godley were the very first two.

Debate still goes on as to which of the two was the very first but they were awarded for the same action. And while a reasonable case could be made, in retrospect, that Lt. Dease�s actions preceded those of Pte Godley, by some 15, 20 or even 40 minutes or so, that would be conjecture as there is no one around and no record that is currently available that could prove one way or another which was actually first.
None of that really matters (except to the pedantic and class conscious), both were members of one of our antecedent Regiments and theirs were the first VC�s awarded to both a commissioned and non-commissioned rank, so a double distinction for the Regiment.

It is therefore fitting that we remember them both, and their courage, along with that of the other members of the 4th Bn Royal Fusiliers who fought so hard, were wounded, incapacitated or were killed on the 23rd August, one hundred years ago.

See link below Editor

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