TwoEssGee Posted 19 January , 2017 Share Posted 19 January , 2017 I was recently reading something about Sgt John McAulay VC DCM, 1st Battalion Scots Guards who was awarded the Victoria Cross at Fontaine Notre Dame on 27 November 1917. He was a pre war policeman in the City of Glasgow Police, and returned to his previous occupation after the war. It was mentioned that he was one of only 7 policemen who were awarded the VC during the war, and the only such Scottish recipient. It got me wondering who the others were. I knew about Michael O'Leary and George Wyatt, but I have only identified one of the others, John Raynes. John McAulay VC DCM, Sgt, 1st Batt Scots Guards - City of Glasgow Police Michael John O'Leary VC, L/Cpl, 1st Batt Irish Guards - Royal Northwest Mounted Police John Crawshaw Raynes VC, Sgt, Royal Field Artillery - Leeds City Police George Henry Wyatt VC, L/Cpl, 3rd Batt Coldstream Guards - Barnsley Borough Police I am also aware of 2 others who became policemen following their military service, those being - Wilfred Dolby Fuller VC, L/Cpl, 1st Batt Grenadier Guards, who joined Somerset Constabulary after his discharge in 1916 Robert Gordon McBeath VC, L/Cpl, 1/5th Batt Seaforth Highlanders, who joined the British Colombia Provincial Police and later the Vancouver PD (where he was murdered on duty) and one, who had previously served as a policeman but had resigned pre war to become a barman in Ashford, Kent - Harry Wells VC, Sgt, 2nd Batt Royal Sussex Regiment, who served with Kent Constabulary between 1911 and 1913. Can anyone help with the ones I have missed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBrook Posted 20 January , 2017 Share Posted 20 January , 2017 Do Australians count? https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/ww1-australian-vc-recipient-james-ernest-newland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEssGee Posted 20 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 20 January , 2017 2 minutes ago, HarryBrook said: Do Australians count? https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/ww1-australian-vc-recipient-james-ernest-newland Possibly. I'm not even sure the original quoted number of 7 is accurate, but Mick O'Leary was serving with the RNWMP in Canada before returning to the Irish Guards, so I'll assume any of the British, Dominion or Imperial Forces were included. I see that Captain Newland was a Tasmanian Policeman between 1907 and 1910, so unlike the first 4 in the above list he didn't go straight from police service to army service, so perhaps he cannot be accurately called a policeman. Thanks for your suggestion. Iain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hett65 Posted 21 January , 2017 Share Posted 21 January , 2017 On Blackpool Police war memorial is Acting Inspector Alfred V. Smith VC East Lancs Reg. Alfred Victor Smith born 22nd July 1891 was the son of the Chief Constable of Burnley police. He was serving as a 2nd Lt with the 1/5th East Lancs Regiment at Helles, Gallipoli on the 23rd December 1915 when a grenade he was about to throw slipped from his hand into the trench. Apparently he managed to get out of the trench but on seeing that others were unable to do so he jumped back in and threw himself onto the grenade which exploded and killed him instantly, he was aged 24 years. He had also been awarded the French Croix de Guerre but I do not know when this was awarded. As well as being on Blackpool police war memorial, he is recorded on others in Burnley. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRP.HKP Posted 21 January , 2017 Share Posted 21 January , 2017 Frederick Charles BOOTH, British South Africa Police, 1917 German East Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoEssGee Posted 22 January , 2017 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2017 Excellent. Thank you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 4 March Share Posted 4 March (edited) On 19/01/2017 at 23:43, TwoEssGee said: Sgt John McAulay VC DCM, 1st Battalion Scots Guards who was awarded the Victoria Cross at Fontaine Notre Dame on 27 November 1917. For sale online: Edited 4 March by Ivor Anderson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 4 March Share Posted 4 March 7 hours ago, Ivor Anderson said: For sale online: Also recently discussed on the Facebook page "Military Fakes and Forgeries" - suffice to say the reviews of this aren't favourable... (note the mis-spelled "Cambrai" for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Anderson Posted 5 March Share Posted 5 March On 04/03/2024 at 12:57, Andrew Upton said: Also recently discussed on the Facebook page "Military Fakes and Forgeries" - suffice to say the reviews of this aren't favourable... (note the mis-spelled "Cambrai" for example). Thanks for the warning Andrew. Wasn't intending to buy it. An interesting artifact if it is genuine, worrying if not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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