The VC diary for 7th January contains the stories of three recipients of the VC – including a recipient from my current hometown. The diary though begins with John Barry VC, born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1873. On the night of 7th-8th January 1901, on Monument Hill, South Africa, during the Second Boer War, although he was surrounded and threatened by the Boers all the time, he smashed the breach of a Maxim gun, thus rendering it useless to its captors. In the process of doing this, he was sadly killed. He is buried in Belfast Cemetery, Johannesburg, South Africa. His medals are displayed at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, Imperial War Museum, London. The second recipient is Eustace Jotham VC, born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire in 1883 (my current hometown). On 7th January 1915, in the Tochi Valley, on the North West Frontier, he was commanding a party of about a dozen of the North Waziristan Militia, who were attacked in a nullah, and almost surrounded by an overwhelming force of some 1500 Khostwal tribesmen. He gave the order to retire, and could have himself escaped, but most gallantly sacrificed his own life by attempting to rescue one of the men who had lost his horse. He is buried in Miranshah Cemetery, North Waziristan, Pakistan. His medal is owned by his old school, Bromsgrove School and is rarely on display, though will be displayed in Kidderminster Town Hall on the 7th January on the centenary of his VC action. The final recipient is Thomas Mottershead VC, born in Widnes, Lancashire in 1892. On 7th January 1917 near Ploegsteert Wood, Belgium, Sgt Mottershead was on patrol in FE-2d with his observer Lt W.E.Gower when he was engaged in combat by two Albatros D.III of Jasta 8. Lt Gower managed to hit one and put it out of action, the second Albatros however, flown by German “ace” Leutnant Walter Gottsch, hit Mottershead’s aircraft, with the petrol tank pierced and the machine set on fire. Enveloped in flames which his observer was unable to subdue with a handheld fire extinguisher, the Sergeant was badly burnt but managed to get his aircraft back to Allied lines and made a successful forced landing. The undercarriage collapsed on landing, pinning Mottershead in his cockpit. He was pulled clear, but sadly died of his burns 5 days later. He is buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery, France. His medals are displayed in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, Imperial War Museum, London.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 06:24:44 +0000