The VC diary for 9th January contains no direct recipients of the VC, though there are two VC recipients who passed away on the 9th January. The first recipient is Cyril Royston Guyton Bassett VC, born in 1892 in Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand. On the 7th August 1915 on the Gallipoli Peninsula, he under intense enemy fire, and in full daylight, succeeded in laying a telephone line from the old position to the new one on Chunuk Bair. He was later evacuated from Gallipoli due to ill health. He died on 9th January 1983 in Stanley Bay, Auckland and he was cremated. His ashes are interred at North Shore Memorial Park, Auckland. His VC is displayed at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The second recipient is Matthew Hughes VC, born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1822. On 7th June 1855, at the storming of the Quarries in the Crimean War, he twice went for ammunition across open ground under heavy fire. He also went out into the open to bring in the wounded Private John Hampton, and later on the 18th June 1855, saved the life of Lieutenant Hobson, who was also lying wounded in the open. He died on 9th January 1882 and is buried in Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford, Yorkshire. His medals are displayed in the Royal Fusiliers Museum, Tower of London.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 06:37:56 +0000