John Harald Rhodes
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John Harald Rhodes (VC, DCM & Bar) (May 17, 1891 – November 27, 1917) was an English 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 26 years old, and a Lance-Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 9 October 1917 near Houthulst Forest, east of Ypres, Belgium, Lance-Sergeant Rhodes was in charge of a Lewis gun section covering the consolidation of the right front company. He accounted for several of the enemy with his rifle as well as by Lewis-gun fire and upon seeing three of the enemy leave a pill-box he went alone through our barrage and hostile machine-gun fire and got into the pill-box. There he captured nine of the enemy including a forward observation officer connected by telephone to his battery. Lance-Sergeant Rhodes brought back these prisoners, together with valuable information.
He was killed in action, Fontaine Notre Dame, France, on 27 November 1917.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ) (London, England).
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)
