James Leach (British army officer)
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- This page is about the British Army Officer James Edgar Leach. For other people named James Leach, please see James Leach (disambiguation).
James Edgar Leach (July 27, 1892 - August 15, 1958) was United Kingdom soldier, and English recipient of the Victoria Cross.
He was 22 years old, and a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 29 October 1914 near Festubert, France, after their trench had been taken by the enemy and two attempts to recapture it had failed, Second Lieutenant Leach and a sergeant (John Hogan) with a party of 10 volunteers went to recover it themselves. They took the Germans by surprise with a sudden bayonet attack and then working from traverse to traverse they gradually succeeded in regaining possession, killing eight of the enemy, wounding two and taking 16 prisoners.
He later achieved the rank of Captain.
After the war, Leach served in the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
