Geoffrey Saxton White
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Geoffrey Saxton White (July 2, 1886-28 January 1918) 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 31 years old, and a lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 28 January 1918 in the Dardanelles, Turkey, Lieutenant-Commander White, commanding British submarine E.14 was under instructions to find the German battlecruiser Goeben, reported aground. She was not found, however, and E.14 turned back, but after firing a torpedo at an enemy ship a heavy explosion occurred, badly damaging the submarine. Lieutenant Commander White, after submerging for a time, was forced to bring E.14 to the surface where she was hit again and again until eventually the lieutenant-commander decided to try to ground her to give the crew a chance of being saved. He himself remained on deck until killed by a shell.
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs (Stephen Snelling, 2002)
