- William Bees
forces.
He was 29 years old, and a private in the 1st Battalion,
The Derbyshire Regiment (laterThe Sherwood Foresters -The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment ),British Army during theSouth African War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.On
30 September 1901 atMoedwil ,South Africa , Private Bees was one of a Maxim-gun detachment which suffered heavy casualties, six out of nine men being hit. Hearing his wounded comrades asking for water, Private Bees went forward under heavy fire to a spruit held by the Boers about 500 yards ahead of the men, and brought back a kettle filled with water. In doing this he had to pass within 100 yards of some rocks also held by the enemy and the kettle he was carrying was hit by several bullets.He later achieved the rank of
corporal .His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Sherwood Foresters Museum "(The Castle, Nottingham, England)".References
*
Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)
*LondonGazette|issue=27388|startpage=8915|date=17 December 1901 |accessdate=2007-12-12External links
* [http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/leiceste.htm Location of grave and VC medal] "(Leicestershire)"
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.