Fred Greaves

Fred Greaves VC (16 May 1890 - 11 June 1973) 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.

Fred was born in Killamarsh a town in north-east Derbyshire in 1890 [http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/derbyshi.htm Derbyshire at VictoriaCross.org] Accessed June 2007] . He was 27 years old, and an Acting Corporal in the 9th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 4 October 1917 at Poelcapelle, east of Ypres, Belgium, when the platoon was held up by machine-gun fire from a concrete stronghold and the platoon commander and sergeant were casualties, Corporal Greaves, followed by another NCO, rushed forward, reached the rear of the building and bombed the occupants, killing or capturing the garrison and the machine-gun. Later, at a most critical period of the battle, during a heavy counter-attack, all the officers of the company became casualties and Corporal Geaves collected his men, threw out extra posts on the threatened flank and opened up rifle and machine-gun fire to enfilade the advance.

He later achieved the rank of Sergeant. Fred died in Brimington, near Chesterfield in 1973.

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)
*VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)

External links

* [http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/derbyshi.htm Location of grave and VC medal] "(Derbyshire)"
* [http://www.jwhalley.freeserve.co.uk/Notts%20&%20Derbys/VC's.html The Victoria Cross Awards to the Sherwood Foresters] "(photos, site includes other articles on SF)"