Cecil Leonard Knox
Second Lieutenant, 150th Field Company. Royal Engineers
- Register No.
- 705 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Second Lieutenant (register: Temp. Second Lieutenant) all Second Lieutenants →
- Unit
- 150th Field Company. Royal Engineers (register: Corps of Royal Engineers) all Corps of Royal Engineers VCs →
- Date of action
- 22 March 1918 on this day → all of 1918 →
- Conflict / campaign
- First World War
- London Gazette
- 4th June 1918 on this day → all of 1918 →
- Born
- 9th May 1888 at Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Died
- 4th February 1943 at Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Memorial / grave
- not known
Digest of citation
On 22nd March 1918 at Tugny, France, Second Lieutenant KNOX was instructed to demolish 12 bridges. He carried out this task successfully although on one of the steel girder bridges the time fuse failed. Without hesitation, under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, he ran to the bridge, which the enemy were actually on, ripped out the time fuse and lit an instantaneous fuse. To do this he had to get under the bridge, knowing full well that he took an extreme risk, of his own life, in doing so
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
KNOX, Cecil Leonard. (reg No. 705).
Second Lieutenant. 150th Field Company. Royal Engineers.
London Gazetted on 4th June 1918.
Born on 9th May 1888 at Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
Died on 4th February 1943 at Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
Memorial not known.
Digest of Citation reads: On 22nd March 1918 at Tugny, France, Second Lieutenant KNOX was instructed to demolish 12 bridges. He carried out this task successfully although on one of the steel girder bridges the time fuse failed. Without hesitation, under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, he ran to the bridge, which the enemy were actually on, ripped out the time fuse and lit an instantaneous fuse. To do this he had to get under the bridge, knowing full well that he took an extreme risk, of his own life, in doing so.
Additional information:. He was by profession a civil engineer. He attained the rank of Major. He was the cousin of the Chairman of the Frome Rural District Council, Mr E. Knox, of Kilmersdon.
Additional information
He was by profession a civil engineer He attained the rank of Major. He was the cousin of the Chairman of the Frome Rural District Council, Mr E. Knox, of Kilmersdon.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: not known
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
Research this recipient further
Would you like to honour Cecil Leonard Knox by sponsoring this page from £1 a month — in memory of someone, in your own name or for your company? Sponsor this page.